Mayor Cynthia’s river triumph

Southern Cebu offers more than “sun and sand” to visitors.

The Bojo River Cruise in Aloguinsan town, going on its sixth year, offers a glimpse of a river community that has transformed itself into an eco-tourism destination.

Getting the barangay residents involved, and not just counting how many paying tourists arrive, is the secret of its success, said Aloguinsan Mayor Cynthia Moreno.

Eco-tourism is about educating the community about the environment to get their act together and be involved in its protection to make it sustainable.

Moreno, who initiated the project in June 2009, received the first “Inang Kalikasan” (Mother Nature) award for individual leadership in eco-tourism from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this week in Manila.

Two other women, a community organizer in Olango Island’s bird sanctuary and another in Siquijor province were also awardees.

Before the Bojo river project started, the mayor saw both its potential and poverty.

“At that time, nakatagamtam gyud ang mga taw og kalisud. Gagmay nalang ang isda na ila makuha, gamay nalang sila og halin. Ang kahoy nagka gamay. Wala na gyud sila’y panginabuhi na permanente. (At that time, the people were very hard up. Their fish catch had dwindled. The mangroves were deforested. They had no steady livelihood).

“But I still experienced resistance from the people because they didn’t want to get out of their comfort zone,” she recalled.

Having attended several forums and meetings on climate change, Moreno decided to take action in her own locality.

“I also saw the potential of Bojo river. In Aloguinsan we don’t have any industry, just fishing and farming. I wanted to address poverty and at the same time address our environmental concerns,” Moreno said.

She started by organizing the community of fisherfolk and providing skills training.

Today, Bojo river residents are the tour guides and boatmen in paddle boat rides down the river for both local and foreign visitors.

Residents are also watchmen who protect the environment against illegal tree cutting and harmful fishing practices.

At present, 48 residents are directly involved in the Bojo River Eco-Cultural Tour as members of the Bojo Aloguinsan Eco-tourism Association (BAETAS).

Earnings go directly to the community and the enterprise is managed by BAETAS. The Aloguinsan municipality only collects 10 percent of the receipts as an environment fee.

Since June 2009, the organized community has earned a gross income of P11 million.

“Now the families have a stable source of income,” Moreno said.

For a program to be a sustainable eco-tourism venutre, Moreno said it must satisfy these criteria:

l) It must based on environment protection; 2) address livelihood needs of the community; 3) must be educational for both tourists and the community; 4) has touristic value; and 5) it must be sustainable.

“It’s not a matter of increasing the number of tourist arrivals because in eco-tourism, we must observe the carrying capacity of the place,” Moreno said.

“If there is a chance to do so, we can help other municipalities in their eco-tourism projects. Our project is not for tourism alone. As local chief executives, we need to focus on environmental protection that is why we have this project now,” she said.

She also said the project wouldn’t be successful without the joint effort of the town’s tourism officer, municipal officials and the community.

“We are just hitting two birds with one stone. We address our environmental problems at the same time our social problems,” she said.