We, the undersigned residents, community members, and visitors, respectfully submit this petition regarding the public signature currently located along the coastline that reads “I (heart) LITTLE HAWAII.”

While we understand that the nickname “Little Hawaii” was adopted with good intentions – to give visitors an easy, appealing way to picture the area – we have learned that this place carries its own name, DAPANAS, which predates the comparison entirely. Learning this made us reflect on how easily an original name and the stories behind it can quietly fade once a borrowed nickname takes over public memory and signage.

This place is beautiful not because it resembles somewhere else, but because of its own landscape, culture, history, and community. Referring to it primarily through a comparison to another destination risks overshadowing the identity that was already have long before that comparison existed.

We respectfully request that the barangay council consider one or more of the following actions:

1.) Update or add signage that acknowledge and prominently displays the name “DAPANAS” alongside or in place of “LITTLE HAWAII”

2.) Include the history and meaning of the name Dapanas in any tourism materials, markers, or information boards for the area;

3.) Encourage local tourism promotion to prioritize: “DAPANAS” as the primary name going forward

Doing so would help preserve the heritage of this place and allow both residents and visitors to appreciate it for what it truly is, rather than only for what it is compared to.

Separately, we would also like to raise concern about the physical placement of the sign itself. The sign currently stands directly along the seawall, facing the open ocean, and its large lettering interrupts what is otherwise an unobstructed, panoramic view of the coastline. Visitors and residents alike come to this spot specifically for that view, and the structure now competes with the very scenery it was meant to celebrate.

We respectfully request that the Barangay Council and/ the municipality of tourism consider relocating the sign to a nearby position that does not sit directly the seawall or to the side – so that it remains a landmark was built to highlight. If relocation is not feasible, we would ask that the Council at minimum study alternative placements before further signage of this kind is installed elsewhere along the coast.

Thank you for considering this perspective and for your continued care for our community’s heritage and natural scenery!