DAVAO CITY, Philippines — It was a tragic site two years ago but today Sitio Camanlangan of Barangay San Isidro, Babak District Island Garden City of Samal, the crash site of the ill-fated Air Philippines Flight 541 in April 2000, has become a tourist destination.
Igacos Mayor Roger Antalan said during yesterday’s Club 888 Press Forum who said that tourists who are visiting the island pay a visit to the crash site, which is now planted with 131 trees by the city government of Samal.
The trees were planted to represent the 131 people onboard the Air Philippines’ Boeing 737-200 plane who died in the crash. Igacos tourism officials noted that mountain bikers and other groups who are into adventurous activities in the island are frequently visiting the crash site. So are other groups who are vacationing in the island.
"We have yet to monitor how many are actually visiting the site but it was reported its plan due to the pending case filed against them by the owners of the land. "At first they were interested in buying it but there were a lot of brokers and that the owners have raised the value of the land," Antalan said.
The crash happened during Holy Week in 2000. "Pilot error" was determined as the cause.
