CLOSED. Stranded visitors at Avis Falls in Tanap, Burgos, Ilocos Norte are being rescued after a flashflood late Monday afternoon (Aug. 26, 2024). Due to unpredictable weather, the local government unit temporarily closed this outdoor attraction until further notice. (Photo courtesy of BFP)
LAOAG CITY – The local government of Burgos in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday temporarily closed the Tanap-Avis falls after 19 tourists from Piddig town were stranded due to flashflood late Monday afternoon.
It was the first time such an incident was reported.
In a phone interview, Burgos Mayor Crescente Garcia said he had already instructed the conduct of a survey to identify critical areas that must be off-limits to tourists.
“We will be putting up signage of high-risk areas after a survey to be conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” he said.
In a separate interview, Emma Luz Martinez-Rico, municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer, said she would recommend the deployment of a lifeguard for the safety of tourists, particularly during the rainy season.
“We need a lifeguard so that it will be quicker to respond in case of emergency,” she said.
Rico said the stranded visitors, aged 7 to 30, were all accounted for by 8 p.m.
The falls is among the tourism spots in the municipality and has been allocated PHP3 million by the local government for the improvement of an access road and the construction of comfort rooms and a tourism deck in 2022.
In the same year, the provincial government entered into a tripartite agreement with the DENR-Protected Area Management Board and the Burgos local government for the improvement of the falls.
The basin-like falls is part of a watershed forest reserve under the National Integrated Protected Areas System of the DENR-Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau.
Through Proclamation 803, signed during the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. on Feb, 1, 1971, the public domain covering some 41 hectares was declared one of the important river systems up north. (PNA)
