ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price

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Located at the northeastern tip of Luzon, the Peñablanca Protected Landscape [3] is known for its countless caves and lush, fertile land. It is a verdant junction to some of the region’s greatest landscapes—the Cordillera and Sierra Madre mountains lie on its western and eastern borders, providing the perfect setting for some truly intense eco-adventures. Try your limbs at spelunking in some of the best-preserved caves this side of the province.

Get your feet wet, literally, in white-water kayaking expedition. Should you wish to keep your feet dry, there is also a host of less-hectic activities for the eco-tourist.

The Pinacanauan River is lined with the mountain edge of the Peñablanca Protected Landscape in Cagayan Valley, which houses the seven-chamber Callao caves.

One of the seven chambers of Callao cave.

The Gran Central Cordillera mountains [4] is a vast, 23,000 sq. km. portion of mountainous terrain in Northern Luzon mystified by cool foggy weather and made majestic by rice terraces. It is essentially a landlocked region with its lush valleys, and pine-covered summits making it one of the Philippines’ most popular destinations for mountaineering and other related activities. The Cordilleras are home to numerous ethnic communities—around eleven of them are in the highlands, all of them possessing their own unique cultures.

Everything that excites a mountaineer is in there—a vast terrain reaching out to the horizon, dotted with hills, mountains, streams, and rocks of all sizes from pebbles to boulders even bigger than the size of cars. Then there’s the ubiquitous sand spewed from the mouth of Mt. Pinatubo decades ago, getting into everything and everywhere else. Finally, there’s the journey itself—sixty minutes of bouncing, crushing “4x4” action, followed by three hours of trekking.

Rugged yet stunningly glorious on top, Mt. Pinatubo [6] is not for the faint of heart—you have to pay with your profuse sweat and bold guts. Devastating Central Luzon in 1991, it ejected tons of ashes and vomited raging rivers of lahar and ferocious lava but gave birth as well to tons of livelihood activities in addition to its being an ecotourism site.

The aerial view of the crater of Mt. Pinatubo

The Hundred Islands, Pangasinan

 The Hundred Islands National Park [5] is Pangasinan’s provincial pride, consisting of a small archipelago off the coast of Alaminos. Often referred to as a tiny version of the Philippines, it has more than 200 green vegetation-topped, white sand-ringed islets set amidst a brilliant backdrop of deep green-blue waters.

Climb the world’s smallest volcano or simply view it from the cool foggy slopes of nearby Tagaytay City.

Aside from being fairly challenging and rugged climb, Taal Volcano [9] is a major lesson in earth science. Situated among red oxidized soil and smoking vapour vents in the main crater, which houses a small lake of sulfur and water. Up there, the wind is cool, atmosphere calm and the view breathtaking. Such a lovely sight, one might say, belies this land’s awesome and yet violent nature.

“The Whale Shark Capital of the World” is Donsol [12], one of the 14 municipalities of Sorsogon, because of whale sharks or butanding, the largest living fish species, taking a haven in the waters of this town during summer months. It is the biggest marine attraction in the Philippines that turned Donsol into a world-class tourist destination. Whale shark interaction despite the assurance of the presence of a BOI, butanding interaction officer, and the knowledge of its being amiable will give you a formidable emotional combination of fear and thrill—an unforgettable experience you won’t forget.

Taal from the point of view of Tagaytay.

The crater lake of Taal Volcano

Butanding interaction in Donsol.

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ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price

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In recognition of the country’s great potential to compete with the world’s established ecotourism sites, Executive Order No. 111 was issued calling for the formulation of the National Ecotourism Strategy (NES)1, in order to provide an integrated management plan for the development of ecotourism in the Philippines. The NES identified key sites for ecotourism development classified as banner, emerging or potential sites (Figure 1, in bold are the banner sites). Banner key sites are envisioned to serve as models for developing ecotourism. On the other hand, emerging key sites are those that are already in the initial phase of development while potential key sites are those that have not yet undergone any development and are not suitable for promotion. Brushing off the conceptual discussion of ecotourism, let us look into what the Pearl of the Orient Seas has to offer by exploring these under-explored key sites.

Ruins in Barangay Savidug, Sabtang, Batanes. Photo by R.A.Natanauan

The Batanes group of islands [1] (click here for a video)—a jagged, rocky home to the kind Ivatans—is the northernmost tip of Luzon lying some 180 kilometers from the mainland. Being isolated from the mainland is its most endearing quality. Batanes has its share of old Spanish churches and villages strewn with traditional stone houses well-adapted to its windy climate and an abundance of beautiful sceneries.

Basco Lighthouse and the Rolling Hills of Batanes.  Photo by R.A.Natanauan

Crisologo Street, Vigan.

Vigan [2] (click here for the video), being a remnant of all that was Spanish in the north, is a perfect epitome of an enduring cultural heritage earning the UNESCO’s World Heritage City title. Getting there is like a back-to-the-past experience, a culture-shock in 18th century Spanish Philippines. Vigan’s most popular attractions are, of course, its centuries-old houses, antiques, stone-paved streets, clippety-clop calesas and baroque churches, which have survived the ups and down of Philippine history. It is eight hours, 400 kilometers away from its walled version—the Intramuros.

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ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price

Ecotourism is a significant tool of development that sustains both the natural and cultural resources of the country. In fact, the tourism industry, in general, thrives and prospers in so far as these resources are properly conserved and responsibly developed.  The Bohol Congress in 1999, following the Global Agenda 21 and its local counterpart the Philippine Agenda 21, adopted the concept of ecotourism as a form of sustainable tourism within a natural and cultural heritage area where community participation, protection and management of natural resources, culture, and indigenous knowledge and practices, environmental education and ethics, as well as economic benefits are fostered and pursued for the enrichment of host communities and the satisfaction of visitors. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. It is therefore more of an attitude, a way of life, than an industry striking a balance between the preservation of cultural heritage and environmental integrity and the pursuit of economic growth beneficial for both the host communities and the visitors.

A new species of Nembrotha nudibranch (also known as sea slug) that was discovered during the California Academy of Sciences' 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. These brightly colored mollusks don't need shells for protection--instead they produce powerful toxins to keep potential predators at bay. Photo Credit: Terry Gosliner / California Academy of Sciences

The original inhabitants of Baguio are the Igorots, Kankana-eys and 

Ibalois.  These are Igorots in a street dancing competition during 

Panabenga Festival.

With 7,107 islands, the Philippines is the world’s second largest archipelago making it unsurprisingly rich in both natural and cultural resources. The Philippines, together with Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo and Papua New Guinea, forms the Coral Triangle, the most diverse marine habitat of the tropics with more coral reef fish diversity than anywhere else in the world—37%  (2,228) of the world’s coral reef fish species (6,000), and 56% of the coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific region (4,050). It has 15 regionally endemic coral species, which is found nowhere else in the world, and shares 41 regional endemic species with Asia . The reefs of Sulu and Sulawesi seas are home to about 580 of the world’s 793 species of reef-building corals, compared to just 50 in the Caribbean and 300 in the Great Barrier Reef. There are over 19 identified species of marine mammals and 1,200 varieties of reef fish, including the plankton-feeding whale shark, the world’s largest fish.  The natural resource base for ecotourism encompasses seascapes, rivers, lakes, wetlands, volcanoes, caves, and cliffs harboring a rich variety of plants and animals. In the forest, fields and mountains about 500 species of birds have been recorded, of which 172 species are found only in these islands. The Philippines is considered both a mega-diversity country and one of the world’s highest priority hot spots for the conservation of nature.  The country is culturally as diverse as its natural resources  being home to over 180 indigenous ethnic groups, over half of which represent unique linguistic groups,  and countless non-indigenous groups who are of Hispanic, Chinese, American, Arab, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and other groups of foreign origin (Wikipedia, 2009).  These diversity brought about distinct, unique and enumerable blends of creative expressions—from fashion to culinary, from visual to performing arts, from architecture to artifacts, from rituals to festivals—within and beyond the boundaries of ethnic communities.  While it is true that the country is a melting pot of the West and the East, it has traditional villages all over the archipelago with all their unique cultures fully intact—these fusions and conservation form into a beautiful cultural mosaic that is distinctively Filipino.

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Saturday Giant Lantern Escapade

After an hour of waiting for each other, a group of eight including Boyet, the project officer, Aleli, Gina, Gil, and two from the print media—Mike and Louie—and the driver, we finally embarked a van just an hour before lunch from the Lapu-Lapu side of Luneta in front of the renovated Children’s Park going to Pampanga on December 18, 2010.

An hour past noon, we arrived at a five-storey full-service Marlim Mansion Hotel, a bit archaic but one of the biggest hotels located at downtown Balibago, Angeles City, for lunch. We were greeted by a robust Peter and a young John, both hospitable staff of Director Tiotuico of DOT Region III. After almost an hour of luncheon meal and rest, we proceeded to the new Nayong Pilipino—one of the side trips for our festival escapade, the Giant Lantern Festival of which the program would start at twilight.

Side Trips: Consuelo de Bobo?

Nayong Pilipino sa Clark is a theme park depicting the history of the Philippines through architecture and cultural shows. It is subdivided into pre-colonial and colonial periods. The pre-colonial subdivide features the houses of different ethnic communities. Since it is impossible to cover all the communities in just half an hour, we decided to focus on Ifugao village with matching lady tour guide sharing with us some facts about ifugao houses of which the shape of the roof identifies the tribe it belongs to. I heard her saying, “rat gard.” I thought it was an Ifugao word. I was mistaken but bothered not to ask for a clarification. “Rat guard,” she said while pointing to a thick disk-shaped wooded provision attached to every column of four that supports the house that stands four to five feet above the ground, “serves as protection against rats trying to climb to the house.” Although, crude as they may appear, these houses can amaze even the likes of Palafox at such precision with no power tools and such sturdiness without a single metal nail or bolt. Every house is like a puzzle whose pieces fit together. In this village of four different tribe houses, there is also a souvenir shop of Ifugao products, of course. I decided to buy a key chain worth 15 pesos to benefit the Ifugaos neither that I need it nor that I love collecting that sort of things. It is my pledge that my travel should benefit the destination in exchange for some pollutants that I may, without knowing it, bring to it and leave behind. For lack of time, I just took photos of some houses in other “villages” and in the colonial subdivide.

Just a few minutes after three-o’clock habit, we found ourselves reminiscing war-time stories at Clark Museum. It features a rare collection of artifacts of the American period—before and after World War II—exhibition of paintings and dioramas of historic events during the period and of Filipino customs.

From the museum, we went to Puregold Duty Free for some “stateside” chocolates and cookies, which cost me, Aleli and Boyet a thousand and a half pesos each—worth the price though for once-in-a- blue-moon duty-free shopping. This ended our side trip in Clark—definitely not just a consuelo de bobo, though.

The Biggest Giant Lantern Festival: Truly Spectacular!

The City of San Fernando staged anew its spectacular Giant Lantern Festival, the biggest ever with each of the participating lanterns measuring 20 feet in diameter compared to last year’s 18 feet. The lantern festival, the only of its kind in the world, earned the city the title of “the Christmas capital of the Philippines.” Locally dubbed as Ligligan Parul, it was held this year on December 18 at Robinsons Starmills.

The festival is actually an annual competition of giant lanterns usually with nine competing barangays on a Saturday before the Christmas Eve. Since 1958 the lanterns have been redefined and named as parul sampernandu; however, it finds its roots in what was then Pampanga’s capital—Bacolor—where a simpler lantern activity was yearly held until the provincial capital was transferred to San Fernando in 1904. The predecessor of the modern-day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which we know today as “lubenas.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the 20 feet that we see today. These were created in each barrio out of bamboo and other locally available materials. During the nine-day novena before Christmas which is done during simbang bengi (midnight mass) from December 16 to 24, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession. Before the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns, together with the images of the patron saints of the barrios, were brought to the town church (retrieved and updated from http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Giant_Lantern_Festival). As the lanterns grow in size from a mere two feet in its early years to 20 feet in diameter this year, the lantern festival also has found its own identity apart from being a mere part of a religious activity into a carnival with its own worth and crowd draw.

An estimated 70,000 spectators, locals and some foreigners, jam packed the parking area in front of Robinsons Seaport Gate for the showdown of giant lanterns composed of more than 8,000 bulbs each. The competition was participated in by the barangays of Dolores, Del Pilar, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, Santa Lucia, Santo Niño, San Pedro, and Telabastagan. This time, Santa Lucia’s lantern, the crowd favorite for the beauty of its design, the color, and the timing of lights and sound, bested the face-off followed by those of Dolores, which championed the last year’s contest, and San Nicolas.

Preceded by a number of folkdances and musical performances, the contest, starting at around eight o’clock, took almost two hours to conclude. It was composed of individual presentations in the first round with seven minutes for each entry, triad face-off in the second round with seven minutes for every group of entries, and simultaneous demonstration of all the nine entries in the last round also for seven minutes.

Two hours of way-out-of-this world spectacular experience is worth the trip from Manila of two hours. With side trips in Nayong Pilipino, Clark Museum, and a shopping spree in a duty-free grocery store, a Saturday night with this kind of event is more than enough to give you a dose of an experiencia de gran turismo. Side trips are not just a consuelo de bobo. They are actually an important ingredient in the overall experience—to give you a sense of fullness, a value for the time, effort and money spent. A destination must be as spectacular as that festival to be worth a trip of several hours. Or better yet, when planning a trip for a destination, consider some side trips to complete the equation.

GB3: Clean, Sleek and Sexy

When I was working in Makati, over a year, I was always passing by GB3, which by the way is Makati's Greenbelt 3, on my way to EDSA for a bus ride to Tambo, Parañaque. I never cared how it looks except that young people working for WWF annoyed me sometimes with their "panda" not that I don't care about wild life being systematically and politically destroyed by unscrupulous powerful elites but that "panda" doesn't appeal to me. If it's tarsier, which although many Pinoys do not like to symbolize them in a travel logo, I might consider giving them away a fragment of my precious time. But, this post is about GB3 not WWF.

Last Thursday night, I made myself invited by one Chad G through a Rex B's change of Friday-to-Thursday schedule of what appeared to be more of a reunion of long lost camaraderie than a rendezvous of career men and woman bragging their accomplishments; thanks that it went that way--a five-head reunion. Way back in college in Aquinas University, these people are among the crème de la crème--lofty in intelligence and yet down-to-earth--of our Alma Mater. Chad G has made significant improvements in his looks, from bony to meaty; although still rugged in his getup, one can sense a deep sense of responsibility owing to a fact perhaps that he is a husband to one-only beautiful wife and a father to a boy. Emi (once a B now a G) has stunningly maintained her gorgeous looks that can put to shame the likes of historical Cleopatra despite the fact that she is a wife to a husband, a mother to a boy, and a dedicated sales rep to IBM, all at the same time. But what she awed me most with? She is more tolerant to her husband than her husband to himself when it comes to "2 botts" (bottles not "buttocks") escapades. Steve S, whom I thought was the C one when Chad mentioned his name last Dec. 7, has also made improvements in his physique. More meat or fats? I can't tell with his office attire on. An accomplished salesman or maybe a manager of a huge team of salesmen, that I can tell based on his choice of words and concoctions of sentences peppered with sales jargon. But in my humble assessment, his secret to success in his career is not his diploma he earned in the College of Business Administration and Accountancy...my apology to our Alma Mater. He succeeds by his own chameleon-like ability to speak like a Korean--from North to South (his Maoish eyes blend well with Koreans though), an Indian (with whom he can blend well with his nose and color except the smell), a British (I don't know if he can do Scottish; but I think, everybody can tell he's fake.), and an American--never mind, that's given. And then, there's Rex B--without his querida named Eos, nothing has changed except perhaps that he now looks better with polo shirts. This man, without his lens, is a slim Filipino version of Genghis Khan without beard. With his glasses and lenses put on, especially his powerful 135 mm, he is a formidable recruit for an infamous group of assassins who mastered the most modern art of spying--he can capture the most minute details of what you are in your most innocent "moment". If the journalists have nose for news, Rex B has lenses for all details. The challenge for this man as a photographer is to capture the background more detailed than his favorites--women of all sizes and colors--in Greenbelt...to entice more to go to this place and hopefully replicate the same environment in the likes of Baseco compound. This guys and gal have also something to say about the aborted "Pilipinas, kay Ganda." Like every Filipino who will struggle with any language just to communicate himself (or her self) to a foreigner, they are naturally against it. Unfortunately for my former boss, I shared with their views. But this post is not about it.

Greenbelt 3 or GB3 not G3 (which Chad said is Glorietta 3) is perhaps everything that you can wish for your immediate environment--vegetation side-by-side with the architecture of all schools of thought (a representation of Palafox's green architecture) all clean and sleek including the people themselves with high level of sophistication. For a green (eco-friendly) mind, GB3 is sexy--in whatever direction you want to extend its meaning, I leave it up to your own discretion. Visit and stay a while (the equivalent is four hours over two buckets of "light" beer; two bottles will not be enough once you get the feel of the place) in GB3 and judge for yourself. But, that's it--clean, sleek and sexy. Just don't mind the expense.

Chad, where did we drink that night?

More About Cleanliness: Judgement Day

Today...Judgment Day!

Secretary Bertie Lim is on the hot seat. The CA has to make the decision. Will this be another cleanup? If so, the consumers--especially the travelers--will lose advocate for Open-Sky Policy, the positive Pandora's box to boost the speed of the crawling Philippine tourism industry. The local airlines' initiative to lower their rates in the form of promos is not enough to substantially stimulate domestic travel. Aside from low cost of air-traveling, the policy will bring about better services among the local airlines so that they can stay afloat the competition. The perceived losses of these airlines will be eventually compensated in the form of increasing the people's air-travel frequency and the number of people traveling through air. Besides, they can also traverse new routes in the international airways.

It is the call of the CA--to make or to break. I am just hoping that cleanups should be based on the gravity of merits and demerits. What is best for the Pearl of the Orient should be of utmost consideration.