Eco Mismo road show leaves lasting impact in CamSur

PILI, CamSur – Tourism and other development programs in Camarines Sur are expected to take a more ecological character and be environmentally aware with the staging of the Eco Mismo: The Philippine Conference on Ecotourism and Eco-Productivity held at the Camarines Sur Convention Center Saturday, February 27.

The Eco Mismo is a project of the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation (RPDEV) chaired by former president Fidel V. Ramos in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the province of Camarines Sur for this leg of this road show, designed to share best practices in eco-productivity and help selected areas in the country position themselves as top eco-tourism destinations.

Launched last October, 2009, the Eco Mismo in CamSur is the fifth of the road show series after previous stops in Metro Manila, Cebu, Bohol, South Cotabato and Bohol.

CamSur was a natural choice as venue of the Eco-Mismo forum having been recipient of last year’s Presidential Citation for Best Practices in Tourism Development in recognition of tourism development initiatives launched by Governor LRay Villafuerte that boosted CamSur to the pinnacle of tourism destinations of the country today, as well as earning international acclimation for the province as the best eco-tourism destination in the world by various organizations and publications.

Even as he lauded the province of CamSur for its awesome natural bounties, globally-competitive tourism stature and even greater potential, and Governor LRay Villafuerte for his tourism achievements in his keynote address, Pres. Ramos emphasized that Eco-Mismo would still be very useful to encourage wider and more intensive ecotourism and eco-productively practices in CamSur and the entire Bicol Region.

Also a resource speaker of the conference, Governor Villafuerte talked of ecotourism in the province of Camarines Sur, relating the transformation of the province, largely creditable to development programs centered on daring ecotourism initiatives he launched, from an obscure and impoverished area to what became in a span of just a few years not only an international extreme sports center, an investment hub, a frontrunner in information technology and a world-competitive eco-tourism destination.

The fundamentals of eco-productivity was discussed by Alan Cajes, vice president of Development Academy of the Philippines Center for Sustainable Development, who stressed the need for eco-productivity, also called green productivity, at this time when the population is growing in leaps and bounds.

“Globally, we now require the equivalent of 1.4 planets to support our lifestyles. Put another way, in less than 10 months, humanity will have used ecological services it takes 12 months for the Earth to regenerate.” Cajes warned.

Narzalina Z. Lim, president of Asia Pacific Project Tourism and Hospitality Consultants and Eco-Mismo conference chair, discoursed on Developing Tourism Sites, a very timely investment for CamSur at this point in time when the ecotourism segment is at the height of international growth and with limitless potentials.

Lim likewise lauded Governor Villafuerte’s environmentally friendly development thrusts in Cam Sur, citing among others the province’s inclusion of a sewage treatment plant in Gota Village Resort, a big problem Boracay is facing now and is addressing only after 20 years.

El Nido Resorts environmental manager Mariglo I. Laririt also shared with the conferees the best practices of her tourism firm which is virtually the country’s model in ecotourism and eco-productivity concerns.

The challenges of climate change as regards tourism was discussed in depth by Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, chief executive officer and vice chairman of WWF Philippines.

A brief open forum followed before DoT regional director Maria Ravanilla capped the conference. (GBClaveria/MMEC)

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