Capitol eyes body to oversee Osmena Peak operations

The Capitol is planning to create a body which will oversee the daily operation of the famous Osmeña Peak in Badian.

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who sits as the chairperson of the Osmeña Peak Joint Management Committee (OPJMC), said members of the operation team would both be from Badian and Dalaguete.

“Sharing gyod is the name of the game,” Magpale said. Osmeña Peak, which is located in Barangay Patong in Badian, is a famous ecotourism destination among hikers and mountain climbers.

However, tourists prefer to pass in Barangay Mantalongon in Dalaguete town because it is the only convenient access going to the peak.

The peak is considered the highest peak in Cebu, however, it became the subject of a jurisdictional dispute between the towns of Dalaguete and Badian.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III had earlier signed an Executive Order (EO) creating a management committee for the preservation and promotion of the popular peak.

Magpale said that the operation team would be responsible in maintaining cleanliness in the area, and ensuring safety, among others. Badian town Councilor Mark Andrew Jorolan welcomed the new development.

“The operation team will be the frontliners to ensure that all tourism activities in the area will be made safe, secure, and enjoyable.

Once the guidelines are in place, we will be sending representatives from Badian to be part of the operation team,” he said in a text message.

While, Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Cesante said they would be open to coordination with them for a better management of the peak, as they had no hold with the territorial jurisdiction.

“We are expressing our position that we are part of the solution. At least we are part of making sure that the highest peak of Cebu will be sustainably managed as well,” he said.

In a meeting last Friday (June 29), Magpale discussed the plans and issues concerning the tourism area with representatives from stakeholders, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), Provincial Tourism Office (PTO), Badian, and Dalaguete, among others.

“It will be a model protecting the environment gyod and at the same time allowing tourists to admire these geological formations,” Magpale said.

She said that it would bring economic benefits to the towns. “How will they benefit? Just like Aguinid Falls (in Samboan town), daghan nang nakanegosyo,” she said.