FEATURE 2 - Lalaguna Mangrove Eco-Park Community Based Tourism

FEATURE 2 – Lalaguna Mangrove Eco Park: Community Based Tourism
Northern Samar offers a variety of local attractions and tourist spots that will surely satiate a tourist’s
thirst for adventure, culture, and nature. One of the tourist destinations that reopened within the
province is the Lalaguna Mangrove Eco Park or LMEP in the town of Lavezares.
The 300-hectare eco-park is home to green and lush mangroves, as well as crystal-clear waters teeming
with a variety of fish species, crabs, and sea urchins, as well as wild birds and eagles, thousands of fruit
bats, and wild monkeys, all of which are protected landscapes and seascapes in the Biri Larosa
(Lavezares, Rosario, and San Jose) towns.
LMEP is initiated by the Women’s Association for Inter-Island Development (WAIID), a women’s group in
Brgy. San Isidro, with the help of the former mayor Quintin Saludaga. WAIID is a non-profit organization
founded in 2016 in Catarman, Northern Samar, with technical aid from the University of Eastern
Philippines (UEP) Center for Environmental Studies. The group's membership grew and diversified from
only mothers to every able bodied adult in the village, regardless of age or gender.
"Among the island villages in Lavezares, San Isidro is the smallest and also the poorest. Because their
parents couldn't afford to send them to college, most children from this community would leave the
island after finishing elementary school to work as house helpers in Manila," Mary Jane Africano, the
president of WAIID said in an interview.
After several people from UEP, Northern Samar Provincial Tourism Office (PTour), and Lavezares LGU
visited their community in April 2016 as part of relief assistance in areas ravaged by a typhoon in
December 2015, their mentality was altered.
"Before these folks came, we were already struggling to eat three times a day, and there were occasions
when we didn't have anything to eat for evening because our children in Manila only send us PHP2,000
a month. That was enough for us," Africano explained.
"However, visitors from the government and private organizations persuaded us not to be satisfied with
our lives and to strive for more, to aspire for a more comfortable existence," she added.
The mothers from the village then founded WAIID, a non-profit organization with a capital of only 320
pesos, which was raised through a 20-peso contribution from each member. Their capital grew a
thousand fold with the help of government agencies and the local and provincial government.
"Someday our children will be able to finish college and earn a degree. Someday we will have
professionals here like doctors, nurses, or teachers because of what their mothers did," she added.
People in San Isidro village, according to Africano, should expect a better future because tourism
activities would generate new livelihood prospects.
The provincial government, for its part, has provided funding for the creation of an eco-trail in Kaluy-
ahan Hill overlooking Lalaguna. Thousands of fruit bats, wild monkeys, and migratory birds call Kaluy-
ahan Hill their home. The eco-trail is now available after the reopening of the eco-park, it leads to the
Kaluy-ahan view deck that features an amazing view of the mangroves and the entirety of the eco-park.
“Unayan” boats— a local boat design without an outrigger used in mangrove tours — as well as
snorkeling gear and a reception area were also funded by the provincial government.
"Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to provide livelihood and social enterprise opportunities to the
community within these protected areas, as well as to promote environmental protection among
visitors and communities, tourism appreciation, and additional environmental and marine eco-system
protection and conservation," Ms. Maria Jossette Doctor, the Chief Tourism Officer of the province said.
To complement the natural surroundings of the location, the gazebos are fashioned of coconut logs and
the roofs are made of anahaw leaves.
According to Gov. Edwin Ongchuan, the provincial government would also support the creation of a
water source for the community and the development of a second boardwalk that will connect the
mangrove region to the hill, making boating and kayaking more accessible to tourists.
Through the initiative of WAIID and the continuous support of Brgy. San Isidro’s community, their village
is now visible in the tourism map of Northern Samar. LMEP continues to develop and prosper with the
help of government agencies, Lavezares LGU, and PGNS.
It’s safe to say that community tourism is the most effective and beautiful form of tourism, it happens
organically and continues to grow organically as well. As long as there is cooperation and understanding
within the community and its members, tourism within the community will continue to thrive.

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