Tourism gem rises out of Bohol quake ruins

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Philippines — Bohol may be the perfect example of the proverbial remark, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The province, whose main industry is tourism, has turned tragedy into an opportunity by promoting the geological sites that formed after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake brought Bohol to its knees on Oct. 15, 2013. It is now advertising a “Geosciences Tour” that allows tourists to see changes on Bohol’s landscape following the earthquake. The features include sinkholes, hectares of dry land in Maribojoc town that rose from the shoreline and the so-called “Great Wall of Bohol” in Inabanga town. Last May, Bohol’s tourism campaign included the first and only geopark in the Philippines with a goal to attract a million tourists. It capitalizes the statement issued by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), declaring Bohol as the country’s first Unesco Global Geopark following the new landscapes and geological sites that emerged after the earthquake. Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado said the Unesco’s title on Bohol would help enhance the economic and tourism value of the province and boost environmental protection efforts. “We all have the responsibility to protect our island as a Global Geopark as this is one of the things we can be proud of,” said Aumentado. At 8:12 a.m. of Oct. 15, 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the island-province of Bohol for 33 seconds. Yet, it managed to kill 222 people, injure more than 800 people and displace 95,884 families (465,146 individuals). The earthquake destroyed 8,083 houses and damaged 42,771 others in 43 towns and one city out of 47 towns and the capital Tagbilaran City. Of the 43 towns, 17 were badly hit. These were Antequera, Balilihan, Buenavista, Calape, Carmen, Catigbian, Clarin, Corella, Cortes, Danao, Inabanga, Loon, Maribojoc, Sagbayan, San Isidro, Sevilla and Tubigon. The earthquake toppled centuries-old churches that Bohol was known for, destroyed government infrastructure and facilities, as well as homes, displacing thousands of people. Unique occurrence But with the widespread destruction came creation of new landforms as what happened in Bohol was described by scientists as a rare phenomenon. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the 2013 earthquake was the first recorded reverse thrust, fault-type earthquake to occur inland in the Philippines since most of its kind usually happen offshore. A thrust fault earthquake occurs when the ground movement goes up or vertically rather than horizontally. Read more at: inquirer

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