Aloguinsan mayor gets ‘Inang Kalikasan’ award

ALOGUINSAN Mayor Cynthia Moreno was awarded yesterday as the “Inang Kalikasan for Eco-Tourism” by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in a nationwide contest of 21 ecotourism sites.

Moreno was cited for her leadership in developing the river community of Bojo whose residents managed and host the popular Bojo River Cruise.

The award was given in ceremonies at the La Breeza Hotel in Quezon City by DENR officials Edwin Domingo and Mundita Lim of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.

The award, given for the first time by the DENR, recognized individual leadership in upholding principles of ecotourism – sustainable, community-based development that goes hand in hand with respect for local culture and natural resources.

This is the first time the award is being given by the DENR and the Integrated Coastal Resource Management Project.

In Aloguinsan town, southwest Cebu, residents of barangay Bojo are the ones who serve as guides for paddle boat tours up the Bojo river, a 1.3 kilometer waterway.

The river empties into the sea, the Tañon Strait, which is also a national protected seascape.

In 2009, Bojo residents were organized as river stewards and gave up harmful practices of cutting trees and mangroves, and illegal fishing.

Today, local guides share with visitors their knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area, the village’s history. Residents also took care of the day-long tour, from welcome snacks, a lecture on the marine and land-based wildlife, to handicraft demonstrations like weaving.

Income from the package tour goes back to the residents who formed themselves into the Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association (BAETAS) with 10 percent going to the Aloguinsan municipal government.

Moreno championed the project from its inception when she was mayor of the town, and continued when she was vice mayor, till the present. She was elected mayor in the May election.

Other ecotourism sites listed by the DENR are found in Romblon, Masbate, Davao Oriental, Cagayan, Masinloc in Zambales.

In Cebu, three ecotourism sites are recognized – Cambais Falls in Alegria, Olango Island in Mactan and the Bojo River in Aloguinsan.