TOURISM INCOME from Kalanggaman Island jumped to P18.5 million in 2017 from only P2 million the previous year, the Leyte provincial office reported. The six-hectare sandbar, though small and regulated by the Palompon municipal government, attracted 101,312 visitors last year. Governor Leopoldo Dominico L. Petilla, in an interview with The Freeman, said Kalanggaman Island is now considered as Leyte province’s main island tourist destination. It is accessible through a 45-minute boat ride from the town proper of Palompon. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Palompon officials are currently working out issues raised over permits and the authority of the local government to run and manage tourism facilities on the island. — The Freeman

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