Five star resort to rise in Diwaran Island in Coron
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently led the ceremonial launching of a big tourism investment in Diwaran Island in Coron, Palawan that will be built by Banyan Tree Holdings, a known developer of resorts, hotels, spas in the Asia Pacific. President Arroyo said that Diwaran will be the next Phuket, a well known resort located in Thailand that was also started by Banyan Tree. “What they did in Thailand, they can also do here in Coron,” remarked the President.
Palawan Gov. Joel T. Reyes with Banyan Tree executive chair Ho Kwon Ping and Salvador Zamora of Tranzen Group joined the President in the time capsule laying. Also present were Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Palawan 1st District Congressman Antonio C. Alvarez, Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes and Presidential Adviser for Mimaropa Alfredo “Amor” Abueg, Jr.
In his welcome message, Gov. Reyes described the occasion as a historical event not only for Coron and Palawan but also for the whole country. He said the launching of the project marks the start of a huge tourism project that will provide employment and create livelihood opportunities for Palaweños. Gov. Reyes acknowledged the efforts of President Arroyo in convincing Banyan Tree to invest in the country. He said that the President met with Banyan Tree officials in Singapore to discuss the possibility of investing in the country.
As envisioned, Banyan Tree will transform the 55 hectare island lined with white powdery sand into a five-star resort consisting of a 600-room hotel, marina, recreational facilities and retail outlets. Banyan Tree’s Ho Kwon Ping declared to the President and top officials of the province that when completed Isla Diwaran will be the single largest integrated island resort in all Asia. It will provide direct employment of 3,000 jobs and an additional 9,000 will be indirectly benefited by the livelihood opportunities that will spin-off as a result of the tourism investment. Mr. Ping remarked that together with Tourism Secretary Durano, he went around the country scouting for the place to put up the investment and finally settled for Diwaran Island as the perfect area to build the five-star island resort.
In order to emphasize the economic benefit of the project to the local economy, the President talked to Jose Saclet, a fisherman from Barangay Marcilla, who is looking forward to be a construction worker in the project. The president said that the project will create many employment opportunities for the locales living in the area and aside from the resort, the national government will also be needing construction workers for the concreting of the road to Marcilla and a port in Diwaran in support of the infrastructure requirements of the project.
It is expected that the first phase of the project will be completed in 2012.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the groundbreaking ceremony for the $240M island resort that will rise in the beautiful island of Diwaran in Barangay Marcilla, Coron, Palawan. The project is being developed by Banyan Tree Holdings, a known developer of resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific. Once completed the project will be considered the single, largest integrated island resort in all Asia, according to Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, executive chair of Banyan Tree. Shown in photo with the President from left are Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, Mr. Salvador Zamora of Tranzen Group, Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, Gov. Joel T. Reyes, Congressman Antonio C. Alvarez and Secretary |
