Aloguinsan’s eco-trail run, reef rangers

CEBU, Philippines - Great green adventure starts in Aloguinsan.

Its first-ever Eco-Trail Run posted a 600-pax participation last October 21, in line with the annual feast in honor of St. Raphael the Archangel. Route for the 21K and 10K participants passed by Bojo River Nature Reserve, 230 meters from Bojo's barangay road, before the runners returned at the vicinity of the municipal hall.

I have been all over Cebu, including important islets, except Aloguinsan. Though I am a child of the western seaboard of Cebu, it took me almost an eternity to be there. If it weren't for a recent "Suroy-Suroy Sugbo: Explore the Midwest" assignment, I never found the reason to be there.

"True. Geographically, tuyoon gyod ni among lungsod, That's why we were once labeled as a sleepy town," Vice Mayor Cynthia Moreno said. "Before, if we tell others we are from Aloguinsan, the usual reply would be: Asa na dapita? Mindanao?"

Aloguinsan is 72 kilometers away from Cebu City via Toledo City and 58 kilometers via Carcar City. It faces Tañon Strait, but without a coastal road connecting it straight to nearby Barili town. Instead, it has an interior road to Mantalongon and another to Carcar. There wasn't really much to talk about Aloguinsan until it figured well in its Bojo River Village Tour featuring the 1.4-kilometer Bojo River cruise and a riparian zone that's home to 61 bird species and remarkable native flora; the green culinary adventure at The Farmhouse, as well as The Hermit's Cove. By November 18, another eco-project would be launched to encourage snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts to explore Kantabogon Cove which features a 350-foot underwater drop.

However, what's really worth selling is the success story of its people. It's true that it's the people that make the place. Take for example the case of Jamaila Alvarado, wife of a fisherman. On October 21, she gave us a lecture on the etymology of "bojo" to mean river ceiling and not "boho" to mean hole; the mangrove species with emphasis on the bubbles created by the spiky-looking pneumatophores or the breathing organ of mangroves, the 61 species of birds that thrive there, like the Asian glossy starlings (Aplonis panayensis) and Striated heron (Butorides striata) to name a flock; and the 52 lives that were transformed from being destroyers of bakawan (Rhizophora) and pagatpat (Sonneratia) to becoming reef rangers.

"We don't really have the pride and prestige of a formally schooled person, but we delight to share to you, based on the training we received, that you are very important to changes in lifestyle patterns here in Bojo. We get a share of the fees you pay to invigorate our livelihood activities here and you do not only get to interact with the river, you also play an integral part in sustained ecological preservation efforts," she said in Cebuano to a team of medical professionals scheduled for a river cruise and mangrove propagule planting that day.

The 21K runners were given the option to indulge in a river cruise too, or to snorkel in Bonbon with its promising turquoise waters and a feast for the senses - Gorgonian fan corals and new growth of fish varieties because of a three-year-old marine resources conservation program.

It was awesome to find fisherfolk now serving as reef rangers and river patrolmen to walk the talk on the balance of our ecosystems by way of caring overwash and riverine forests, the coral reefs and coves.

Serving also as local guides, they paddled us down the river on a traditional baroto while interpreting the river's rich natural and cultural heritage. There is also the option to trek via a 400-meter long boardwalk cutting across a mangrove forest and a 150-step natural trail carved on a hillside that brings one up to a gazebo overlooking the river landscape.

Interestingly, homestays (bed and breakfast) to accommodate a spillover of the pension house's and eco-lodge's guests and other so-called walk-ins are offered by the Aloguinsan Homestay Association (ALOHA). Check (63) (32) 469-5604 or email the tourism officer: [email protected].

***

The worst enemy that I have is my own self. I challenge it, I beat it. I punish it sometimes for not doing enough. But most of the time, I praise it for leading me to achieve my personal best. Latest feat is the new record I have during the first-ever "Eco-Adventure Run (Trail run helps promote eco-tourism)."

Gun-off was at 5 a.m. and I was hoping to finish by 8 a.m. thinking that the road ahead would be difficult for an amateur runner like me. The purpose was just to get acquainted with the people and familiarize spots, so I would find The Farmhouse (organic farm) and the road to Bojo River Village the next time without bothering a local for directions.

It was amazing that I came back an hour and 58 minutes after, just taking my time, and putting more premium on the experience. Thanks to race director Carlito "Titing" Rosales of Team Cebu Striders for sharing his struggle to get back to running after two decades. He was able to make it through persistence and constant practice, there is no way it can't happen to me, too, a slow - but sure - pace at a time. (FREEMAN)