In a preliminary move by the Provincial Tourism and Culture Office (PTCO), led by Acting Chief Marichelle O. Costales, the 15 Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2025 candidates participated in a familiarization tour of Malico, Sta. Fe on May 5, 2025. The tour consisted of such sites as the Mangili-Tindaan Heritage and Nature Park, the La Presa of Malico Strawberry Farm, and the World War 2 Shrine. Reigning Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya Melar Claire Romero also joined in the extensive tour.
In her preparatory address to the attendees, PTCO Chief Costales stressed the significance of familiarizing themselves with ‘areas of interest’ within the province. Ms. Costales encouraged the candidates to bring these interests and topics up with their respective municipal LGUs. “As ambassadors of (your) respective municipalities, you must be aware and knowledgeable of what is happening in Nueva Vizcaya.”
The first and main stop of the tour was the Mangili-Tindaan Heritage and Nature Park, which hosts a World War II-era Sherman Tank, a relic of Nueva Vizcaya’s ‘unwritten’ role in Philippine history. The PTCO also partnered with the BFP, PNP, and MDRRMO Sta. Fe for the event. An Awareness seminar led by PTCO employees Aedam Elizaga and John Carlo Talingdan was also conducted on the premises. The tour was facilitated by Tour Guide Kim Lu-Anuma, with the owner of the park Ms. Nenita Tindaan also on hand to give words of gratitude and wisdom to the attendees. Mrs. Tindaan in particular welcomed and regaled the Saniata candidates with the ‘untold history, written in the hearts of the people who live here’.
“Thank you very much for choosing this place,” she declared in her address during the Awareness Seminar. “This has always been Nueva Vizcaya, and it will always be Nueva Vizcaya. I cannot wait to see the character, attitude, and gratitude that you will be giving the next generation.”
The Awareness Seminar consisted of two lectures presented by Mr. Talingdan and Mr. Elizaga on such topics as the verified history of Nueva Vizcaya, the top ten tourist spots of Nueva Vizcaya, tourist statistics, and tourism campaigns and branding. Selected Saniata candidates testified that they had been made more aware and knowledgeable of the state of tourism not just within their respective municipalities, but also within the region. They specifically mentioned how they had learned more about tourist spots in the province of which they had hitherto been unaware.
The next stop of the tour was the La Presa of Malico Strawberry farms, which offers not only strawberries in their coveted picking activity, but other such souvenirs as ‘kini-ing’ or smoked meat, home-special strawberry preserves, and handmade keychains and bracelets. Some attendees chose to participate in the strawberry picking activity. Immediately afterward, the tour stopped at the World War II Shrine, a dedication and memorial to the Filipino guerrilla fighters and civilians, as well as the American and Japanese soldiers, who passed during the Second World War. The tour finished at the Sakura Café, the first of its kind and a certified destination in Malico for weary travelers.
As tourism rates in the province rise every year, the Grand Ammungan festival not only has an inviting effect for tourists, but also a unifying effect for the different cultures of Nueva Vizcaya. The Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2025 as the chosen ambassadors of their municipalities have now undertaken the responsibilities inherent in their positions. The familiarization tour of Malico, Sta. Fe, as an area of interest in the province, is not only an extension of the Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2025 pageant, but now an essential part of their roles. /igmb
[This article was initially created on Facebook – Vizcaya Reporter. For PLGU-Nueva Vizcaya updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]
