By Dolly Yasa
LAKAWON, Cadiz City – What started as a simple collection of clams will soon become one of this city’s top ecotourism zones.
Mayor Salvador Escalante of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental said the GC Ville (Giant Clam Village) located in the northeast portion of this island, which is a prime tourist destination in this city, showcases the conservation and preservation of giant clams which are endemic in the area.
It is another eco-tourist site in the making within the territorial waters of Cadiz.
GC Villa is a 1.3-hectare “cordoned area” which has more than 2,000 giant clams that were cultured in the past three years.
Hereliza Osorio, a former cashier of the island resort who lost her job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, started the project.
A native of Sara, Iloilo, Osorio recalled that she was amazed by the different colors of the clams while gathering shells with her friends in the area.
She started collecting and placing the clams in an area for conservation until the three clams increased to 200.
Osorio said she sought concerned government offices to look for people who would take care of the clams as she was supposed to go back to Iloilo after losing her job because of the pandemic.
Her conservation efforts also reached the attention of the Cadiz City government through Ike Escares of the City Agriculture Office, who shared her success story with the mayor.
Osorio said she was overjoyed when the city government decided to employ her as caretaker of GC Ville.
The area was then declared a marine reserve area by the Cadiz City government.
GC Ville is now a place where numerous species of fish, sea horses, and sea cucumbers abound.
The mayor, who toured journalists at GC Ville, said that based on their research, no other Clam Village exists in any part of the country.
Escalante said, “it matches the thrust of the City government towards marine conservation.”
He added that they are looking for ways how to further improve and expand the area.
Escalante said he is also looking at the possibility of putting up tours, with a controlled number of visitors, as part of their awareness campaign to educate people on marine conservation, as well as in tourism promotion.
Marine biologist Ressa Tabigu-on said the GC Ville area, which is marked by sea buoys, is off-limits to fishing activities.
Tabigu-on said there are four endangered species of clams at GC Ville.
“These are subjects of our conservation and preservation efforts,” she said.
