Rafters paddle Chico River for clean waters

By Gina Dizon

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- White water rafter- enthusiasts paddled the mighty waters of the Chico River  Feb. 14  coinciding on the third day of the Kalinga Ullalim Festival to drum up support for its maintenance as an environmental showcase.

Organized by the Peaceful Environment for the  Advancement of  Communities and Education (PEACE),  the  rafting event  aimed to  support advocacy  of the provincial government of  Kalinga  to keep the Chico River clean and  flowing.

Kalinga Gov. Jocel Baac said the rafting activity “advocates the history that our forefathers fought for the Chico River. It is time we continue the struggle to keep the Chico River clean and flowing.”

Maintaining the cleanliness and continued flow of the Chico River is a highly important advocacy in the midst of current issues on waste polluting the waters which irrigate vast rice fields along its course  from the headwaters of Bauko, Mountain Province to the rice- grown fields of  Tabuk Kalinga, Isabela and Cagayan.  

The Chico River is also a major potential of white water rafting attracting visitors from different parts of the globe to try its challenging waters.

Pasil mayor James Edduba said he personally supports the advocacy of  PEACE and shall be joining  the rafting event.

The headwaters of  Pasil located  in the mountainous north of  Kalinga  joins the  waters of the mighty Chico River  in  Tabuk.

In Mountain Province,  the Chico River  starts at the headwaters of  the watersheds of Bauko, Mountain Province passes through  Sabangan and gathers waters from tributaries from the  Kalawitan watershed and Bayodan River,  flows further and joins  waters from the Malitep and  Amlosong Rivers of Sagada, on to the Balitian river of upland  Bontoc finding  their way along the capital town of Bontoc gathering more waters from the watersheds of  Sadanga  and  Tinglayan  Kalinga and neighboring  watersheds  on to Tabuk.

Former National Irrigation Authority regional director Abraham Akilit and now mayor of  Bauko municipality supported the  activity by sponsoring one rafter.