By Herbert Vego
AS an Antiqueño, I delight in encouraging tourists to include the Sira-an Hot Spring & Health Resort in their itinerary. This must have reached the attention of the municipal government of Anini-y, Antique, which consequently assigned me to write its tourism prospectus. I would like to share with you readers what I discovered at Sira-an.
The spring nestles on the craggy cliff-edge of Anini-y, Antique — one side fronting the highway, the other facing the Sulu Sea. Tourists come here not just to savor the moment but also to stay healthy.
It used to be a natural “bowl” of warm spring water continuously flowing from crevices of a volcano-like basalt bulge along the beach. A scientific theory behind this phenomenon is that molten matter from the Earth’s interior is blocked in its path by solid rock. Only the gases in the magma escape, heating the water underground and pushing it up the surface.
Having evolved into a 6,012-square-meter resort showcasing various sizes of swimming pools and bath tubs, Sira-an Hot Spring at barangay Nato has become a tourism haven with medicinal and aesthetic attributes. The free-flowing water is rich in sulphur, a mineral capable of healing skin diseases and muscle pain.
Sira-an derives its name from the local word “sira,” which refers to the white or yellowish specks of sulphur drying up on the skin of the spring bathers.
While this municipal government-run resort is a potent tourist magnet by itself, it has also become a spillover destination of foreign and local tourists either going to or coming from the famous Boracay Island.
Passenger buses and vans plying the San Jose-Anini-y, Iloilo-Anini-y or Iloilo-San Jose via Anini-y routes are available.
Tourists coming from Manila to Iloilo City by plane may take a bus or van bound for Anini-y, Antique at the Molo bus terminal.
To cope with the post-pandemic revival of daily tourism, laborers are frantically rushing to construct more facilities. As of today, Sira-an has one “infinity” pool that can accommodate 20 swimmers at a time and 12 bath tubs of different sizes for immersion.
The last time I was there, a giant “slide pool,” where customers may glide from a platform to the water, was under construction. The platform doubles as a viewing deck offering a spectacular view of the sea and shoreline.
Small boats are available for rent by visitors wishing to set foot on nearby Nogas Island within 15 minutes. A marine and bird sanctuary, Nogas hosts the only lighthouse in the province which serves as a landmark and guide of ships passing by.
Lodging facilities are available for stay-in tourists. Rooms of various sizes are available at various rates ranging from P1,000 to P4,000 per room per night. There are also function rooms for parties or seminars.
Visitors may bring their own baon or food provision to be eaten in rentable bamboo cottages or under mushroom-shaped concrete “picnic cottages”.
Those with no baon may eat breakfast, lunch or dinner and drink in the only restaurant there.
There’s more to Sira-an than immersion in a bath tub or swimming in the pool or the sea. Take it from my friend Vic Nomat, who described the place thus:
“Siraan Hot Spring is a natural wonder offering visual treats and exciting challenges over colored rocks of various shapes and sizes. Climbing from one rock to another… rocks.”
Don’t you agree, Ma’am Junel Ann Divinagracia?
-oOo-
MORE THAN ONE MILLION SAFE MAN-HOURS
IN the most recent presentation of the radio-video show “MORE Power at Your Service,” host Joy Fantilaga showcased two officials from MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), namely Engr. Rommel Togonon, the company’s line construction and operations manager; and Priam Roy Rivera, safety officer.
We learned from them that the company has breached one million safe man-hours. A man-hour refers to a unit of work completed by each person.
“We are happy to say,” Togonon said, “that in our two years and five months of hazardous work, we have avoided any lost-time incident. The families of our maintenance men are happy to see them coming back home from work safe and sound.”
What’s the secret?
It is really no secret that with a safety officer in the person of Priam Rivera, all men climbing as high as 80-foot poles have mastered their zero-accident program.
“We conduct continuous training and communications with linemen,” Rivera said. “We also hold day-long orientation for newcomers and even for building contractors. This is to make sure that construction works stay clear of dangerous, high-voltage (69-kV) power lines.”
The two resource persons also reiterated their call to power consumers to guard against power thieves who might attempt to attach jumpers to their legal connections because of its hazardous consequences, including overloading, fire and electrocution,
