1.

0 Background of the Study

Island resorts have come a long way from the olden days when resorts were small and

modest in size and luxury. According to Malabay (n/d), historically, ancient Romans created a

public leisure facility known as baths that could be used by both men and women separately.

Gradually, the baths evolved from their modest structure to include more extravagant facilities.

Evidence of hotels and hospitality industry have been recorded as far back as biblical times when

Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem during the census. The first hotels were nothing more than

private homes opened to the public (SAGO ltd., 2013).

The nineteenth century saw the development of exclusive resort facilities offering more

privacy to the visitors. The wealthy people wished for private resort facilities and Switzerland’s

resort industry realized the lucrative business prospects of this idea. The first resorts are created in

Virginia and New York. Soon afterward, the concept of beach resorts became immensely popular.

The sea became a great place of recreation and beautiful beach resorts mushroomed all over North

America and the Carribean (Malabay, n/d).

Many island nations depend on tourism and upswing in worldwide tourism can only mean

good news on the economic front in small, tourism-dependent island countries (Ashe, 2005).

Hence, the more tourists that visit small island countries, there is pressure to develop more

resources to meet the increased demand. Most of these island nations comprise of small islands

with a very fragile environment (Jamal, 2007).

Philippines’ resort varies from place to place and what it may offer. But nowadays, resorts

also vary from what people need. People from overcrowded urban areas are attracted by the

relaxing and intact landscape of resorts. With this given, different Local Government Units (LGUs)

in the Philippines invest in hotels and resort projects resulting to increase in the number of resorts
in the Philippines. But thinking about how resorts can evolve into something that will give new

experience cannot be ignored (Malabay, n/d).

Matalom is a coastal municipality in the province of Leyte (PhilAtlas, n/d). The town

comprises only a small percentage of land area on a regional scale but is endowed with

disproportionately rich diversity of flora and fauna; heart-seizing scenic beauty; diverse culture;

ethnic etiquettes. The town has a few tourist spots such as the Karap-agan falls, Hitoog cave and

the Canigao Island Resort. It also has numerous of-class food spots and restaurants that are famous

for their seafood delicacies (Pamogas, 2019). Matalom also has an adequate size of both wet and

dry market that cater both local and non-local town folks. Among these tourist spots, the town has

its own pride and joy- the Canigao Island Resort.

Canigao Island Resort is an island in Leyte under the legal jurisdiction of Matalom Leyte.

It is also an uninhabited tear-shaped island that has a size of an islet compared to other famous

island resorts in the country. It is a 15-minute banca ride away from the town’s mainland. There is

an old but is still a functioning lighthouse that is treated as the only significant man-made structure

in the island (WordPress, 2012). There is also a small market in the island that serves different

kinds of fish, shellfish and seaweeds in the wet area of the market and different dry good in the

dry market. There is an informal basketball area as well as an area for beach volleyball. In the

whole island, there is only one female toilet and bath beside the male’s toilet and bath that both

have 5 cubicles inside (Pamogas, 2019). According to the resort’s manager, the island currently

has 10 cottages, 5 huts and 2 concrete rooms for accommodation. There is also a one-storey office

with a small store attached to its side and a wooden bunkhouse for the utilities and staffs who stays

in the island (Pamogas, 2019).

 In terms of its natural resources, the Canigao Island Resort has an area for huge tress and

different wild plants to grow naturally and abundantly. It embraces a larger scope of land compared

to the area where the structures were built (Pamogas, 2019). The island has a tropical climate which

is similar to that found in other areas of Philippine islands. The beaches have white sand, with

tropical sea creatures and extensive coral reef in the surrounding waters. Although, the western

and northern part of the island is under protection control as a sanctuary resulting to the limit of

swimming, diving, fishing, snorkeling and boating (Sarkis, 2017). Despite its limitation by law,

the LGU decided to help the island-goers appreciate the beauty of the island more by creating a

fish-feeding area along the sanctuary premises. During low tides, a sandbar appears at the eastern

part of the island. In the forest area along the rear part of the island, it is a good spot for people

who likes camping and enjoys island life more when calm and quite (Pamogas, 2019).

The island serves both the local townsfolks and the foreign through offering nature’s finest

sights. With this, the Canigao Island Resort serves as a major source of the town’s income.

(Pamogas, 2019). The acting Tourism Officer of the town said that it needs new accommodations

as its demand is increasing rapidly. Local and foreign tourists’ arrival demands urgent hotel

accommodations though the people in charge of the island still want to conserve their natural

resources. The most common problem in the island includes limited availability of the cottages,

lack of clean water and inadequate electricity, non-existent of a clinic within the island and the

unattended proper disposal of garbage (Pamogas, 2019). With these problems in hand, the

researchers propose to improve a portion of the island for the construction of new structures,

facilities and amenities with the use of modern innovations which they believe that might help in

solving these issues.

 The researchers have come up with a proposal that will take the island resort into a higher

level of design- a combination of accommodation structures, leisure amenities, function halls,

camping sites, and landscape that will contribute to the eco-tourism of Matalom Leyte and also the

socio-economic condition of the city. The town has experienced economic growth, evidenced by

the presence of tourist destinations such as waterfalls, caves, commercial banks, a variety of

restaurants, Spanish-colonial old structures and the Canigao Island Resort (Pamogas, 2019).

Because of technological progress and the advancement of construction in sustainable building

and resort designing, thorough research will be needed.

The proposal ELISII CAMPI: Redevelopment of Canigao Island Resort in Matalom Leyte

will be located on an island within the jurisdiction of the town of Matalom. As stated, the Canigao

Island Resort serves as the main source of income in the town, the research seeks to enhance the

existing amenities and facilities the island resort is currently offering. It will give job opportunities

for the unemployed people of the town and those tourism-related graduates or professionals. The

researchers believe that a chance to redevelop the island resort in Matalom Leyte through

innovative approaches will highly attract tourists and will improve the local economy and tourism

industry of the town.

The research will be conducted for the fulfillment of the course syllabus as well as to satisfy

the researchers’ proposal through biomimetic architecture that will cater to tourists and lower class

to upper-class Filipinos. One of the purposes of the research paper is to study the doctrine and

standard for the preparation of a biomimicry island resort. To contribute to the redevelopment of

not just the social but economic status of Matalom Leyte through the evolution of Canigao Island

Resort. Also, this paper will give recommendations to encourage investors, businessmen, capital

to invest in such projects. Consequently, the researchers will limit the proposal in the town of
Matalom. Therefore, this research aims to identify the practices, policies and institutional forms

used in developing tourism consisting of resorts in public lands on uninhabited islands.