KAWASAN Falls in Barangay Matutinao, Badian in southern Cebu is set to reopen to the public on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Earl Vincent Endab, the municipal tourism officer, told VoxPop Cebu on Tuesday night, Oct. 24, 2023, they expect this will bolster tourism and create a “domino effect” that will benefit local businesses.
Endab said they’ve also made sure that all private tour operators in the area have met and complied with government requirements.
“All of our operators are duly registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) already, and they have also fully complied with what is needed to be compliant because that is what we highly emphasize. They have complied,” he said.
In a visit to the falls in June shortly after its closure, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced that she would revoke the permits of some private tour operators after she discovered that only a few paid taxes.
Romela Cortes, supervisor of BIR Revenue District Office 83 in Talisay City, said that of the 43 identified private tour operators, only 16 were registered with them, meaning 27 operators were remiss in their tax obligations.
As part of the Capitol’s effort to restore Kawasan Falls, Garcia said they would regulate canyoneering operations and manage the attraction’s administration, setting rules for tourist fees and guide compensation.
New scheme
Endab said guests who wish to visit Kawasan Falls must book through the online portal of the Capitol, and then they will be referred to the local government unit (LGU) of Badian.
He said this scheme will be applied to other sites, including canyoneering activities in Ginatilan and Malabuyoc, which were recently closed by the Capitol due to safety concerns.
He said the LGU will still manage the tourist site, but the Provincial Government will still intervene to ensure necessary steps are upheld.
He said they are waiting for the Capitol to announce the new rates.
Before, visitors paid P1,500 each to go canyoneering, with P200 going to the Municipality and P1,300 going to the tour operators. The payment already included tour guides, an environmental fee, habal-habal ride, food, and safety equipment.
Guides
Upon discovering that only 26 of the 908 guides at Kawasan Falls had undergone Department of Tourism (DOT) training, with only one having accreditation, Garcia directed them to seek the agency’s assistance.
Endab said the guides had since undergone a series of seminar trainings in batches for accreditation from the DOT.
Under the training module, tour and canyoneering guides were taught occupational first aid training, basic life support training, and service training.
However, Endab said the number of guides has fallen to just over 800 since some chose to seek better opportunities somewhere else during the falls’ closure.
“There is nothing to worry about (since) 800 is still a big number, and what is important is that they are now trained and accredited,” he said.
Ripple effect
Endab said they expect other businesses to boom once guests start trickling back.
“Many tourists are visiting because there are indeed many who are gradually coming, especially during long weekends,” he said.
He said the reopening of the popular tourist site should have a positive effect on the hospitality and tourism industry.
“There are many food vendors around the area, and as well as other sites will be visited since they will be coming here in Badian for Kawasan,” he said.
The closure of Kawasan Falls resulted in the loss of P1.1 million in daily income, most of which went to private tour operators. Canyoneering at the falls used to attract 700 tourists on weekdays and up to 900 on weekends.
On June 2, the governor signed Executive Order 14, which temporarily suspended canyoneering activities in Barangay Matutinao due to abandoned debris, damaged structures left from super typhoon Odette in December 2021, “hazardous metallic spikes,” and unauthorized structures within Kawasan’s easement zones.
Badian is situated 113 kilometers southwest of Cebu City. It shares its borders with Moalboal to the north, the protected seascape of Tañon Strait to the west, Dalaguete to the east, and Alegria to the south.