GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 4 January) — The famed crater-lake Holon in T’boli town in South Cotabato will be closed anew to visitors in the next two months to pave the way for its annual rehabilitation.
T’boli Mayor Dibu Tuan issued an order on Wednesday, Jan. 3, for the “temporary closure to visitors/guests” of the mountain lake and its environs starting on Saturday, Jan.
6, until March 16.
He said the closure aims to allow the lake to recuperate after accommodating thousands of visitors in the previous months.
“Lake Holon deserves a break from receiving visitors,” the mayor noted in his order.
T’boli Mayor Dibu Tuan has ordered the “temporary closure to visitors/guests” or Lake Holon and its environs from January 6 to March 16 to allow the lake to recuperate after accommodating thousands of visitors in the previous months. Photo from Lake Holon’s FB page
Lake Holon’s 70-day temporary closure this year is the longest since municipal government started its rehabilitation program in 2014. Last year, the lake was shut down to visitors for 63 days.
The local government first closed down the lake for nine months in June 2014 to March 2015. It again issued a temporary closure order from January 11 to March 5 2016 or a total of 55 days.
With the closure, the local government blocked the three main three main entry points to the lake in Barangay T’bolok and Sitios Kule and Nabul in Barangay Salacafe.
Lake Holon, formerly known as Maughan, is nestled at Mt. Melebingoy (Mt. Parker), which is listed as an active volcano.
In 2003 and 2004, Lake Holon was declared as the cleanest inland body of water in the entire country.
From 2016 to 2017, the lake was recognized as among the world’s “Top 100 Sustainable Destinations” along with Lake Sebu.
Lake Holon was chosen from among a thousand nominees that were assessed by Green Destinations, a global partnership that aims to promote responsible tourism in different regions and countries and help improve the quality, sustainability and market visibility of their respective tourism sites and other tourist attractions.
Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 was formerly called the National Geographic Traveler’s Destination Stewardship when it started last 2004 and was renamed in 2014 to its present tag name. (MindaNews)