Officials of Carmen town have come up with another idea on how to make the Chocolate hills complex economically viable and more attractive as a world-wide tourist attraction.
Mayor Manuel “Boy†Molina said he is amenable to the idea of renting the main Chocolate Hills facilities to a qualified business entity through rental agreement.
The idea is to be discussed and approved first by the local sanggunian but Mayor Molina said he don’t see any problem with his municipal council.
The rental idea is far different from what was earlier mulled as privatization pushed by the provincial government.
“The provincial government only has thirty (30) percent share of the Chocolate Hills operation while the town of Carmen owns the land where the complex sits,†Molina made it clear.
The land was donated to the town of Carmen by the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) sometime in the 1980s during the term of former Mayor Alfredo Galling.
“We have the documents to prove that,†Molina said.
The rental amount is pegged at P10-million a year based on the net income estimated from the Chocolate Hills operation.
From the time of Molina’s assumption as town mayor, the operation of the restaurant and gate proceeds have sharply increased. Up to October 2007, the town had already remitted to the provincial government about P500, 000 as share in the choc hills income.
Unlike before, the tourist complex always posted losses amounting to hundred thousand of pesos. Restaurant manager Narina Torrefranca was then replaced by a new manager Jovelyn Tongco.
The town of Carmen spends about P18-million of appropriations for the Chocolate Hills operation but only comes up with P4.6-million in realized income.
The rental plan will be announced this coming March, in time of the UBIDA Festival which is an agricultural and cultural celebration patterned from the town of Hein, Spain.
-published by the Bohol StandardLinkback:
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Topic: Chocolate Hills For Rent? (Read 2390 times)