BUNAWAN, Agusan del Sur, Philippines (PNA) — This host town of celebrity giant crocodile “Lolong” already earned nearly half a million pesos in a matter of only 40 days — from mid-September to October 25 — from donations, entrance and parking fees at the 30-hectare Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center in Barangay Consuelo, some 10 kilometers from the town proper here.

The income derived from entrance, parking fees and donations is estimated at an average of P8,000 daily in October. Last September, there are days that entrance and parking fees alone average P30,000 daily, says Kagawad Apollo Canoy, spokesperson for the Bunawan Eco-Park project.

Mayor Edwin Elorde told PNA that as of October 25, the local government unit accumulated some P430,000 earnings after Lolong was placed inside a special cage at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.

“Of course this includes donations from well-meaning individuals and groups who, after seeing Lolong, volunteered to donate certain amounts and the Bunawan LGU issued official receipts for their benevolence and some expressed even to further help Lolong,” Elorde said.

The Bunawan Municipal Council recently passed an ordinance regulating and imposing fees on gate entrance, parking and other fees at the eco-park where the celebrity giant crocodile now resides.

Under the ordinance, entrance fee for an adult is P20 on regular days and P40 during special days.

For children, the entrance fee is P15 for regular days and P30 for special days.

Entrance for senior citizens and the differently-abled or persons with disabilities are free.

Parking fees under the ordinance are P5 for motorcycles; P10 for jeepneys, SUVs, and multi-cabs; and P20 for six-wheeled vehicles or trucks.

Canoy said the Bunawan Eco-Park is also incurring expenses to maintain electricity, maintenance and other incidental expenses like installation of CCTV cameras.

Welinda Asis-Elorde, Bunawan media affairs coordinator, said the local government unit, through a private-public-partnership project, will be embarking on a P200-M site development project for the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.

“You have more than 5,000 crocodiles some of them are giants bigger even than Lolong at Agusan Marsh here in Bunawan therefore we need a longer plan for more visitors to come and visit this homeland of the giants the reason we are embarking on this P200-million project now and for the future generations,” she said.

Engineer Robert Floyd Salise, Municipal Planning and Development Officer, told PNA in an interview here that the P200-M Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center Project will include construction of cottages, lodging houses or inns, swimming pools, an amphitheatre, laboratory and research center, souvenir shops, pavilion and other amenities.