Campuestohan award

It seems to be the start of more recognition for the Campuestohan Highland Resorts otherwise, or more popularly known in these parts, as Cano Guapo. The Cities of Bacolod and Talisay that can be considered co-hosts of this unique mountain resort, have already officially recognized the huge contribution of this resort to the tourism industry and people of Negros.

The resort sits on Talisay ground but the way to it is better from Alangilan, Bacolod City. Once the concreting project of Congressman Alfredo Benitez to link Talisay with Campuestohan through its Barangay Concepcion is completed, the trip from the north to the resort would bypass Bacolod.

Of course the recognition by the two cities can be considered as “home court decisions” so that the honor extended by the Rotary Club of Manila indicates that the Campuestohan resort has already reached national acclaim. Who knows, with lots of foreign visitors (including the Filipinos abroad), flocking there with the locals, this resort will inevitably hit the international tourism scene as a “must visit” destination.

The Rotary Club of Manila is the oldest in Asia having been introduced here during the American colonial regime. It was chartered on June 1, 1919. By 2019 it will be a century old thus making it the largest and most prestigious in the Philippines. Among its leaders are men of stature like Carlos P. Romulo who was President of the United Nations and Philippine Senate President Gil Puyat and leading businessmen, industrialists and politicians.

One of its listed honorary members is General Douglas MacArthur who is alleged to have been inducted during the Rotary meeting in the island of Corregidor on May 6, 1942, the height of Japanese invasion. I doubt the accuracy of the date because at this time, MacArthur was already in Australia. This date marks the surrender of American and Filipino forces under General Jonathan Wainwright who was at Corregidor.

Be that as it may, the award to Campuestohan is a new recognition of the resort as one of the best, if not the best resort in Western Visayas. The amenities, facilities and attractions in Campuestohan are unrivaled for its imagination and creativity. Its site alone is a marvel in itself. Nowhere can we find a resort in these parts with this panoramic point of observation of the western side of Negros Island that offers a magnificent view. One should stay a bit in the afternoon to watch the sun go down in Guimaras and Iloilo. The sun is never as wonderful to see.

Certainly the Rotary Club of Manila with its scrupulous way of screening its awardees has seen Campuestohan and chose it from among the many in the Philippines to give this award.

The citation is brief and precise so that one cannot really visualize Campuestohan in the text. One must go to the resort to fully see, understand and appreciate what the citation cannot describe.

The report merely states that the Rotary Club of Manila is giving its 11 th Tourism Awards to Campuestohan Highland Resorts “in recognition of your extraordinary contribution to the promotion of the tourism industry in the Philippines.”

Surely the Rotary has sent out its observers and monitors to the resort to be able to conclude on the “extraordinary” nature and characteristics of Campuestohan. Indeed thousands who flock to this resort each month is recognition of its magnetic appeal, distinctiveness and personality.

The last time I wrote about the resort, I mentioned the additions which will make Campuestohan bigger and more varied in its offerings to give the visitor a real treat. I think the Wave Pool is not yet operational but when I looked at the expanse of this pool I knew there is no other in this island. I have not heard of a similar pool in the region.

Owner, Ricardo “Cano” Tan and his wife, Nita always have something new for repeat visitors. With their son, Ralph Richard “Sioti”, and his wife Patricia, the resort has bounced more rapidly than ever, indeed, beyond expectations.

The Tourism Convergence Fund that Bacolod Congressman Evelio Leonardia secured from the DPWH to improve the road is finished. Not only is the road being concreted, it is also being widened. It stretches from Campuestohan boundary to the Bacolod Port for 21 kilometers. The presence of a tourist attraction in Campuestohan justified the allocation of this fund to this barangay that had been practically ignored until Cano Tan and family opened the resort there.

Indeed the Tan family deserves congratulations, appreciation and support.*

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