The Cebu Provincial Government will officially reopen the world famous Kawasan Falls in Badian to the public on Oct. 26, Thursday.
Provincial tourism officer Marti Ybanez confirmed to Sugbo News after her meeting with Gov. Gwen Garcia that the canyoneering activities in the neighboring towns of Ginatilan and Malabuyoc will also be allowed to operate again.
Gov. Gwen had earlier suspended the tourism activities in Kawasan Falls in Badian as well as the canyoneering activities in Ginatilan and Malabuyoc after reports of unprofessionalism and the presence of physical hazards in the said areas reached the governor.
Gov. Gwen on Monday, Oct. 23, met with the concerned tourism stakeholders of the three southern Cebu LGUs. They were joined by Board Member Red Duterte of the PB committee on tourism, as well as environmental consultant Atty. Ben Cabrido Jr. and provincial attorney Donato Villa.
Primary to the discussion was the finalization of the Executive Orders that the governor is expected to issue that will lay down the general guidelines for all canyoneering activities and ecology tourism zone activities around Kawasan Falls.
This has been weeks in the making as Gov. Gwen has sought to improve the overall tourist experience in the province now that these guidelines are set and are expected to be enforced strictly.
And it is not just for the tourists’ benefit, as the guidelines will also professionalize the canyoneering activities as tour guides will have to follow certain rules and regulations set by Capitol for public safety and convenience.
According to Ybanez, Capitol will distribute to around 900 tour guides and operators during the launching their accident insurance coverage, whose premium has been paid by Capitol.
She also added that these tour guides have already graduated from their respective trainings required by the Capitol before they can resume in leading tourists along the canyoneering paths.
They went through trainings with the Department of Tourism to capacitate them on how they can better execute their functions as tour guides and the rules they have to follow moving forward. | Carlo Lorenciana