Barlig spurs tourism advocacy

Dionie Chungalan

BARLIG, Mountain Province – “Being familiar with tourism can open our minds to evolvement, amazing discoveries we can call our own and a unified but fascinating ways of looking at things to advocate them,” a writer wrote more than a decade ago. “At the end, the aesthetic sense in us will allure holiday-makers to drop in, to complete their diaries.”

When I visited Bohol in October 2003, I learned Boholanos appreciate so much the beauty of their origin. That’s why I was told, tourism as business flourished; yet many of the attractions are man-made and contributed to increase of revenue.

For me, I am at present staying in a little village called ‘Shangri-la on the Edge,’Kadaclan, about 58 km south of Bontoc.

My town Barlig, stands at the base of Mount Amuyao where climbers go to savor a flotilla of verdant green lands whose top is above the clouds.

Barlig is a poor agricultural town. Although rich in untapped natural resources of trees with two roaring Tanudan and Siffu rivers, the swift water current can induce electricity when developed.

Feasibility studies have shown the mossy forests have varied medicinal plants which could be processed to herbal medicines. In a casual conversation recently with Manoro Ballug, Mt. Province Interior and Local Government director.

He said intensifying tourism in Barlig would benefit the town economically.

Barangay council members have also said now that Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis national road is near completion, they have to fully sustain eco-tourism mandate to boost local economy.

Kiyoko Torakawa, a Bible translator in Barlig said her place in Sendai,Japan has progressed so much because of tourism and people have imbibed and accepted what tourism brought to their place.

Barlig Proper has tourist destinations: Allob-Lingoy Hot Springs, Lake Tufob, waterfalls and Sib-law Taraw quick sand.

In Lias, we have the the War Memorial Shrine, Karanag Falls, Chapin-ay rice terraces, Lattang sacred burial cave, Naculla rice paddies and yes -- betel-nut chewing folks who came from Ifugao but migrated in Ogo-og.

According to a native of the town, change has to take place since nothing is permanent. “We should open our town as tourist destination to augment our poor agricultural output to uplift the quality of our indigenous life,” he said. “But we should develop the trade by ourselves. We must set rules to control negative effects of the industry by strengthening organized tourism groups including our tourist guides in accordance to norms of good behaviour,”