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Raul Ilogon .

ECO-TOURISM is big. It is a huge income generator for people involved in the industry and may fill the local government’s coffers to the brim.

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It can bring in many tourists, both local and foreign. Demand for labor and consumer goods will increase. Farmers will earn good money for their products. Indigenous people’s craft will be revived and flourish. Commerce will boom. Infrastructure like roads will be built going to hinterlands and countryside or existing roads will be improved and concreted. Lives will improved. All these benefits because of eco-tourism.

If managed properly, it will create a positive economic impact on all stakeholders especially the people living in the area. However, the local government must take control. Without proper guidelines and management, it will be Boracay once again.

The local government must take the lead and formulate a win-win strategy for all stakeholders and tourists alike. However, for eco-tourism to be sustainable, the environment must take priority over progress.

Two weeks ago, we brought two Hongkong nationals to Nyor’s Playground. It is our trekking area located in the mountains shared by Alubijid, Gitagum and Naawan towns.

“I cannot understand why Filipinos still go to Thailand, Vietnam and other countries to do outdoors. Your trails and outdoor features are so beautiful,” our guests said.

They are owners of an Outdoor Academy in Hongkong. They have been doing outdoor activities in many countries. It was their first time here. They liked what they saw. He told me he will bring their students here. He was posting pictures during the three-day trek. By the time we got back to base, he said 14 students in Hongkong have already committed to come. They were booked through the power of social media.

I started mountain climbing when I was 18 years old. I’m turning 57 this year. That is more than half my lifetime. “Normms,” our mountaineering club, has been promoting responsible mountaineering for almost 37 years.

We can safely say that we are partly responsible for the boom of the outdoor industry. Partly, we felt guilty for the destruction and the garbage left by irresponsible trekkers. We must work harder to educate trekkers. Likewise, the local governments must be taught with proper guidelines and regulations.

I am grateful for all the years of climbing — the physical benefits, knowledge and wisdom I gained. If God wills it, I will continue going outdoors.  But this time, it is no longer about climbing. This time, it is already about giving back.

Recently, we did a mountain trail exploration up to Iligan. I grew up listening to my father’s stories, especially his World War II guerrilla stories. Trails criss-crossing to Bukidnon, Misamis Oreintal and Lanao are extensively used by our indigenous people since time immemorial. My father called it “the guerrilla trail” of World War II.

They took to this trail to avoid capture by the Japanese along the highway. They were safe in this guerrilla trail. Today, these guerrilla mountain trails continue to be safe to all who passed it. During our six days of trekking, there was not a single moment we felt unsafe. On the contrary, it was joy and peace all the way to Iligan.

We started in Alubijid, Misamis Oriental and ended up at Dalipuga, Iligan City. It took us six days, passing through the Higaonon ancestral domain, World War II historical sites, beautiful mountains, ridges, one lake at the top of the mountain of Alubijid and Naawan, and many waterfalls of all sizes.

But what struck me most was not the beautiful sceneries. It was the people. The hospitality of the mountain people is superb. The innocent-like characteristic of Higaonon simple folks is fascinating.

My friend, Glenn Palacio, a National Geographic travel and outdoor photographer who was with us during the hike to Iligan, described these mountain people this way: “The higher the altitude, the better the attitude.”

Can you imagine the economic benefits, through eco-tourism, and this mountain trail to Iligan will bring to our Higaonon mountain people?

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