River guides, river guards

By RENE VALENZUELA

MAITUM, Sarangani (December 6, 2007) – Step foot in barangay New La Union and hear Pangi River sing. Its serene atmosphere by day and chilling air at night gives this sleepy village a touch of Mother Nature.

It is also home to fierce environmentalists. "Protecting our river is no small feat," said Digs Movilla.

"Pangi River is part of our lives. The people of our barangay depend on the cleanliness of the river," he said.

The community has weathered environmental threats year after year with its people staunchly protecting Pangi River.

Set on an idyllic landscape, New La Union is an ideal retreat for city dwellers tired of the urban noise and pollution.

It offers a tranquil atmosphere where one could just daydream or listen to the gushing river and the occasional songs of birds and insects.

In 2004, with the help of then newly-elected governor of Sarangani, Migs Dominguez, local village leaders started the white-water tubing venture.

Movilla and his partners named it the White Water Tubing Adventure.

The wild ride on tire tubes on the rapids of Pangi River was introduced by businessman Vincent Yabes.

"It was a simple idea. If other places can have rafting, then we will have tubing here on really white and clean water," said Movilla.

The 1.6-kilometer ride lasts for 45 minutes of sudden drops, dodging boulders and enjoying the coldness and white water of Pangi River.

After the governor threw his support by donating life vests, protective helmets and tire tubes, New La Union began attracting local tourists. It also attracted politicians and businessmen who donated tire tubes.

With the opportunity of a tourist spot in sight, the local government of Maitum gave permission to Movilla to operate the White Water Tubing Adventure.

When tourist arrivals sharply increased, Movilla organized a team to become river guides.

"This created the opportunity for our youth and unemployed here in our barangay to earn some money by becoming river guides," said Movilla.

The river guides are locals who know Pangi River like the back of their hands.

"We have lived here all our lives. We know every drop, every corner, trees, and boulders we will pass from the starting point in Itis junction to the dam site where the ride ends," said Jumar Casuga, the first president of the river guides association.

"50% of the tubing fee goes to our guides, 30% to the barangay, 5% for their health insurance, and 15% for the management," said Movilla adding that there are now 27 guides this year compared to five when they started.

A ride costs P100 per person.

"It has given us the opportunity to earn extra income aside from working on our small farms," said Jimmy Tañedo, current president of the association and one of the five original guides.

To date, 31,499 tourists have already visited this place since 2005.

Incidentally, both Tañedo and Casuga won as councilors in the recent barangay elections. Movilla is the newly elected barangay chairman.


"We are fierce in protecting our river. We will be against anybody who will destroy its pristine state. And we mean anybody," said Tañedo.

Pangi River , awarded as the second cleanest river in the country by the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran in 2003, has two tributaries-the Itis river and the Luma river.

Several threats against Pangi River have cropped–up in the past years. Several small scale miners who came from as far as Compostela Valley province explored the mountains above the river.

"Some bought their tools and started to extract gold from the river itself. But when they started destroying the riverbank, we sent them home," said Movilla.

Recently, Movilla led a team to Tulad, a T'boli mountain village four hours of trek away from New La Union.

"They are the vanguards of the river. Whatever they do here, it will go down to us in the lowland," explained Movilla. Tulad is located near the Luma River.

The T'boli village of Tulad is part of Kiamba town but is more accessible to Maitum. It has 35 households with total population of more than 250, including children.

"We are protecting the river. In fact, you can see that there is no single house or hut near the river bank from New La Union to Tulad," said Mandy Flang, a resident of the village.

"We have a lot of fish, "ulang" (freshwater prawn) and big eels in our river. We catch them for food but only with methods that do not destroy nature," said Movilla.

He said "kuryente" or fishing with electrical charges has long been banned.

Alarm bells were incessant last year after a local politician allegedly started small-scale mining operations in the mountains of New La Union near Tulad which is believed to be rich in mineral deposits especially gold and copper.

The mountains also host tarsiers, deer, wild pigs, Philippine squirrels and other rainforest creatures. Wild orchids and rare plants can also be found.

"Well, they brought machines and equipments. They dug a tunnel and started operations. We said no. They continued but pulled-out after a while. Now, another one is beginning to bring soil samples from the cave they dug," said Tañedo. "That is why we decided to run in the elections," he added.

Tulad residents trade their goods in Maitum. Their first stop-over is New La Union where their children go to school.

"We depend on them for information if there are any illegal activities in the mountains. They well know that the key to progress in our barangay is maintaining a clean Pangi River," said Movilla.

Pangi River also provides irrigation to a substantial portion of Maitum's rice lands.

New La Union has been featured in several television shows as well as making it to the front pages of national dailies.

Quite a number of foreign visitors and "balikbayans" have already visited the place. Several stayed overnight not wanting to pass the chance to sleep in the resort.

"That is why we really need to be vigilant in protecting our river," said Bernie Pascua, a newly-elected village councilor.

Pascua's family is one of the pioneers of the place. He said he is not any way against development but there must be regulations and rules to be followed.

"It's as simple as this, show us that they will not be destroying New La Union with their project, then maybe we will support them," said Pascua.


Pascua warned that they will be the number one enemy of any project that will pose a threat to the ecology of New La Union. Life maybe slow and simple in New La Union but its people can get fast and furious if Mother Nature is threatened. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/RIO)