SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 03 October) – Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Lyndon Barbers has clarified that the provincial authorities is internet hosting a nationwide browsing competitors in Siargao Island in a bid to spice up the native tourism business from the devastating results wrought by the two-year COVID-19 pandemic and tremendous hurricane Odette in December 2021, and never due to politicking.
Barbers issued the pronouncement on Sunday throughout a press convention aired reside on Fb, the place he introduced the rescheduling of the 1st Governor’s Cup Nationwide Browsing Competitors.
As an alternative of beginning it immediately, October 3, Barbers mentioned it will likely be moved to October 5 to let the sooner browsing contest initiated by the native authorities unit (LGU) of Normal Luna to complete the occasion on October 4.
The 1st Governor’s Cup Nationwide Browsing Competitors will run from October 5 to October 13.
“I can work with anybody, there isn’t a drawback. There is no such thing as a battle with the LGU of Normal Luna,” Barbers mentioned in response to a query concerning the provincial authorities’s initiative to carry a nationwide browsing competitors by itself.
Barbers and the Matugas couple, Normal Luna Mayor Sol Matugas and her husband, former governor Francisco Matugas, have been at bitter political odds throughout the native elections final Might. Francisco, who was then searching for a 3rd and final time period, was defeated by the returning Barbers, who was governor from 2001 to 2007.
Within the 2019 gubernatorial race, Barbers misplaced to Francisco.
Mayor Matugas earlier hosted the first Mayor Sol’s Nationwide Browsing Competitors from September 28 to October 1 on the well-known Cloud 9 browsing spot in Normal Luna, an space that has been the venue of the World Browsing League (WSL) prior to now years.
The mayor’s cup, nonetheless, was prolonged till October 4, prompting Barbers to maneuver the governor’s cup to October 5 primarily based on the mutual understanding of the 2 LGUs.
Each cups are sanctioned by the United Philippine Browsing Affiliation (UPSA) and can function qualifying occasions for the twenty sixth Worldwide Siargao Browsing Cup, which will probably be held from October 15 to 21 additionally at Cloud 9.
The governor’s cup will probably be held in Tuwason browsing spot from October 5 to 9 and at Tangbo Level from October 10 to 13 in Sta. Monica city.
It was not clear if the surfers who participated within the mayor’s cup would even be the identical rivals within the governor’s cup.
In a press assertion on the governor’s Fb web page, it mentioned that the competitors was envisioned to assist struggling surfers earn most factors to degree up their nationwide rankings after two years of absence of the nationwide competitors as a result of pandemic and the destruction introduced by tremendous hurricane Odette.
It additionally goals to provide the much-needed enhance to the tourism business of Siargao Island by introducing different equal world-class browsing spots outdoors of Cloud 9.
Mario Semorlan, a media advisor on the governor’s workplace, mentioned Tuwason Level “has higher wave formation than Cloud 9,” whereas Tangbo was only in the near past found by skilled surfers.
He mentioned that Barbers’ imaginative and prescient to spice up tourism in Siargao Island is to faucet different areas that may be developed as ideally suited browsing spots, other than Cloud 9.
Gino Canlas, a member of the USPA board of administrators, mentioned they have been anticipating no less than 200 nationwide surfers to affix the governor’s cup. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
