Tour guides, defying canyoneering ban, told: Obey or else . . .

THE chief of Capitol’s disaster risk reduction and management office warned tour guides, who continue their canyoneering activities in Alegria and Badian towns in southwestern Cebu, of harsher penalties if they continue to defy the temporary canyooneering ban in both towns.

Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head, said in an interview last Friday that they just decided to warn the nine tour guides whom they caught doing canyoneering activities while inspecting the area to assess if the canyoneering ban has been followed.

Tribunalo said that they will impose harsher penalties on the tour guides if they will be caught again doing canyoneering activities while the temporary ban is in effect.

He said that this would include perpetual disqualification from being officially accredited by the municipality as guides or tour guides.

He said that accreditation is part of the plans of the provincial government and the two municipalities in institutionalizing the activity.

He said they plan to standardize the fees for the activity since they found out that while some tour guides charge P700 per individual, there are others who charge as high as P2,000 to P3,000 per person.

Tribunalo also appealed to the local government units of both towns to help implement the temporary ban of the “extreme sport.”

“We are urging the local government units to also act on this. If this is not controlled, luoy ang both LGU and the client,” Tribunalo said.

In an executive order, Davide already ordered the temporary stoppage of the canyoneering activities starting June 1 until August 1.

Security and safety concerns also prompted the PDRRMO to recommend to Davide for the temporary closure of the activity.

Tribunalo said that one of the reasons for the PDRRMO recommendation to temporarily stop the extreme sport in those towns includes the plan to standardize the accreditation of the tour guides.

The accreditation is part of the plans of the provincial government and the two municipalities in institutionalizing the activity.

Among the common issues they plan to address included tour guides not wearing helmets and other protective gear; lack of trainings on basic life support, first aid, tour guiding, swift water management and water search and rescue among others.

He also said that ideal ratio is that two to three people should have one guide.

But during their inspection, Tribunalo said they saw a group of 11 with only one guide.