by Dong delos Reyes September 7, 2022 San Andres town mayor Ralph Edward B. Lim (Photo from M ayor Ralph Edward B. Lim) SAN ANDRES, Quezon -...
September 7, 2022
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| San Andres town mayor Ralph Edward B. Lim (Photo from Mayor Ralph Edward B. Lim) |
SAN ANDRES, Quezon - San Andres town mayor Ralph Edward B. Lim hesitates to set foot on Alibijaban Island, which might as well be called the "Crown Jewel of Ragay Gulf" sitting amidst limpid blue waters of the gulf, unspoiled, pristine, DENR-protected. And Lim is plied with grog by the island dwellers, how can he not resist such goodwill from the heart?
Unlike the ballyhooed commercial charms of Aklan's Boracay with its 24/7 establishments catering to wish and whim of tourists, Alibijaban is spotless, its shining bright white beaches all too clean, all-too quiet like an island eden. Guests have to leave before nightfall, and enjoy fitting dinners and drinks at tourist accommodations in the San Andres town proper.
The food are mostly fresh catch from the gulf- and food like this never tasted so heavenly, singing of breeze and brine, and the unspoiled life that becomes San Andres, a 4th class municipality.
San Andres doesn't have much tourist lures- even the smattering of wonder waterfalls in its green geography are largely undeveloped, accessible by trails forbidding to effete tourists but a delight to the more daring trekkers, mountaineers, and travelers out for adventure and surprise.
Mayor Lim doesn't have much on his plate to tend to the 37,000-strong population of San Andres. He has his sights set on flood control projects and concreting of roads for ease of bring produce from upland parts to town where a weekend night market is held-- and may continue to do so. Of late, the utility bills incurred by market stalls are footed by the the local government.
With a view to keeping the town's unspoiled charm, Lim didn't opt for a "build, build, build" footing and instead settled for "plant, plant, plant" scheme to raise incomes for local families.
Thus, increased hectarage for pineapples grown in upland parts; there is mango production, and San Andres will continue to provide the purple yam (ube) requirements of the Good Shepherd sisters in Baguio.
>Too, Lim is set to put into full operation a 25-bedroom local hospital that can accommodate patients in fringe towns.
San Andres barangay health centers also take pride in having well-stocked medical supplies to serve the health needs of local residents.
Also in the pipeline are construction of more classrooms and modernization of San Andres schools.
San Andres has a roll on-roll off port for outbound/inbound Masbate passengers.
Entrance fees for San Andres tourist sites come cheap, and pretty soon, the town would be providing tourist guides to allow more people to be acquainted with the wonders and beauties of this unspoiled town.
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