By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson announced that the provincial government plans to expand the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary after acquiring a special patent for the land it has occupied for 60 years.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Region VI handed over the special patent title to Governor Lacson in a ceremony at the Social Hall of the provincial capitol on Monday morning.
“For one thing, this assures us that Mambukal is owned by the provincial government. We now have a special patent from the DENR,” the governor told reporters in an interview after the turnover.
He mentioned that previous attempts to acquire the title had been difficult.
Lacson said the process became easier once it reached the level of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).
“We also would like to thank those before us who started the process to get a title for Mambukal, and it’s now legally owned by the province through this title,” Lacson added.
With the acquisition of the special patent title, Lacson said, “There will be improvements. In fact, we bought some land beside the 24-hectare Mambukal property we own.”
He further explained, “We bought some land beside it because we would like to expand the facilities in Mambukal.”
Lacson noted that improvements would include additional villas, stating, “We would like to utilize a certain area of Mambukal for high-end facilities to attract more tourists.”
Another planned improvement involves the lagoon. “We are thinking of adding boat rides for enjoyment. Currently, you can stand by the lagoon and take pictures. Next time, you can ride, do a little kayaking or whatever in the lagoon,” Lacson said.
He pointed out that in Region 6, excluding Boracay, Negros Occidental has the highest number of tourist arrivals.
“So, we would like to give more reasons for tourists to come to Negros Occidental,” Lacson said.
