ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (PNA) — The city government here envisions to transform the Greater and Little Sta. Cruz Islands into an “island-ecosystem that is responsibly and sustainably managed,” developed, and protected for the “maintenance and preservation of the natural biological, physical diversities of the environment, and for ecotourism promotion.”

Mayor Celso Lobregat disclosed this, as he prepares to submit to Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Alberto Lim the Sta. Cruz Islands Management and Development Plan, which will serve as the guidebook for the islands’ sustainable development.

Last July 17, Lim and Lobregat forged an agreement for the takeover of management and development of the two islands in Sta. Cruz from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), formerly the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), by the local government here.

Also acting as signatories were the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 9 and Protected Areas Management Bureau.