The Mainit spring in Malabuyoc south western town of Cebu. (CEBU LIBRE PHOTO/TD)
About 1.5 kilometers from the highway in Barangay Montañeza, Malabuyoc, southwest of Cebu, is a hot spring that up until recently, drew in around 10,000 tourists each month.
The natural attraction, aptly named “Mainit Spring”, which means hot spring, is famous for flowing waterfalls and rich forest lands.
Of late, the area has become a huge repository of garbage left by tourists who visit the area.
And the Malabuyoc Municipal Environment & Natural Resources Office (Menro) has had enough of the unsightly scene of trash littering the waters and the forest.
The spring has been ordered closed since May 3, Wednesday.
“There is much waste in the river,” Malabuyoc tourism operations officer Erik Ybas told Cebu Daily News.
According to Ybas, people leave trash all over the area despite the town’s anti-garbage ordinance which charges a fine of P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense and P2,500 for the third offense.
Plastic wastes are seen floating in the waters while trash found in the forest, he said, had become “uncontrollable” even if the town conducts an orientation for tourists before they make their way to the hot spring.
Cashing in on tourists
The spring’s environmental issues are partly also spawned by rising conflict between the local government and landowners of surrounding areas who have cashed in on the tourist influx.
“Local lot owners become abusive by tending to close access, hostaging the comforts of tourists … despite the alleviation of the economic condition in the area,” said Ybas.
According to Ybas, some private land owners have closed the access to the hot spring and charged additional fees from tourists on top of the P20 environmental fee charged by the local government on each tourist visiting the area.
“Any local people collecting fees from local and foreign tourists shall be legally prosecuted by my office. These people are feeding frenzy monetarily,” said Ybas.
Land owners reportedly collect separate fees of P20 for local and P50 for foreign tourists respectively.
Town officials also aimed to regulate the business operations of at least seven restaurants and cottages.
“They wanted to build everything around but that’s a no and never,” said Ybas.
The construction of permanent structures within 40 meters from the spring is prohibited.
“There should be no concrete structures, only indigenous materials are allowed,” he said.
Rehabilitation
The town’s most visited tourist destination will have to undergo rehabilitation before it can be allowed to open again, said Ybas.
An estimated 60 tourist service providers will be affected by the closure.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) categorizes hot springs as a medical wellness destination.
“When you are there, you will not just be swimming in the hot pools, you will be soaking in the hot thermal waters to relieve stress and detox the body,” said Ybas.
“The closure of Mainit Spring will take effect until the environment gets fully recovered and the areas will be ready for visitors,” Ybas said.
As part of efforts to rehabilitate the area into a full ecotourism zone, owners of land close to the hot spring will not be allowed to use their property as parking areas to avoid carbon emissions and pollution.
Ybas said the Malabuyoc municipal government is now looking for areas to be used as parking lots for visitors who will have to walk a good distance before reaching the spring.
With the closure of Mainit Spring, town officials will soon introduce more tourist destinations, among them: the Watchtower Museum at the Malabuyoc town center and the Cave Lagoons and Waterfalls in the hinterlands of Malabuyoc.