ENVIRONMENT DAY. Students, soldiers, village officials and other volunteers plant trees and pick up trash inside the Mambukal Mountain Resort in Murcia, Negros Occidental during the Community Environment Day on Friday (June 21, 2019). Themed 'Awareness and Action for Environment Protection', the event was one of the initiatives to preserve and protect the popular site positioned by the provincial government as an eco-tourism destination. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
MURCIA, Negros Occidental -- The Mambukal Mountain Resort in Barangay Minoyan here is engaging the community to preserve and protect the popular site positioned by the provincial government as an eco-tourism destination.
Resort manager Ellen Marie Jalandoni, who led the Community Environment Day at the resort on Friday, said the increasing number of guests to Mambukal every year has raised environmental concerns, prompting the need to create awareness and action.
“We also think sometimes if these developments can compensate for its effects on the environment. We want Mambukal to be known as an eco-tourism mountain destination,” she said.
Jalandoni noted that they are adopting a development plan for the 23.6-hectare resort aligned with ecological protection since the area has a bat sanctuary, a bird watching site, and is also home to a number of butterfly species, and exotic animals.
The Capitol-owned resort, at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon, is also known for its hot springs and a number of waterfalls.
In the first six months of the year, more than 200,000 people already visited Mambukal. As of May, it has already generated an income of PHP28.7 million.
Jalandoni said the awareness campaign focuses on the emerging environmental issues of deforestation, waste disposal, ecological balance, and sustainable consumption that affect the community.
“As a community, we should work together to further create cooperation and holistic approach to address these environmental concerns,” she added.
During the event themed “Awareness and Action for Environment Protection”, students, soldiers, village officials, and other volunteers planted trees and picked up trash in several areas of the resort.
About a thousand plants and seedlings were planted, including more than 500 bamboo cuttings for the perimeter areas, as well as native trees and flowering plants. Several bags of garbage were also collected by the students.
Jalandoni said with the ongoing infrastructure developments, they are also making sure that the trees are protected and if there are those needed to be cut, these are replaced by planting new ones.
At present, there are about 5,000 trees in Mambukal, and in between the rows of trees are pocket libraries with books about the environment and values development.
Jalandoni also said part of the efforts is to eliminate the use of plastic in the resort starting later this year. “We’re trying to make a program for that right now,” she added.
Another plan is to prohibit the entry of motor vehicles in Mambukal two years from now to control the noise pollution that drives away the bats and birds from their natural habitat, Jalandoni said.
One of the volunteers, Lovern Mae Catalbas, president of the Supreme Student Government of Minoyan National High School, said she was glad to participate in the Community Environment Day as part of her awareness on how to protect the environment.
“We picked up trash, especially plastics. My classmates and I were able to help in our own little way. Most of the students in our school are from Barangay Minoyan. We are doing this for our future as well,” she added. (PNA)
