ILOILO CITY: The Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board (TAWMB) has identified 16 sites in four upland municipalities of Iloilo City that need to be developed for its eco-tourism potentials.

TAWMB, supported by the Canadian Urban Institute, is chaired by Mayor Juanito Alipao of Alimodian and Mayor Dennis Superficial of Sta. Barbara as vice chairman.

The upland municipalities in the Tigum-Aganan watershed area are Maasin, Leon, Alimodian and Caba-tuan were identified as strategic sites for the community based eco-tourism projects.

The TAWMB report showed that in Alimodian, the potential sites are the Agony Hill, Seven Cities, where the Tinagong Danao, Umingan Plateau, farm terraces and Lico waterfalls are located.

In Maasin, the sites are the waterfalls within the watershed reserve forest area, Putting Bato, Paet Salt Spring, dam site in Daja, adjacent to the Mahogany Park, bamboo processing plant and the Gines Hill.

In Leon, the upland barangay of Bucari has a Baguio-like climate and scenery. It is also in Bucari, Leon and Seven Cities in Alimo-dian where high value crops such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots and some herbs and spices are planted abundantly.

On the other hand, the municipality of Cabatuan is considered with religious and historical value, starting with the church, the Iglesia de San Nicolas de Tolentino for its neo-classical architecture with walls overlain in red bricks, the Pamul-ogan and Balic Hills that depict the Way of the Cross, Cabatuan leaf arc and the chicken tinuom dish cooked in banana leaves.

The TAWMB report showed that the potential eco-tourism sites are open for tourist adventure and aims to harness these potentials for economic development and sustainable environment anchored on the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras bioregion concept.