NATURE OR LIFE
By Anabelle E. Plantilla

The day after Typhoon Pablo devastated Davao Oriental, I received a frantic text message from Chen Mencias, a Haribon member calling for donations. Chen is a tourism planner who is

involved in a DENR project on Integrated Coastal Resource Management providing technical and financial assistance to local organizations in Baganga and Cateel to establish ecotourism enterprises. These are budding ecotourism destinations with highly motivated residents who know the importance of their natural ecosystems in providing for their everyday needs and livelihood. The post-Pablo images of Baganga and Cateel are heart-wrenching—houses blown away and farms obliterated. Veronica Manus, a mother who is a member of the Ban-ao Fisherfolks Association took the paddling guide training to augment her family’s income and improve their lives. But Pablo destroyed and stole everything away from Veronica—her possessions, the mangroves, coral reefs and other attractions that will entice the tourists to come.

Veronica lives in Ban-ao, Baganga that boasts a salt water lake where one can see corals and seagrass growing side by side with the mangrove forest. Chen says that this is unique. This does not happen often because these three ecosystems usually form a series of corridors that starts with the mangrove that hugs the coastline near river deltas. It is then followed by a corridor of seagrass meadows that act as a filter to prevent sediments from reaching the coral reefs. It is the second line of defense against the ravages of tides and waves. Both mangroves and seagrass break the power of the waves and protect the coastal areas. Coral reefs also function as a defense, but being more fragile, they need clear and clean water in order to thrive. In Baganga, corals were not only thriving but were growing in a very prolific fashion within the mangrove forest.

Mantunao Eco-Park in Cateel is known for the Tres Marias waterfalls and its forest with numerous birds and other wildlife. The Community Forest Protection Taytayan Multi-Purpose Cooperative takes pride in being stewards of this forest, having lobbied for a complete log ban for years. They have ventured in several livelihood projects in order to improve their lives such as a rubber plantation, a fishpond and a farm where they plant organic upland rice. Pablo has since destroyed all these. The ecotourism enterprises would have added some income streams to their businesses and provided increased incomes for its members. As far as the people could remember, they have not been visited by any major typhoon and their climate is generally fair with some rains only during the months of December to February.

The concept of ecotourism relies primarily on the integrity of the natural environment, as it is the base product of ecotourism. With the destruction of the entire landscape and seascape, ecotourism may have to wait until the ecosystems are rehabilitated. Chen has coined a new word, “voluntourism” which she feels is the best option for Baganga and Cateel. It is a tourism concept that aims to achieve economic goals while promoting community development.

Visitors are encouraged to participate in community activities such as repairing houses, transplanting mangroves, rehabilitating forests, constructing school houses, building a visitor information center or simply teaching people skills. Baganga and Cateel need people with funds and skills to share. Chen hopes that voluntourism will establish the value of “people reaching out to people” and create a model that may be replicated in other impoverished tourism sites.

And while voluntourism may not be your usual holiday, it provides an individual the chance to “feel good” by extending him/herself for the benefit of the environment and the community. It is travel with a “bayanihan” spirit.

For those who want to help Chen rebuild the lives of the people of Baganga and Cateel, she can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .