Albay Governor Joey Salceda validated earlier reports concerning the upcoming visit to Bicol of Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, as reported on “TV Patrol” on July 13.

During a recent press conference, Salceda confirmed that DiCaprio is indeed scheduled to visit and would stay for at least a week in the province.  It was earlier reported that DiCaprio’s planned visit was purportedly to spearhead an environmental awareness project.

DiCaprio is said to be arriving in Albay on the first week of August via private jet, although no reports have been given as to why the actor picked Bicol in particular. Salceda expressed appreciation for the gesture and promised to extend hospitality to the actor.

 “We are excited that what he wants to do in Albay is to promote environmental protection. So we are preparing environmental options for his one-week stay here,” Salceda told the media.

Salceda said he would suggest places for DiCaprio to visit, part of which includes a visit to the famed Mayon Volcano and the white sand beaches of Misibis in Bacacay town.

“It would give the province the opportunity to be placed in the world tourism map,” Salceda explained.

But then, if an environmental group would have its way, they rather that DiCaprio visit other places, putting emphasis on eco-critical areas.

"We are not asking him to forgo the tourist spots of Albay, but he [DiCaprio] should see the real situation of the environment in the province first, without the packaged tour," Professor Joel Batanes, president of the board of trustees of Pangataman-Bikol, said in a statement released last week.

Batanes cited places such as Rapu-Rapu island, Palanog in the municipality of Camalig, and the town of Tiwi, among places that the actor should visit.

According to Batanes, creeks in Rapu-Rapu have been damaged by mining while Palanog’s local habitat is being devastated by a cement factory. A dubious solid waste injection project" is currently being done in Tiwi.

"We hope that DiCaprio's visit here will be very fruitful and serve to internationally highlight the environmental damage being done to the province by big foreign companies. We hope that this will also entail other nationalities to help in our struggle to combat climate change," Batanes said.

The group is also hoping that DiCaprio would be able to talk to the people, "so that he can effectively convey their message and suffering."

Salceda’s recent pronouncements concerning DiCaprio’s itinerary seemingly downplayed these concerns, even as he suggested that he will try to convince the actor to join a tree-planting activity in Legazpi and visit a relocation site in Daraga.

Seemingly, incongruously, he also announced that he wouldn’t allow special privileges for the actor.

“He will be treated like an ordinary tourist,” Salceda affirmed.

As an example, Salceda cited that DiCaprio would not be allowed to climb the Mayon volcano or go near the lava front, just like everyone else.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS) said the area is unsafe for any human activity, following fears of an imminent eruption late last year.

DiCaprio, was said to have been turned environmentalist after filming the movie “The Beach” in Thailand several years ago.

The film’s production was criticized for causing ecological damage in that country.