By Alice Nicart

Close to a thousand jobs will cater to the long-awaited dream of many Eastern Samarenos to find employment, in time the hotel business begins in Calicoan Island of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, two years from now.

This was learned from Timothy “Tim” Brumlik, Director of Calicoan Integrated Resort Development Corporation (CIRDC) in an interview with media during the launching yesterday of the eight-storey and 250-room Comdominium Hotel which is soon to be built in this part of the region.

Brumlik, a North American, flew in to the white beach resort of Guiuan with other members of their corporation and showed to the media the blue print of their hotel which has an estimated cost of $150-160M. He added that it will sit in an 11-hectare land area with a 450-meter beach front. He also said that the hotel will need some 650 people to help in the operation of their business from managers, chefs, receptionists and room boys and assured further of the preference for local residents and Cebuanos as well, adding that Cebu is just a few minutes flight from Tacloban. He said that this accessibility was also one of the factors which encouraged them to put up the hotel business.

He further said that he and his group met President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo shortly before they proceeded to the Region to give her the updates of the hotel business. According to her President Arroyo was glad to hear the status report, it being one of her flagship programs in her “8 by 08″ Agenda. Absolutely, the American stressed that their hotel operation will be line with her “Eight Million Job Creation” advocacy before her term ends.

Brumlik projects that the Calicoan Beach and Surfing Resort will be much better than Boracay of Central Visayas. He said that aside from surfing and the white beach which is a big come-on to foreign tourists, a Yoga facility to the right side of the island (going Sulangan) will also attrack foreigners.

The friendly foreigner stressed that they can finish the hotel construction in 24-months starting January next year. At present, construction of the road network of the entire hotel site, drainage system and water facilities have been on going. Other facilities to be put in place soon are the cellphone sites of Globe and Smart. Bendoy Bagares, a fish vendor from the historic barangay Sulangan, who was among the crowd expressed excitement at how would he operate a cellphone should he buy one next year.

Asked how he would describe Calicoan in three words, Brumlik said: awesome, accessbile, doable.

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