Meetings and Presentations of the Proposed Eco-Cultural Tourism for Obu-Manuvu

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Meetings and Presentations of the Proposed Eco-Cultural Tourism for Obu-Manuvu

 

The pristine water in Gawoy Creek inside the Obu-Manuvu Ancestral Forest.

The area of the Obu-Manuvu community is characterized by an abundance of natural endowments; pristine forests with a huge diversity of flora and fauna, fast flowing streams, creeks and meandering rivers, cascading waterfalls, etc. The newly improved farm-to-market trail passes some excellent bird watching spots and outstanding viewpoints; an iron-made hanging bridge across the clear waters of the Panigan River and a fascinating scenery on top of community farm area in Karilongan overlooking the whole of Barangay Carmen and some parts of the Davao metropolis and the Davao Gulf. One can experience the breath of fresh air and the smell of nature as well as the unique and genuine culture of Obu-Manuvu community. The existence of all these “wonders” and the potential benefits for the Obu-Manuvu community and the natural environment they protect, are the reasons why this Eco-Cultural tourism plan was made.

The plan is to establish some simple but attractive eco-friendly Obu-Manuvu structures called “Obu Manuvu Village” at the top end of the community farms in Karilongan, where besides the earlier mentioned nature attractions, cultural activities will be performed that will attract eco-tourist/visitors who want a new experience and adventure in a helpful way both to the Obu Manuvu indigenous community and to the environment.The proposed Eco-Cultural tourism project is an initiative of Obu Manuvu community in Carmen in partnership with the Obu Manuvu Ancestral Domain Management Council, BLGU-Carmen, NCIP and the DENR as part of the 10-years Memorandum of Agreement with the EGIP Foundation and some other project partners.

PIT MEETING: Introduction of the Proposed Tourism Project of Obu-manuvu Community to the the Obu-manuvu Tribal Council of Elders and Leaders

A series of meetings and presentations were made for the whole month of June in order to acquire suggestions and recommendations and to get consent from partner agencies. Firstly, the project was presented to the Obu-Manuvu Tribal Council headed by Datu Luis Lambac and his council, Datu Joel Unad and Datu George Mandahay as part of the Project Implementation Team ( PIT) Meeting. The objective of the meeting was to give an update of the on-going and future project/plans of the community. The proposed community based tourism project was also introduced to the tribal council. The three (3) Datus were very thankful for the financial support of the EGIP Foundation for the initiatives of the Obu-Manuvu community and as usual, they also gave their full support and positive thoughts on the project.

The proposed project was then presented to the Department of Tourism Regional Office and the City Tourism Operation’s Office on June 4 & 5, 2018. These two

THE FUTURE PARTNERS: Group pictures after the successful presentation of the Proposed Eco-Cultural Tourism project.

offices hold a major role in respect of the project with regards to giving assistance in promotion and marketing. They will also facilitate the capacity development of Tourism stakeholders and key players through the provision of appropriate capability training. They will also assist in setting-up systems for the efficient implementation of the Management and Operational Plan. Also, they will be part of the monitoring and evaluation team that will assess the project, quarterly and annually. Aside from the natural, unique and genuine culture of the Obu-manuvu tribe as well as the eco-structures established in the Obu-Manuvu village, the proposed project was identified as having great potential to invite both local and international tourists. But aside from availability of infrastructure and other facilities needed by tourists, safety is a major concern of both offices.

THE PEACE AND ORDER MEETING: Datu Unad expresses his thoughts about the role of the IP s on the peace and order development.

To address the concern about security matters, a meeting was held at the Barangay hall of Carmen on June 8, 2018. The BLGU-Carmen headed by Hon. Alfredo Austral Sr. and his council,  the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), the Baguio District Police and the Philippine Army of the 3rd Infantry Battalion of Malagos District, Davao City, all participated. They are part of the monitoring and evaluation team of the project and their primarily role is to provide safety and security to the guests/tourists. The main objective of the meeting was to establish and implement a proper channel of communication with the project management and their office especially with regards to peace and security related matters. The meeting ended with a promising message from the 3rd IB and Baguio District Police Office that they will give their full support in securing the whole area covered by the project and will be active in all activities of the proposed project.

Overall, with the support and recommendations of different partner agencies, the proposed Koontayan ‘To Obu-Manuvu Eco-Cultural Adventure pushed through. The Obu-manuvu community is very excited with their new project as it will not only provide a financial incentive to them, but for most, it will be instrumental in preserving their genuine cultural resources. As of this writing, more or less 60% of the eco-structures have already been established and in partnership with the travel agency for promotion and marketing,  local and international tourists will be invited.

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