DANAO, BOHOL – Everyone knows about Bohol’s world-renowned Chocolate Hills. Thousands of tourists flock to the province to behold this wonder of nature.
This year, however, Danao takes this experience to a “higher” level, literally, with Danao Air Park and Paramotoring School — the latest extreme adventure offering of the famed Danao Adventure Park, where paramotor and ultralight aircraft allows tourists to view the Chocolate Hills from as high as 18,000 feet. On top of Danao Air Park is the much awaited Xsanity — the longest zipline in Asia at 1.5 kilometers in length.
Slated for official launching on Danao’s 50th Charter Day celebrations by Vice President Jejomar Binay on July 9, 2011, the fanfare in opening the new attractions will be held in tandem with the 1st Danao Highland Races — a national outdoor event featuring The North Face 11-kilometer Trail Run, a 40-kilometer Columbia Mountain Bike Cross-Country race, and Mountain Hardwear Wall-Climbing Competition.
Another major event is the 1st Danao Misty Mountaintop Music Festival headlined by ethnic pop hero Joey Ayala, and the legendary Lolita Carbon of Asin. Both festivities is organized by the LGU of Danao together with Adventure Support Services which is presented by R.O.X. (Recreational Outdoor Exchange), the outdoor superstore in Asia.
Ecotourism Creates Social Services
Aside from the numerous activities for Danao’s “Golden Age” Charter Day celebration, the main event of the day will be the launching of Danao’s social services program. Wholly funded by proceeds from Danao’s famed Adventure Park, the program’s initial P3 million per year allocation will cover subsidized health care, rural scholarship grants and microfinance.
The health care component’s initial impact was felt since October 2010, through the free municipal ambulance service. All Danaoanons can now use the ambulance for free –and that means no charge even for the fuel. The main aspect for the health care component, however, is subsidized hospitalization for Danao’s poor constituents, which will kick-off mid-month in July 2011.
On the other hand, the Rural Scholarship component is aimed to fund one to two tertiary-level scholars per barangay per year, for all 17 barangays of Danao.
Meanwhile, the microfinancing component, is intended to help aspiring overseas workers from Danao to have access to money they can use for their placement fees and airfares — up to P60,000 per beneficiary, payable in one year at a minimal 6 percent annual interest rate to cover administrative costs.
Acquiring the “Air” Dimension
Danao Air Park is based at the crossroads of Barangay Sta. Fe. For the past weeks, truckloads upon truckloads of filling material are extracted from municipal quarries, delivered and steam-rolled in a rush to finish the 400-meter airstrip that will serve as a launching pad for the ultralight and paramotor aircraft that will finally add the “air” dimension to Danao Adventure Park’s existing land and water attractions.
On the other hand, Xsanity’s take-off point is at Danao Adventure Park’s campsite area, and will terminate riverside at barangay Carbon.
“These new attractions fit well with our plan to decentralize the activities of Danao Adventure Park,” said Danao Mayor Tom Gonzaga. “Aside from decongesting the main hub of the park at barangay Magtangtang, spreading out our operations to adjacent Barangays can also open up new opportunities to these barangays in terms of employment and generation of small businesses.”