Tourism council to develop eco-tourism on the uplands

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu City Tourism Council will soon introduce an eco-tourism development in the hilly land of Cebu in coordination with the barangay captains.

CCTC chairperson Tetta Baad announced that the council is going to create an attractive eco-tourism destination in Cebu maximizing the potential of Busay Hills, going to areas within the Trans-central highway going towards the western part of Cebu.

Baad said the group will institute a project that will develop an eco-tourism trail leading to the waterfalls, conceptualize adventure events, such as camping, mountain climbing, zip line, flower and vegetable picking, among others.

With the cooperation of the barangay captains of the communities located on the hilly lands of Cebu, the trail will have organized facilities which will include a road-stop or a small shopping and rest strip that will have small restaurants, rest rooms, vegetable and flower (fresh produced) stores, sweet-corn stands, coffee shop, restaurants, Cebuano delicacies, souvenirs, choices of organic lechon, among others.

The road-stop will also serve as stop-over area for motorists who are traveling in the highlands, aside from those that are availing of the eco-tourism packages, she said.

A picnic area will also be identified as soon as CCTC will be able to converge all the barangay executives to present the grand plan.

This will be another attraction offer of Cebu aside from the conventional city tours and the beaches.

Baad said Cebu will have to capitalize on the beauty of its hillylands, while some investors are now establishing restaurants, adventure cafes, and small inns.

This development should also be reinforced with good and complementary facilities, as well as events, Baad added.

Already, a group of Cebuano businessmen proposed a plan to push some part of Ga-as, Balamban in the western part of Cebu to be declared as Eco-Tourism Zone of Cebu.

Led by business leader Edwin Ortiz, who also owns the Adventure Cafe at the area, the Ga-as-Manunggal Eco-Tourism Group wants the Department of Environment and Natural Resources'  Protected Area Management Board to immediately identify the protected sites in the barangay so they could pursue their plans.

"There are a lot of things we want to do there. But, we cannot start unless the DENR-PAMB will identify which part is protected," said Ortiz who is also a trustee of the tourism promotion board of the Department of Tourism Promotions Board.

Aside from Ortiz's Adventure Cafe, which offers zip-line facility and other adventure activities, the barangay also hosts other adventure related and mountain resort facilities, like the West 35, among others.

According to Ortiz, there are a lot of eco-tourism related activities that can be capitalized in the Cebu highlands, he mentioned the availability of mini water falls, caves, flower and vegetable plantations.

Ortiz said now that eco-tourism is part of DOT's thrust for development, being dubbed as the new agriculture, equal support should be given to concerned agencies like the DENR to encourage the business sector to put in capital in development of this emerging tourism product in the Philippines.

There are areas in the highlands of Busay, going to Balamban that have gigantic potential for eco-tourism developments, however Ortiz said some of the lands are still questionable.

An Eco-Tourism Zone of Cebu if approved will make the mountain barangays, specifically in Ga-as much alive, as this is seen to grab the attention of both local and international tourists, as well as encourage more capitalists to put in their investments in this concept.

"We want farmers in the mountain barangays to earn more, as well as provide other residents with employment and small business opportunities," Ortiz said. (FREEMAN)