INTRODUCTION
The town of Bulan is composed of 63 barangays and one of it is Barangay Sta. Remedios which Bariis Eco Park is located. The name “Bariis” was taken from the name of the grass that grows around the lake.A tunnel is situated near the lake which they called the “Bariis Tunnel”. It was built during the Second
World War; said to be by Filipinos around the year 1940 to 1941. During the year 1942, Japanese soldier soldier had camped in the area to serve as their shelter. [1] It was also said that the Japanese hid treasures within the tunnel which is why they killed the Filipino’s captives after it was built. Some people who lived near the tunnel had
said that the tunnel in Bariis also connects to the tunnel in Barangay San Francisco and Somagongsong and just bar down because of the attempt of hunters from Magallanes to look for the hidden treasures that had caused the cut off the passage way going deeper in the tunnel. [2] is a Smoke Free zone and Liquors are not allowed for the conservation of the Ecotourism destination. The Bariis Eco Park was used to be a regular mountain filled with trees which has a lake on it. [1] It was Marnellie Guray Ballesteros Robles, who developed the Bariis Eco Park along with her other programs during his first term as the municipal Mayor of Bulan Sorsogon with the objective to uplift the tourism potentials of Bulan Sorsogon. The development in the Bariis Eco Park started on October 19, 2013 with participation of the Department of Agriculture, LGU and BFAR and other government agencies like DOT. The Local Government Unit and the people of Bulan described the Japanese World War II tunnel as a silent witness to the atrocities of war, a strong and defeat of sacrifices and of shattered dreams that should remind those who are living today that there’s no substitute in living a gratifying life that peace; even if peace is elusive, it is worth man’s dream. The Bariis Lake has a Fish
Cave which has over 20,000 tilapias, a project from LGU and BFAR. Boating was the best feature that the Bariis has; there were 5 “swan boats” and a “floating cottage” which is being maneuvered in a parallel motion
with someone to manage and pull the rope from either side of the lake. It is free for everyone, as they only ask for donations. The Eco Park once offers great sightseeing and exploration. On December 13, typhoon Nona hit Bulan Sorsogon that left a tremendous impact on Bulan and the livelihood of Sta. Remedios. Parts of the development that were once made got destroyed by the typhoon; the restroom, the terrace from the uphill broke down, the tilapias from the fish cave were fished by locals after the typhoon due to absence of caretakers and mismanagement. According to the caretakers of the new administration headed by Felix “Billy” Lolos, this happened because the previous administration of
MarnelieGuray failed to allocate the 2015 budget thus, resulted to the decline of Bariis Eco Park due to insufficient funding to fix the damages made by the calamity. It was neglected from May Election up until July 13, when when the new administration administration officially officially seated with Helen De Castro as the newly elected mayor. mayor. Since there was no budget allocated for Bariis on 2015, the new administration of Bulan Sorsogon were left to no avail but raise Bariis Eco Park by slowly renovating with the little donation that they get from those who still visits Bariis Eco Park until until the2017 the2017 budget allocation on the province. province. The Department of Agriculture, coordinated with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plans to restore the Fish Cave by building a fishpond where in the local organization of Sta. Remedios will benefit the sales. This would take into action by end of August 2016 after registration of Bariis B ariis Eco Park to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Other proposals are also to be accomplished by 2016 for the restoration of Bariis Eco Park like an Employee’s House, renovation of the
Japanese Tunnel, Floating Cottages, Restroom, and a Function Hall where weddings, birthdays and other events can be held. By 2017, they aim to fully execute their plans for the Bariis Eco Park with the purpose of surpassing the developments made from 2013 with the help of Engr. Benito Marquez, the Engineer who also
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designed the innovation in Bariis Eco Park back on its peak and Amando Polo, the landscaper of the Eco Park and restore the lake as reservoir for irrigation purposes going through the rice fields. To assists the possible rejuvenation of Bariis Eco Park, the researchers need to know what the local residents, LGU and other organization’s plan of action in order to restore Bariis Eco Park as a tourist
destination. The objectives of this study are: to assess the development made in the Bariis Eco Park before; to determine the condition of how they will restore Bariis Eco Park; to assess the intricacy encountered by the tourists as to what kind of facilities are present, offered leisure activities and accessibility of the destination present way back in 2013.Furthermore, the research will attempt to offer the most appropriate and effective ways on how they will do the restoration in Bariis Eco Park. Finally, this research may provide opening for reflective thought so that the management of the Bariis Eco Park may improve efficiently. The study wanted to assess the restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon. Specifically, it will attempt to answer the following questions: (1) What is the status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of Attraction, Promotion, Services and Facilities; (2) What problems encountered by local residents of Bariis Eco Park; (3) What are the measures recommended to address the maintenance of Bariis Eco Park in terms of Attraction, Promotion, Services and Facilities The study of Bariis Eco Park in Bulan Sorsogon aims to benefit the Local Government Unit (LGU); the result of the study will contribute to the idea of conceptualizing plans regarding future restorations of tourism attractions. This will serve as a reference when they have to look for aid while making plans about restoring the destination as a tourism destination and help LGU look for remedies for conflicts that may arise. It will also help the Department of Tourism (Region V) to recognize potential destinations and will assist in giving recommendations that can be of use for the DOT in terms of restoring tourism sites. The outcome of this study may also give DOT the chance to add again Bariis Eco Park as a tourist destination in the list and will probably help the country to gain more tourists that will lift the tourism economy of Bulan, Sorsogon and the Philippines in general. This study will also provide awareness to the local residents for they themselves are involved and will have enough knowledge on how they will help the place maintain its beauty and develop at the same time. It will help the residents to strategically develop a plan of action for future restoration and proper maintenance and will manifest the learning that they may have in promoting their very own place with consistency. Aside from restoration, this study will help in conceptualizing maintenance and troubleshooting for unforeseen damages and calamity that may occur not just in Bulan Sorsogon but the entire country. This is also beneficial for tourist who would like to know how a tourist destination can regain its beauty. And also, this study can help educators widen their knowledge about destinations like Bariis Eco Park. They can use this study as a tool for presenting a destination which renews its light as a destination and can share it with their students. Students are also the beneficiary of this study; this will give them an idea on why and how a tourist destination can reach its decline stage and how it restores itself. The present researchers also will gain additional information of what they are studying at the present and will have knowledge about restoration and maintaining a certain destination at the same time. Also further studies may materialize because of the added facts and ideas in this study. Lastly, Future Researchers can use the outcome 2
of the study will serve as their basis for further studies specially in restoring tourist destinations and further understanding of how can they do it accordingly. The coverage of the study will focus on the status of Bariis Eco Park, problems encountered in maintaining the services and facilities and visitor’s arrival. Also, the problems encountered in implementing
promotion and development program and the measures recommended in addressing the problems. Based upon George D. Gann and David Lamb’s theory article (+AJM theory), Ecological Restoration:
SER international and IUCN Commission Movement on Ecological Restoration. They explained their theory on how one degraded biodiversity can be restored and boos ts human livelihood. And with Josh Sidon’s research on USCG Research Shows Economic Impacts of Ecosystems Restoration Project proves George D. Gann and David Lamb theory that with the rejuvenation of the degraded lands show that this collaborative projects can sustain our local economies and may attract investors to that could support jobs and livelihoods. Also according to David J. Velinsky article, Dam Removal: Challenges and Opportunities for Ecological Research and River Rejuvenation when the organizations took eyes on dam removal to restore the degraded rivers imports new challenges for watershed management but opened opportunities for advancing the science ecology. Peng S, Ren H, and Zhang Q some Chinese researchers. On their research about Theories and Techniques of Degraded Wetland Ecosystem Restoration, in this research that was conducted at South China Institute of Botany in Goungzhou. Theories such as self-design vs. Design Theory, succession theory, invasion theory, flood pulsing theory, edge effect theory, and intermediate disturbance hypothesis, can be used to as direct approach to the restoration of wetlands. Based upon Douglas A. Wilcox and Thomas H. Williams article about Techniques for Restoration Local Wetlands, the success of restoration is demonstrated by the sustainability, productivity, nutrient-retention ability, invisibility, and biotic interactions within a restored wasteland. As Maria C. Ruiz-Jaen and T. Mitchell Aide said in their article, Restoration Success: How is it Being Measured. Rating and evaluating the succession rate of a restoration project they are able to deter mine how successful a project would be and by this we can assess and develop more projects to get a much better success rate. The study of J. A. Harris also tackles with the evaluation of the succession in restoring ecosystem through measuring soil microbial community we can assess the degradation and the effects of management design to reverse its effects. With these techniques we can evade failures and boost the chance our success. With all of the techniques and theories that we have read in all of the articles we can conclude that all of it is relevant in our research that may help us in the Restoration/Rejuvenation of Bariis Lake. And with so many techniques that we have observed we have a higher chance of success to restore or maybe improve the lake and boost the job opportunity and the economy of the community. This study is anchored of the Tourist Destinations Life Cycle Theory of Butler. According to Butler’s research there are seven stages of tourist area life cycle model that is one of the most cited and continuous areas of tourism knowledge. The first stage is the Exploration; destinations always starts as unknown and undeveloped area that tourist explores and experienced. Second stage is the involvement; this is the stage where local residents are involved in providing primarily facilities for the visitors, and this is also the stage where local investment and advertisement of the area start. Third is Development; the facilities will improve and investors will start to invest to the destination for the development, changes in the physical appearance will be noticed but the local involvement and control of development will decline. Fourth will be the Consolidation; the rate of visitors will decline, but total numbers will still increase and total visitor’s numbers will exceed the number of permanent residents. Fifth stage is the Stagnation; the capacity levels for 3
numbers of visitors will have been reached or exceed. The area will have a well-established image but it will no longer appeal to the visitors. The next stage is the Decline; the area will not be able to compete with the newer attractions so will face a declining market. Last stage will be the Rejuvenation; there will be a big change to the destinations to uplift again the negative trends in visitor’s arrivals.
The tourism area life cycle stated by Butler shows that Bariis Eco Park, being in the declined stage has potential to be back to its former condition.With this study is looking forward for the next stage which is rejuvenation. Attraction, promotion and services and facilities will be a great factor for restoration. In order for the destination to go back into competition, the last stage must be taken into action. The conceptual framework of this study is based on the problems stated in this chapter. The conceptual framework was illustrated in Figure 1, which is shown in the paradigm. The study is focus on the restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon. To assess the status of the restoration, the researchers will use a survey questionnaire in the gathering of the primary data that is based on the problem of the study. The assessed data will be converted into an information that will be of great use in the rejuvenation stage of the Bariis Eco Park as a tourist destination. This paradigm will serve as guide to how this study will work. First, in order to answer all the questions regarding the problem, the researchers provided a questionnaire that will define the status of Bariis Eco Park.The assessment made will later then be used in order to restore the developments made before and surpass that. As well to suggest possible actions that can be made in order to fully implement stable maintenance and management in the Bariis Eco Park, Bulan Sorsogon.
BARIIS ECO PARK
Bulan, Sorsogon
Survey Questionnaires will be used to gather the information, Butler’s Destination
Life Cycle
Assessment of the restoration of Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon
FIGURE 1
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After careful review and analysis of various related literature, there were foreign and local literature and studies that had bearing on the present. However, there seemed to have no study assessing the restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon particularly its present status, problem it encountered by local residents in terms of attraction, promotion, and services and facilities. This is the gap that the study asserts and which the present study would like to bridge. The following terms are conceptually and operationally defined: Attraction-something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do. Used as something referring to Bariis Eco Park. Facility -such a building or large piece of equipment that is built for specific purpose. This was used to refer what Bariis Eco park offers other than the destination itself. Promotion- something (such as advertising) that is done to make people aware of something and increase it sales or popularity. In the current study, this was used to emphasize the need of the place to come up with a good result at the end of the day. Services- things that are given in a certain time for someone or something. The study used this terms to refer to those things offered by Bariis Eco park.
METHODOLOGY
This study will utilize and employ a descriptive method with informal interview and survey questionnaire as a main tool to collect data and documentation analysis. This kind of research will describe and compare the status of Bariis Eco Park from 2013 to present. The study also aims to assess the plan of action of the new administration headed by Helen De Castro regarding the restoration of Bariis Eco Park by 2017. The data that will be used in the study will be generated from primary data to secondary data. The primary data will come from the response of previous and current visitors of Bariis Eco Park and information’s gathered from the interviews. An interview will be made to representatives of the DOA, LGU, DOT and Mayor Hellen De Castro to validate the datas gathered. Bases of the secondary data will arrive from log books, written documents, and site plan that have bearings to the study. The study will make a semistructured survey questionnaire as the research instrument of the study. The population size of the research is determined by the no. of respondents present in the area. The researchers will randomly select 15 respondents from the visitors and tourist in the area. The respondents from the visitors will be the first 15 tourists to arrive in the said destination. The researchers will personally prepare the research instrument in accordance of their subject professor and adviser. It will be subjected to analysis and approval by the panel of examiners during the proposal defense. The instrument will be composed of 3 parts as follows: Part I will be all about the status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities way back in 2013; Part II will deal with the current status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities; Part III will be the measures recommended to address the problem. To validate the research instrument, the researchers will conduct a dry run of the questionnaire to five students of AUL who already visited Bariis Eco Park. The pre-testing activity will seek tentative answer to the questionnaires that will be using in the study to validate its effectiveness and the clarity of the instructions. All the answers that will be solicited from dry run respondents will be incorporated in the final revision of the instrument.
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The respondents will be given enough time to answer the question. After the data gathering, the researcher will now collect it for tallying the scores and application of analysis.
Scale
5
Range
4.50-5.00
Interpretation
Excellent
Description
80-90% were FULLY Restored
4
3.40-4.49
Very Good
60-70% were VERY MUCH Restored
3
2.30-3.49
Good
2
1.50-2.29
Fair
20-39% were FAIRLY Restored
1
1.00-1.49
Poor
1-19% were NOT Restored
40-59% were MODERATELY Restored
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SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE
Respondent’s Name: ___________________________________________________
PART I: The status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities way back in 2013 before typhoon Nona.
Direction: Using the scale of 5 to 1, kindly rate the following items by putting a checkmark (/) on
the space given that corresponds to your choice using the following descriptions: 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------Excellent 4----------------------------------------------------------------Very Good 3----------------------------------------------------------------Good 2----------------------------------------------------------------Fair 1----------------------------------------------------------------Poor
INDICATORS
5
4
3
2
1
ATTRACTION
View offered (Lake, Caves etc.) Visual Impact (Ambience) Activities Present Cottages Overall Impact
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PROMOTION
5
4
3
2
5
4
3
2
1
Brochures Department of Tourism Ad Radio Advertisement Social Media SERVICES AND FACILITIES
Tourist Information Center (Tour Guides Presence of security personnel’s
Clean comfort rooms within the site Medical Facilities (in case of emergencies) Presence of Garbage Bins
PART II: The current status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities.
INDICATORS
5
4
3
2
1
ATTRACTION
View offered (Lake, Caves etc.) Visual Impact (Ambience) Activities Present Cottages Overall Impact
8
PROMOTION
5
4
3
2
5
4
3
2
1
Brochures Department of Tourism Ad Radio Advertisement Social Media SERVICES AND FACILITIES
Tourist Information Center (Tour Guides Presence of security personnel’s
Clean comfort rooms within the site Medical Facilities (in case of emergencies) Presence of Garbage Bins
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Evaluation Criteria for Tourism Attractions and Sites (Bariis Eco Park, Bulan Sorsogon) In order to know if the Bariis Eco park pass standards as a tourist destination, below are the criteria to be followed in terms of (1) attr action and (2) services and facilities. Attraction
Tourist Appeal Criteria Tourist appeal has five criteria: (1) uniqueness, (2) historical value, (3) socio-cultural value, (4) natural aesthetic, (5) visitor traffic Uniqueness 4: One of a kind 3: 2-3 similarities 2: 4-5 similarities 1: 6 or more attractions Historical Value 4: 100 years or more 3: 50-99 years 2: 11-49 years 1: ten years or less Socio-cultural value 4: very important 3: important 2: less important 1: no importance Natural Aesthetic 4: All natural excellent 3: 1-2 enhanced structures 2: 3-4 enhanced structures 1: 5 or more enhanced structures Presence of Visitor Traffic 4: 100,000 or more per annum 3: 50,000- 99,999 per annum 2: 1,000- 49,000 per annum 1: No record Services and Facilities
Tourism Service Facility 4: With 6 or more tourism facilities and services 3: With 4-5 tourism facilities and services 2: With 2-3 tourism facilities and services 1: With at least 1 tourism facilities and services
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Guide signs and information board for tourist: 4: Well provided along the access road 3: Exist but not appropriate or do not me et the standard 2: Only sign board; no guide sign 1: Not provided Visitor Service facility at TDA/TDC service center or town 4: Information center with shops and toilet/rest space 3: Shops and toilet/ rest space 2: Public toilet only 1: None Activities and Products 4: With 4 or more tourism activities or products 3: With 3 tourism activities/ products 2: With 2 tourism activities/ products 1: With 1 tourism activities/ products Road conditions from gateway town to TDA service center 4: Good (paved and more than 7m-wide carriageway) 3: Paved and 2-lane highway but less than 7m- wide carriages 2: All weather but not concrete pave 1: Unpaved and not all weather
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