KIAMBA, Sarangani (May 15, 2012) – Sarangani is becoming a haven for sports tourism, a tourism official said, with the biggest national cycling stage race kicking off in Sarangani right after the Sarangani Bay Festival.

SarBay Fest will be held in Gumasa where Singapore’s leading adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow with two of the Philippine’s finest kayakers Erwin “Buzzy” Budlong of Cebu and Arnel Gabutero of Davao City started on August 31, 2009 the first-ever attempt to kayak the entire length of the Philippines that ended 3,300 km. away in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

“Just like the Sarangani Bay Fest which happens in May 18-19 and bringing about 800 sports enthusiasts to enjoy Sarangani Bay through Fun Run, the 15-kilometer Swim-Across-the-Bay, paragliding, jetski offshore adventure, bancarera and other beach sports,” Regional Tourism Council chair Michelle Solon said LBC Ronda Pilipinas is bringing in “96 athletes in 16 teams competing in different stages and venues in the Philippines.”

“LBC Ronda Pilipinas, a national road biking competition, has chosen Sarangani as the starting point of its Mindanao Leg,” said Solon, who also chairs the Provincial Tourism Council.

“LBC Ronda is going to do their time trial on May 23 at the Provincial Capitol and inviting even local road bikers of Sarangani to participate in the time trial,” said Solon.

“On May 24, the real race happens starting from General Santos to Kiamba and back with about 180 kms on this leg of the race,” Solon added.

Jaideep Chulani, project director of Ronda Pilipinas 2012, has informed Governor Migs Dominguez that “the race will start in Sarangani and reach General Santos City, Kiamba and Davao City passing through various town and municipalities of Sarangani Province.”

Ronda Pilipinas 2012 – the biggest national cycling stage race covering Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – “will feature at least 96 Filipino cyclists vying for cash prizes totaling almost 8 million Pesos, the biggest prize ever for local cycling,” said Chulani in a letter to the governor.

“Together we can maximize the impact of this massive sports event upon your constituents and the public at large. Ronda Pilipinas 2012 will be an exciting sports event and tourist attraction that will encourage people to love our country and take up cycling which is an eco-friendly sport,” Chulani said.

The organizers have mapped out a 2,077 km route, up from last year’s 1,650 km, that will take the riders from Mindanao to Northern Luzon and back to Manila in the 19-day, 15-stage competition which starts with a 20km prologue – an individual time trial – in Sarangani on May 23 and ends with a 15-lap race on June 10.

The organizers said riders will be ferried from all over the country to Sarangani starting May 20 in time for the prologue three days later.

The 15 regular stages have an average distance of 138 km with 13 of them on flat roads, putting the riders in a race against time right in the first stage, a 183.3 km ride from General Santos City to Kiamba, Sarangani and back to General Santos.

The other stages and their distances are Stage 2, GenSan to Davao (143.2km), Stage 3, Tagum City-Butuan City (225.7km), Stage 4, Butuan-Surigao (118.7km), Stage 5, Ormoc-Tacloban (146.6km), Stage 6, Tacloban-Calbayog (170km), Stage 7, Legazpi-Naga (115km), Stage 8, Daet-Lucena (209.2km), Stage 9, Lucena-Antipolo (154.6km), Stage 10, San Fernando, Pampanga-Cabanatuan (119.4km), Cabanatuan to Lingayen (Stage 11), Lingayen to Baguio (Stage 12), another time trial in Baguio (Stage 13), San Fernando, La Union to Tarlac (Stage 14) and Valenzuela to Manila (Stage 15) on June 10, according to the organizers. (Jun Ramos/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

GLAN, Sarangani (May 9, 2012) – A resort with a view to two of Socsargen’s (South Cotabato-Sarangani-General Santos City) prominent natural landmarks – Sarangani Bay and Mt. Matutum – is the latest addition to the growing number of tourist attractions in Sarangani.

BelMar Eco Park & Beach Resort opened for business Tuesday (May in time for the May 18-19 Sarangani Bay Festival (SarBay Fest), the biggest beach festival in Mindanao.

The resort is located in barangay Kapatan just along the national highway from General Santos City going to the town proper of Glan and to the white-sand beaches of Gumasa, main venue of Sarbay Fest.

BelMar, short for the owners’ names Annabelle and Marcelino, has a resto bar and coffee shop, pasalubong center which sells local products and delicacies, a recreation center and conference rooms.

Guests can enjoy snorkeling, boating and beach tour where century-old mangrove trees line the white-pebbled beachfront.

Right now, BelMar Ecopark & Beach Resort has a total of six overnight cottages, two aircon and four non-aircon rooms with a capacity of six persons per cottage. It also has a mini zoo and children’s park which makes the place ideal for visitors and guests of all ages. For more information about the resort, you may contact 09089297183.

“Today is a very memorable day for the tourism industry particularly in the tourism industry of Glan,” said municipal councilor Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz III. “The opening of BelMar means that Glan is really going high in terms of tourism.”

Ruiz, who is also the Sanggunian committee chair on tourism, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony assisted by owners Annabelle and Marcelino Tangaro Jr. during the resort’s opening program.

“I really appreciate the investment of Mr. and Mrs. Tangaro in our beloved municipality and I hope this will trigger more investments in our place,” Ruiz concluded.

The resort is managed by Annabelle and Marcelino who are presently living in General Santos City. Both were born and raised in Glan.

“It is a dream come true for us. It just started with a simple plan and now here it is,” said Marcelino. “We immediately started the construction on October 28, 2011 after acquiring the property in July of the same year.” For more news and updates, please visit the Province of Sarangani . Come and enjoy Sarangani Bay Festival on May 18-19, 2012. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

On the second day, my cousins and I prepared because we are going to swim at Lake Agco. I heard that Lake Agco is a nice and relaxing place for summer vacation. So, i got excited when I was permitted by my parents to go there.

We left Kidapawan around 10:30 am. On our way, I learn that the electricity and water near Agco are free to use. They don’t experience brownout because they are near to hydroelectric power plant. When we arrived in Lake Agco there were a lot of people spending their weekend vacation. We can’t even get a cottage so my cousins decided to get a room for us to stay and to put our belongings. I was surprised when I first touched the water there and it was so cold. It feels like several ice were put in there. So, I went swimming with my cousins and had so much fun.

Article continues below pictures.  Click picture for a larger view.

After few hours of swimming we went to see the Lake of Agco. It was really true that the water is very hot and you can really see the steam from the water. After going to the Lake we went back to our room and spend the whole afternoon swimming. Then, at last we prepared ourselves so we can go and leave the place. After Agco Lake we went to the place called “Landmark” we saw different kinds of animals and took some pictures. After Land mark we went home and rest at our aunt’s house.

The following morning, we roam around Kidapawan just to find fruits but unluckily, there’s only few. It’s not yet season for fruits.
In the afternoon, we went to Memorial to visit our grandmother after that we went to the market and met my other relatives too. I was surprised to see mud fish jump from the table down to the floor and the vendor tried to get it and slap with a ladle in the head 3 times.

On our last evening, my cousins and I spent our time reminiscing their past with my other cousin. The next morning we bid our goodbye’s to them because it’s time for us to go home to Davao City.

Generally, my trip to Kidapawan City was fun and enjoyable! My cousin invited me that our next destination will be to climb up to Mt. Apo. I’m looking forward to it!