Disclaimer:
This is the Blogger's observation of what Gawahon Eco Park is today.
Because of the Pandemic, Gawahon Eco Park also suffered from lack of visitors. I felt that it is only during this time when everything is slowly but surely going back to normal - opening to the public. I hope that the pool, the lagoon, the cottages and villas will be improved in the days to come.
This blog is, therefore, a snippet of what the park looks today but hopefully the management will soon improve the facilities and services to cater to the needs of visitors and tourists.
So, if you want to hold your activities at Gawahon Eco Park, I suggest that you coordinate with the City Tourism Office at Victorias City Hall, or the Gawahon Eco-Park Management.
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My Comments:
Yes, perhaps it is true that Gawahon Eco Park is an underrated tourism destination.
After visiting the park, I noticed how beautiful it is in terms of its location, its facilities and services. The prospect of raising revenues for the city government of Victorias is also high. What it needs now is for the management to revive the use of pools and lagoon so that visitors can engage in swimming, boating, and kayaking activities. The management can also encourage the visitors to stay overnight thus, maximizing the use of the cottages and villas. Since hiking to the 7 Falls is allowed, parallel services must also be encouraged. Camping, seminars and trainings as well as team building activities shall also be allowed without prejudice to the observance of health protocols relevant to the prevention of COVID-19 infection.
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Gawahon Eco Park management must also help provide access to the park by, maybe, providing transportation at a minimum cost for tourists and local visitors. Holding of activities like festivals in the park, leadership training for the youth of Victorias City, trainings and seminars on Environment Protection, and others, can be held in the park to increase its popularity and numbers of visitors.
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The management must also initiate a massive information dissemination, as well as "Visit Gawahon" campaign ads targeting Negrenses, schools, colleges and universities, corporations and companies to hold their seminars and trainings in the park, that may help increase the tourist traffic to the park.
Maybe a "Travel Bloggers and Vloggers Day" may help in the information dissemination focusing on Visit Gawahon Campaign.
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The Locals, the residents of Gawahon living around the park can also help in the promotion of Gawahon as a tour destination. The local communities can assist in many ways to help the tourists and visitors so that their stay in Gawahon can be a fruitful and memorable one.
There are many other activities that can help improve the image and visitors traffic to Gawahon.
Gawahon Eco Park is just the right place to hold so many activities that fit the interest of everyone.
My Reflections:
My grandparents were old timers of Barangay Estado. My mother used to tell me that my grandfather, Pablo "Abog" Carbonera was a Peace Time Capitan del Barrio of Estado. Peace Time refers to the American Period during which the Philippines was a territory and later on became a Commonwealth of the United States of America. Peace Time also refers to the period before the Japanese occupation of the island of Negros.
So, Estado was home to my mother Natividad and her sisters Valeriana and Regina. During those years, their BFF's included Inday Conching Valderrama and Inday Nena Lopez. As Capitan del Barrio, Lolo Abog's house was the nerve center of the barrio. Locals gathered in his "tyangge" to share stories and current events of the time. There were no Maritess yet, hmmmm, maybe there were but not the way we define Maritess today, lol.
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Today, I visited not only Gawahon Eco Park but also passed by the place where my grandfather's homestead used to be. I also passed by the house where my aunt Valeriana Muyco used to live, the place where I spent time with my cousins during the summer of 1960's. Pssst, "hipus lang", they might think that is how old Touristang Pobre is, lol.
During those days, we explored all the nooks and cranny of Estado - the Quinaorian River, the old lumber mill site of Inday Conching and Tanque Valderrama, the banks of the river where we collected young fern's leaves? as one of the ingredients in "tinolang manok", "pang-us tubo", fetch water from the spring located on the roots of a big tree, and of course, enjoy the ride on "Bagoneta" Riles, haha.
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I also visited my cousin Ester Akol and his children, tried to connect with second cousin on the side of Lolo Geron but failed...daw internet ba..."failed".
I also saw the huge improvement of the barrio that I used to know. Both sides of the road were empty but full of sugarcane and the only structure that stood in the 60's was the elementary school and the noise that you can hear is the one coming from Bagoneta and the screaming horse, hmmm.... screaming? (Neigh...neigh...lol).
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But now, tall colorful buildings stood, a big church calls the pious to get inside the structure and pray, houses along the road were converted into convenience store ala 7/11, haha.
Estado Elementary School.
Photo was sourced from Google Earth.
Kayman ato na gid didto si Tiyoy kahapon, na lingaw lantaw kag wala gid nanaug sa van para mag picture2. Maayo lang ara si Google Earth, lol.
Barangay Hall of Estado. On the right side is the gate that leads to Estado High School. Photo is sourced from Google Earth. Hereunder is the local church.
The house of Nanay Valing once stood here and the road on the right is leading towards Lolo Abog's house on the side of the river. Somewhere here was Lolo Abog's homestead. But now, it is just a story, but mind you, not a Tall Tales.
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Along the main road of Barangay Estado where convenience stores were lining up, so to speak, was a small shack where I saw some oldies playing Bingo! Long time ago, I only knew there was "panginggue" and other card games but today, nag level up na sila sa Bingo! Iba na ang mundo ng mga Lolo't Lola nyo chong! Si Nang Ester lang ang walang bisyo. Yes!
I flew all the way from New York, just to meet you guys.
Salamuch sa "tinolang manok", mainit na sabaw.
Thanks for the memories, hehe.
Touristang Pobre (Nonette to my family) meets his apo, yes guys, my apo (sa cousin) for the first time. I remember they're twin, the younger bro and big sister. Sorry guys, 4gets ur complete names, na Alzheimer si Lolo haha.... message me sa FB so I can make corrections. My travel companion was Tita Armida.
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In one of my moving around the place, I saw young people holding their cellphones as if there was good signal when in fact there was nil. "Basta hawak kamay, sa cellphone buo na ang mundo ko?" In the 60's I saw young people holding the "tubo" to make "pang-us"...haha. "Nag iba na talaga ang mundo."
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We as children were full of fun and learn the beautiful lessons about nature, environment, family relations, good manners and right conduct, and life itself. In the 60's there were no cellphones that can provide us with Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, or ML - Mobile Legend. But there were stars, mountains, trees, birds, springs, rivers, plants, the farm ("uma"), old people, farm animals that taught us how to live and be fully human. Life was great then. Bias?
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For me, there is nothing that can replace the "old classroom" of life, not even the high-tech iPhones that we have today. Bias again?
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Hereunder are photos of the current looks of Gawahon Eco Park.
Reviewed by Touristang Pobre
on
4:59:00 PM
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