Members of Local Historical Committees Network visits Manolo Fortich Historical Sites

Advancing Tourism in Manolo Fortich

Manolo Fortich, aside from being known as an Agri-Eco-tourism destination is also a niche of the stories from the past as it houses various historical sites for World War II. For this reason, members of the Local Historical Committees Network visited various historical landmarks in the municipality on August 11, 2023.

The group was led by Gina Cuerdo-Amador, an Accredited Regional Tour Guide of the Department of Tourism Philippines, in coordination with Rene Michael D. Baños, a member of the Congressional Historical Committee of Cagayan de Oro. The members who took the tour came from various public and private sectors in Luzon. They had participated in the 10th General Assembly of the Local Historical Committees Network, an affiliate of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, which was held in Cagayan de Oro City.

The group visited the MacArthur landmark at Barangay Dicklum, where General Douglas McArthur took his final steps on the Philippine Islands before fleeing to Australia on March 17, 1942, to escape the Japanese invasion. Furthermore, Baños also shared that General Douglas McArthur and his family temporarily resided at the Del Monte Lodge during WWII. The group also made a quick stop at the Del Monte Airstrip. "Actually, this group is mostly composed of World War II historians, and they are keenly interested in visiting historic World War II sites like Mangima Shrine and the McArthur landmark," Baños explained.

The guests have also toured around the Old Artesian Well Landmark, Mangima Shrine, and the Old Municipal Building. One of the guests was Miss Desiree Benipayo from the WWII Memorial Foundation, who shared her enthusiasm for being able to visit Manolo Fortich. “I am happy that I am here. I am really looking forward to visiting Manolo Fortich. Kasi nga I’ve been reading about this, especially figured heavily during World War II. So, I’m happy that I am here and experiencing it.”, she shared.

The tourists also got the chance to visit the recently inaugurated Tourist Rest Area where they had their lunch and were also able to purchase goods from the Pasalubong Center.