A Green-carpet Tour in Guimaras

Guimaras is a small province which was extracted from mainland Iloilo in 1992. It is composed of 5 municipalities conniving together to retain its green and tranquil identity, making nature a dominant scenery and stillness a common language understood by those who are keen about freedom and serenity.

It is easy to appreciate everything that is existing in Guimaras particularly since what is being banked into its landscape are of the minimum. In one of my conversations with our tour guide during a day tour in Guimaras I said environmental planning is crucial in terms or preparing Guimaras 20 years from now. The stability of this province lies mainly on how local leaders could craft clear details of its priority directions. Planning would eventually make or break Guimaras.

Meanwhile, my participation to a day tour last November 10 was practically a green-carpet experience because my eyes have seen plenty of the literal green environment. I presume more than 50 percent of the entire province remains untouch, or are having very little human interference.  Agriculture and fishery are two of the industries that supply life to Guimaras. Tourism is also doing good given with its wonderful destinations, making it a detour route to Iloilo visitors. In this article I would like to share to you the places we visited in Guimaras.

SAN LORENZO WIND FARM

This is a renewable power-generation venture situated in San Lorenzo. The giant wind mills are identical with the Bangui structures in Ilocos Norte. It is the very first wind farm in Visayas, which is now starting to become a premiere tourism attraction in Guimaras. It is capable of generating 54-megawatt power, supplying electricity to key parts of Western Visayas.

ROCA ENCANTADA

Somewhere at the tip of Buenavista town is Roca Encantada, a Spanish term which means “Enchanted Rock”. This is a heritage house owned by the Lopez clan pedicured with awesome architecture. The actual location of the building is a reclaimed site, providing better view of the coastal scenes of Buenavista which features small islets from afar.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT CENTER IN JORDAN TOWN

Jordan is the gateway town to Guimaras which is known for its solid waste management program. Looking at how they maintained an ecology center within its landfill facility is commendable. Jordan authorities made sure to minimize garbage collection by imposing segregation at the household level and accommodating only residual wastes in the landfill.

MCNESTER ENTERPRISES

McNester Enterprises is a successful agribusiness industry in Guimaras. It offers variety of food products out of mango and calamansi being the predominant crops in the province. They first gained esteem by being a model entrepreneur in Guimaras and later on became a supplier of mango and calamansi products internationally.

TRAPPIST MONASTERY

This monastery ran by monks is also a well-known stopover for visitors because aside from having notable structures the place also sells good locally-made pasalubong items. 

NATIONAL MANGO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER

This is located in Barangay San Miguel in the town of Jordan, Guimaras. It has more or less 8 hectares of area both for research and production purposes of mango, a very popular commodity that is being associated into the name Guimaras.

BALAAN BUKID SHRINE

This is another pilgrimage site in Jordan, Guimaras. Several works of art are being laid out in this area that serves as stations of the way of the cross where catholic devotees always visit every Lenten season.