Maasim resort owner to build luxury cottages

Twenty luxury cottages will soon rise on a dive resort in Maasim, Sarangani, a place popular to foreign as well as local scuba divers.
Paul Partridge, manager of the Lemlunay Dive Resort, said construction is now ongoing for the first four of the total cottages they will complete by next year.
“We hope to complete the four cottages by December in time for the holiday seasons,” Partridge recently revealed.
Lemlunay (also known as South Point Dive Resort) is nestled along a cliff in Sitio Tampuan in the village of Kamanga, some 34 kilometers from this city.
Its panoramic view of Sarangani Bay “is only an aperitif of what lies beneath the sea which is renowned for its Tinoto Wall,” according to Partridge.
The Tinoto and Tampuan coral reefs are said to be home to one of Mindanao’s most diverse marine life and host to several endangered marine specie.
The Tinoto Wall, which drops to more than 1,200 meters, has been featured by several international magazines and television shows and is often described as the best dive spot in the whole of Mindanao.
Divers said sea cow (dugong), manta rays, Napoleon wrass and giant groupers (kugtong) abound the reefs, reportedly among the country’s most pristine and diverse coral formations.
Partridge said they are anticipating heavy influx of foreign divers as the Tinoto Wall has become a favorite destination of dive enthusiasts.
In addition to the cottages, the Partridges will also build a recreation center to include a fitness gym and a swimming pool.
The resort already has four cottages, a man-made lagoon and a resto bar.
“We want to promote not only the Tinoto Wall and the Tampuan Reef, we also want to help Sarangani become a world-class tourist destination,” Partridge said.
The Tinoto-Tampuan reef can also serve as jumping board for divers who want to explore other dive spots in Sarangani Bay, among them the Tuka Reef in nearby Kiamba and in Lago, Malapatan.
It is just approximately an hour away by speed boat from the famous Gumasa white sand beaches.
Meanwhile, Sarangani Governor Migs Dominguez has urged members of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) to “saturate on natural markets” for tourism does not only mean foreign market.
Dominguez, who was one of the guest speakers during the recently-concluded 10th ATOP National Convention held at Family Country Hotel and Convention Center, also encouraged tourism officers nationwide to make initiatives on how to stimulate people to invest and risk their money for local tourism.
“The main bread and butter of our tourism is the natural market. We just have to create a perfect mix for investors to come in, we (in the government) are accountable and responsible for the development of our respective areas,” the governor said before 600 delegates of the convention.
Dominguez also said tourism development does not only depend on the must-visit places of an area, but also on the hospitality of people who “extend open arms” to visitors.
“The biggest asset of Filipinos is our culture. It is the hospitality of people that really matters, it is how we welcome visitors with open arms,” he said.
While the image of Mindanao is still an issue to both national and international markets, Dominguez persuaded the participants to be ambassadors of Mindanao.
“Please help us in becoming our ambassadors of Mindanao. Mindanao has its own assets, but Mindanao is bombarded with negative news,” he said. The governor added media too has a big role in reflecting good image to the island by making more good news.
Dominguez, on the other hand, shared the best practices of Sarangani in developing the province’s tourism sector.
“I tell my private sector to provide opportunities for people to become entrepreneurs through providing proper setting to do business, and we in the government can provide basic infrastructure like road, water, electricity, and even security,” he asserted.
He stressed that tourism development can be sustainable if the local government is also serious in inspiring the private sector to come in and be assisted in every way.
The 10th ATOP National Convention was participated in by all regions nationwide including the CARAGA and NCR Regions, but except the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).