200 tourists cancel CDO white water rafting tours after fatal accident – Mindanao news site

Published June 27, 2014 5:14am

More than 200 tourists have canceled their whitewater rafting tours in Cagayan de Oro City following an accident that killed a nurse last June 13, a Mindanao news site reported Thursday.

Oro Association of Rafters (OAR) president Vital Espulgar said many of those who canceled their tours "got scared after learning of the accident," MindaNews reported.

Espulgar added many of those who canceled their tours are "parents whose children have booked tours and corporate employees who have planned to go white water rafting.”

Task Force Rapids head Dorothy Pabayo said the withdrawal of the 200 tourists meant a loss of P600,000.

She said this "does not include the loss of business potential in the local hotel industry and transportation business.”

Following the June 13 tragedy, refresher courses for tour guides had been conducted to ensure tourists' safety.

Pabayo said the city government is studying proposals to revise the accreditation requirements of river guides. The guides get paid P400 to P600 per trip.

Voluntary suspension

Meanwhile, the Kagay Journey-White Water and Kayaking said it has voluntarily suspended its operations so its 15 guides can attend refresher courses.

The company's owner, Chisum Factura, said the river guide who steered the boat where nurse Aizza Calipusan Balbin was killed, has traumatized by the incident.

MindaNews said the guide did not attend the two-day refresher course conducted by the Philippine Red Cross this week.

Factura said the guide may instead undergo a trauma debriefing along with the other guides who participated in the recovery of Balbin. — Joel Locsin/ELR, GMA News

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