In Quezon, tourist sites reopen with caution

HIDDEN SPOT The community of Palsabangon in Pagbilao, Quezon, features waterfalls that have yet to be discovered by tourists. The province has started the gradual reopening of its beaches, nature parks and other destinations as quarantine restrictions are eased. —PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK KEVIN QUEAÑO

LUCENA CITY — Quezon has reopened its doors to tourists amid the more relaxed quarantine measures now in place in the province to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Tourist spots in the towns of Sariaya, Dolores, Tiaong and Atimonan are welcoming locals and nonresidents, but health protocols will be observed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, provincial tourism officer Alberto Bay said in a report on Wednesday.

Authority to operate

Bay said the towns of General Nakar, Lucban, Mauban, Candelaria, San Andres, Calauag and the island municipality of Quezon resumed tourism activities, too, but would accept only residents of the province.

“We’re updating the list every week because local governments also change their [quarantine] status,” Bay said on Thursday.

He said 54 establishments in different towns in the province, mostly restaurants, hotels and resorts, had been given provisional certificates of authority to operate.

Tourists, he said, should present their latest medical certificates and health clearances issued by concerned government agencies while outsiders would be required to show their travel passes.

Bay said the elderly and those below 21 years old were still prohibited to travel for leisure, though they could be allowed to enter a tourist destination depending on guidelines issued by the local government concerned. Quezon is under the most lenient modified general community quarantine status until Sept. 30.

Local attractions

The Sariaya coastline along Tayabas Bay has rows of beach resorts and is a nesting site for marine turtles, while Dolores, at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, offers farm tourism areas and is perfect for nature lovers.

San Andres and Atimonan offer waterfalls and beaches. Atimonan promotes the lush Quezon National Park, where the “Pinagbanderahan” summit, the site where guerrillas raised the Philippine flag during World War II, attracts history buffs. —DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.