The Department of Tourism in Northern Mindanao has recently declared Mantigue Island, an islet northeast of the island province of Camiguin, as an “Eco-Tourism Site” because of its natural beauty.
The island was also declared a “Migratory Bird Path” because of the Forest Nature Park right in the middle of the islet’s 6.9-hectare landmass where a variety of century-old trees such as Pandan grow.
A foot-trail leading to the deeper part of the Forest Nature Park is a 383-meter area where huge fruit bats that hang like forbidden fruits in the island paradise abound.
The natural shades of a variety of tree species such as “Itum-itum”, “Ipil-ipil” and mangrove of varied species provide shelter to trekkers who have eyes on the nocturnal bats that sleep at day while hanging and swinging on tree tops.
Since then, the island’s hidden beauty gradually springs back to life, now turning it into one of the favorite destinations of local and foreign tourists in Northern Mindanao.
Leona Macias, a local tourist from Cagayan de Oro City, said that the school of multi-colored fish of varied sizes and shapes was hypnotic as the creatures glide above the vibrant carpet of corals under the sea.
“Some of the school of fish aimed at you at great speed only to dispersed at a hairline distance,” Macias, who is also a scuba diving enthusiast, told the Philippines News Agency (PNA).
If not for the local tourism department of the municipal town of Mahinog in Camiguin, the Mantigue Island would have become another dying testament of man’s atrocities toward nature.
“It took the local tourism department more than 10 years to successfully declare the island as Eco-Tourism Site because of illegal settlers who have started to plunder the natural resources of the island,” tourism officer Mercy Jalalia of Mahinog said.
According to Jalalia, families from Bohol migrated to the Mantigue island where they established a small community that thrived on seaweed culture and fishing as the major source of livelihood.
However, she said, that illegal and over-fishing had dilapidated the island’s marine resources declared as marine sanctuary five years ago.
She said that the cutting of trees, over fishing, and selling and destruction of corals were rampant in the islet until the local government successfully secured the islet of Mantigue and declared it an eco-tourism site last year.
The residents in the island were relocated to the municipal town of Mahinog where they were provided free housing and livelihood courtesy of the local government unit.
One of the livelihoods extended to the former residents of Mantigue island was the exclusive transportation services managed by the community for domestic and foreigners who want to visit the island.
The local government did not allow private operators to operate transportation facilities that would compete and jeopardize the source of livelihood of the relocated community from Mantigue island.
Jalalia said that the community-based transport boats charge P550 per boat of six persons for a round trip from Mahinog to Mantigue island.
Aside from the fare, a passenger shall also pay an additional P20 as an environmental fee to defray the expenses in the maintenance of the ecology, protection, preservation, and conservation of the island. [PNA]
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