Singaporean investor looking at eco-tourism appeal of Cebu City hillylands

Waterfalls, caves, pocket forests, mountain trails – Cebu City has them all in the mountain barangays.

At least five barangays are being studied for their eco-tourism potential by a potential Singaporean investor aided by a resident of barangay Tabunan, Giovanni Stephen Romarate, manager of the Cebu City Zoo.

“We can come up with different activities like trekking and spelunking to promote eco-tourism. We don’t have to go far to experience all these,” Romarate told Cebu Daily News.

Romarate said he’s been working on an eco-tourism master plan with the investor which will be presented to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama once it is completed.

Some caution is needed, however, to balance the commercial development with protection of the nature sites, he said because some of them are located in protected watersheds.

He identified the five as Sudlon I and II, Taptap, Tabunan and Tagbao, which he said are ideal for ziplines with their high elevation. These areas can all be reached within an hour from City Hall, he said.

Cebu Daily News checked with records of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and confirmed that the five barangays have large areas falling with watersheds or protected zones under the jurisdiction of the State through the DENR as part of the Central Cebu Protected landscape.

Sudlon 1 and 2 form part of the Sudlon National Park and the Mananga Watershed and Forest Reserve.

Tabunan has land within the Mananga Watershed and the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed. Taptap is found in the Mananga Watershed, and barangay Tabao is in the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed.

Romarate, a Tabunan resident and caretaker of the Cebu City Zoo for at least five years, said he’s been discussing the plan to scout for potential areas for development in the mountains with the mayor and the Cebu City Hillyland Commission.

He said a five-hectare property in barangay Babag was identified as a potential base camp for eco-tourism activities. He said the land owned by former Cebu City Councilor Franklin Seno was ideal for cottages and a bird sanctuary.

Ziplines from the five other barangays may be directed to this base camp in Babag located at the boundary of Cebu City’s north and south districts, he said.

He said Seno agreed with the plan and that they only had to work out the details of implementation.

Mayor Rama yesterday said the establishment of eco-tourism sites in the mountains was one of his goals but that an ordinance is needed by the Cebu City Council.

“We need an ordinance especially to establish eminent domain and the police powers of the city government,” he said , partly to guard against potential abuse.

The ordinance would also need to create a body to manage the city’s eco-tourism sites, the mayor said.

Romarate said his study would inventory the natural wonders in the five adjoining mountain barangays, identify structures needed and how to bring together these attractions together for an eco-tourism activity.

He said private parties are already looking into setting up a zipline in an elevated part of barangay Taptap, where guests would ride horses or carabaos to climb back up to the zipline base camp.

“We want to discourage machine-operated carriers so that tourists have a feel of the forest adventure during their visit,” he said.

He said they are also exploring offering guided tours to several caves in barangays Sudlon I and II and sitio Cantipla in Tabunan.

Romarate said Cantipla has at least eight caves with two underground rivers.

Tabunan is the site of Cebu’s remaining pocket forest, a long known habitat of the elusive Cebu Flowerpecker, a bird that has never been photographed and was once thought to be extinct.

Barangay Tagbao has waterfalls.

“I tried diving in the Manggasang Falls. I ran out of air because it was so deep,” he recalled.

Romarate said he would spend summers and weekends visiting caves, forest lands and waterways in the five mountain barangays with his wife and four daughters.

He said he posted photos on his Facebook page, which caught the attention of the Singaporean investors he’s now dealing with.

He said the plan was a work in progress, and couldn’t give more details.

While they want to bring tourists upland, he said there was a need to protect and preserve the natural environment, especially since some sites were located in protected watersheds.

“We want to involve the residents in our eco-tourism program so they could also earn and learn the responsibility of protecting nature since this would be the source of income,” he said.

At present, many mountain residents cut down trees for firewood and burn them to make charcoal, which are illegal activities.

Some offer tour guide services for P500 per group of three visitors.

“We are imposing this policy to control the movement of visiting tourists. When people see something new to them, it’s natural that they would want to touch them,” he said.

Since early this year, Romarate said Tabunan guides attended to tourists from Denmark and Australia. Romarate said guests are always asked beforehand if they want accommodations and meals so residents can give them a cost estimate. Since there’s no hotel in the mountains, guests end up bringing their own tents.  Doris C. Bongcac, Chief Of Reporters