Barely two months after settling their dispute in their canyoneering activities, Gov. Gwen Garcia had to mediate and settle again the conflict between the neighboring municipalities of Badian and Alegria.
In a meeting called after her dialogue with tourism stakeholders in Badian on Wednesday, Gov. Garcia sat down with Mayors Gilberto Magallon of Alegria and Carmen Lumain of Badian and their respective tourism and other local officials.
Mayor Magallon told the governor that Mayor Lumain has barred the entry of Alegria-led canyoneering at the fourth jump point of the canyoneering areas by posting police officers there.
Canyoneering in the two towns has seven jump points, with the Badian canyoneering ending at the majestic Kawasan Falls in Brgy. Matutinao. Of the seven jump points, however, Alegria and Badian mark their territorial boundaries at the fourth jump point — an area which the two LGUs have considered a shared point for canyoneering.
Due to Lumain’s action, Magallon said this has shortened the canyoneering trail for Alegria which impacted negatively the experience of tourists.
For her part, Lumain said she did this for the tourists’ own protection following Gov. Garcia’s issuance of Executive Order No. 14 series of 2023 earlier this month which ordered for the temporary closure and suspension of canyoneering activities in Badian.
The governor’s EO was issued after verified reports from various municipal and provincial offices showed that physical hazards such as metallic spikes, illegal structures, and an abandoned dam are found in the Badian side of the canyoneering trail, posing grave risks to the safety and lives of the tourists.
But Gov. Garcia stressed that the EO specifically banned canyoneering in Badian’s first to third jump points only where the hazardous elements are found.
“There is no danger to these 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th jumps; and there is no reason to close it kay it does not cause danger to any of the canyoneering guests,” Gov. Garcia said during the meeting at the session hall of Badian Municipal Hall.
Furthermore, she emphasized that her order did not specify that jump points be closed. “No one has the authority to block mobility in such state-owned resources as rivers. That is owned by the government,” she said adding LGUs cannot “unilaterally decide” on such matters as it is under the supervision of the province.
The governor also shut down the request of Badian to allow their canyoneering guides to continue bringing tourists to the Alegria side of the trail to allow them to continue earning a living. She said to simultaneously do demolition and rehabilitative works; and lead guided tours in the vicinity would be a recipe for “pandemonium”.
“Karon unahon na nato ang clearing. I restore nato ang Kawasan Falls. You have earned enough, 300 million pesos sa usa ka tuig,” she said.
“More than the monetary side of it, it is the value, unquantifiable value of Kawasan Falls — nalimtan na na nato. Naa ba gyud Kawasan Falls elsewhere? Wala. Mapalit ba na sa Gaisano? Dili. Misikat ang Badian tungod sa Kawasan Falls,” the governor added.
To fasttrack the restoration, the governor said that the Capitol will enlist the services of Badian’s 917 canyoneering tour guides and 26 Kawasan Falls tour guides in expediting the demolition of illegal structures and other rehabilitation and restoration works in Kawasan so that the EO can be lifted in the swiftest possible time.
“Kining inyong boundary dispute we can settle that at another time. What is the most pressing issue now is whether it was right for Badian to close it, I am saying now, there is no reason to close it,” she said.
The two LGUs, with geodetic engineers from DENR, are scheduled to conduct a joint survey of the territory covered by the canyoneering trail on the first week of July to establish once and for all what area belongs to whom, and explore possible points of cooperation. | with MARM, IPA