Taal Heritage Town May Take At Least One Month, Says Tourism Officer
TAAL HERITAGE TOWN – The recovery of the now ash-covered Taal Heritage town in Batangas would take at least one month, says tourism officer.
The said town is dubbed as “Vigan of the South” due to the preserved and restored ancestral houses on the streets. The town is also home to centuries-old churches.
According to SunStar, Taal tourism officer Noribelle Gardiola said that the ash unleashed by the Taal Volcano covered the entire town, further shutting down tourist destinations and commercial establishments.
Four days after the residents were allowed to go home, the townspeople are still cleaning their surroundings covered in ash. Many people were seen shoveling deposits of mud on the roadside, while there are those who are sweeping their rooftops and flushing thick layers of ash with water.
“Wala pa pong nag-ooperate na kahit na anong tourism establishments, especially merong lockdown for a week and ‘yung buong municipality [ay] gravely affected by ashfall so hanggang ngayon nililinis pa ‘yung mga ancestral house,”
(No tourism establishment has operated yet, especially because there was a lockdown for a week and the municipality was gravely affected by ashfall so we are still cleaning the ancestral houses.)
Gardiola added that only the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay was damaged since there are cracks that are seen on the shrine.
As per the report, Gardiola said that it would take at least a month before the town’s normal operations go back to normal.
“Madumi pa rin siya at di siya ganun ka-safe if ever na pupunta ang tourist. Di nila ma-e-enjoy ‘yung pag-to-tour. So ang sa tingin ko pinakamabilis na ‘yung one month bago maka-recover na meron na ulit tourist na mag-visit sa Taal,”
(It is still not clean and it is not yet safe for tourists. They will not enjoy the walking tour. I think at the very least one month before the town recovers and tourists will visit Taal again)
The officer added that several establishments have sought assistance from the local government for the cleanup.
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