The Sangguniang Bayan of Baclayon recently approved an ordinance imposing user's fee to every person who avails of the adventure or nature tour using an all terrain vehicle popularly known as “buggy. The 6th SB of Baclayon SB approved Ordinance 03-2009, authored by Councilor Erico Joseph Cañete and co-authored by Councilor Jodel Theodore Cabahug during its joint session with the Sangguniang Barangay of Pamilacan on July 13 at Pamilacan barangay hall. The ordinance is still subject to review by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, though.

The local government unit of Baclayon considers collecting user's fee from every person who avails of the Adventure or Nature Tour an effective way to enhance sustainable eco-tourism. The LGU has set the user's fee at P 100 per person with a minimum of two persons per buggy. “Of the user's fee collected pursuant to the issuance of permit to tour operators offering buggy rides, “50 percent shall accrue to the general fund of the municipal LGU and the remaining 50 percent shall be apportioned among the barangays with territorial jurisdiction in the route”. The ordinance assigns the municipal treasurer or a duly authorized representative as the one responsible in collecting the user's fee from tourists who will avail of the adventure or nature tour service. The buggy users just have to purchase user's fee ticket from the Municipal Treasurer Office, through the tour service provider, and present it to the LGU's authorized inspector.

Any person found violating any provision of the ordinance shall be administratively fined with the following corresponding amount without prejudice to the filing of appropriate charges in court: for failure to maintain speed limit in the provincial or barangay roads- -P300; throwing of garbage, subject to existing Solid Waste Disposal ordinance- -P100 for first offense, P300 for second offense, and P1,000 for third offense; abusing, destroying and collecting from the natural landscape, flora and fauna and other natural resources found in the visited areas- -P2,000.

The ordinance cited adventure or nature tour using ATV as one of the eco-cultural tourism activities popular in Baclayon having been formulated through strong collaboration among municipal and barangay officials, business sector and the local community of Baclayon. “After exploring potential eco-tourism sites, mapping and data gathering, site feasibility evaluation inter alia, the LGU of Baclayon, Bohol finds this Adventure or Nature Tour using ATV to be beneficial to the whole LGU and to the local communities,” the ordinance cited.

The municipal government of also Baclayon considers eco-tourism, as a sustainable form of natural resource-based tourism, an effective means to protect the integrity of the environment while producing economic opportunities to the LGU and the local community. Through the ordinance, the municipality of Baclayon makes it a policy to conserve all natural resources and their aesthetic value within its jurisdiction by regulating the human activities within the territory, protect the natural resources and their aesthetic value from damage or exploitation by abusive users, and undertake measures to manage the utilization of natural resources and their aesthetic value for sustainable development. To implement this, the municipality requires tour operators and service providers to secure permit from the LGU before engaging in and providing services in Adventure or Nature Tour using ATV based on the set of guidelines and requirements that the local chief executive formulates.

The ordinance also recognizes and establishes the Adventure or Nature Tour using ATV- -that is buggy- -as part of the tourism attractions in the municipality and allows them in specific routes within the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality determined by the local chief executive LCE through the recommendation of the Municipal Tourisl Council. Based on the ordinance, all persons who want to enjoy the adventure and nature tour using buggy “must first attend the briefing and instruction at the Baclayon Tourism Activity Center located at the Reclamation Complex where the Adventure or Nature Tour shall start”. Maximum load capacity per buggy would only be two passengers not exceeding 250 kgs. gross weight and that the passengers are required to wear a helmet and other safety gears and devices, as advised by the tour guide, to ensure safety. The ordinance also requires all passengers to maintain a maximum speed limit of 30 km. per hour in all routes specified, and are prohibited from throwing garbage and from abusing, destroying and collecting from the natural landscape, flora and fauna and other natural resources found in the areas visited. (Angeline Valencia and Sen Guingguing)