Badian, Dalaguete to co-manage Osmeña Peak

CEBU, Philippines — Governor Hilario Davide III has issued an executive order (EO) creating a joint management committee for the preservation and promotion of the disputed Osmeña Peak in southern Cebu as an ecotourism destination.

The towns of Badian and Dalaguete will jointly oversee the operations and management of the peak.

Aside from being a tourist magnet, the peak has also been the center for debates on whether or not it belongs to the jurisdiction of Badian town or Dalaguete town.

The EO, which was signed on May 25, though recognizes Osmeña Peak as part of Barangay Patong in Badian town.

However, the acknowledgment from the Capitol did not give the municipal government the sole jurisdiction over the famous destination.

The EO ensures the fair sharing of the tourist site’s revenues between the towns of Badian and Dalaguete.

According to the EO, Dalaguete town was included in the management committee because it is “the only convenient” access to Osmeña Peak through one of its highland barangays, Mantalongon.

The management is co-chaired by the mayors of the two towns, while the vice governor serves as the overall chairperson.

The barangay captains of Patong and Mantalongon will also serve as committee members.

Aside from the local officials, other provincial and national agencies are also part of the committee, such as the regional directors of the Department of Environment and Natural resources (DENR) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), the provincial tourism officer, the provincial legal officer, the Provincial Planning and Development officer, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer, and the chair of the Provincial Board’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Private stakeholders, including the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), LJROS Realty and Development Corporation and a representative of Abraham Nepomuceno, will also have a seat in the committee.

 “Osmeña Peak as an ecotourism destination is a shared responsibility of the national government, the local governments concerned and other stakeholders, thus, all efforts toward that end must adhere to the guidelines prescribed,” the EO reads.

The principal function of the joint management committee is to “plan, recommend, and/or initiate programs, activities, or projects aimed at the preservation, development, and promotion of the peak.”

The EO said the committee may also create its technical working group, which is tasked to formulate an ecotourism development plan for Osmeña Peak. — KBQ (FREEMAN)