 Calbiga Caves, the biggest Karst formation in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia. |
Calbiga, a fourth class municipality in Samar province, won the most
coveted Bursary Award of the prestigious
international competition Nations in Bloom, held
in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands last October 2003. Calbiga bested 236
competitors from around the world. It also won a bronze in the Category
A competition of communities having only 20,000 population or less.
Nations in Bloom is the world's only competition for local communities that focuses on good environmental management and the enhancement of quality of life. Endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme, it is also the largest international competition for livable communities.
The
Bursary Award will be given to the winner after the completion of its
proposed project that has to be finished within 12 months of the award.
Calbiga's proposed project is a nature park that would rise in a
three-hectare Small Enterprise Park site in Barangay Bacrayan, which is
between the national highway and the Calbiga River. The nature park
will include a mini-zoo, a mini forest, a children's playground, an
orchidarium and butterfly garden and miniatures of caves, waterfalls,
rapids, the Calbiga River and the Maqueda Bay.
According to Calbiga Mayor Melchor F. Nacario, the nature park will not
only provide enjoyable recreational experiences to the locals and
visitors but will also enhance the municipal landscape to create an
evironment that generates civic pride. This project is estimated to
cost P1.69 million, the amount to be taken from the proceeds of the
Bursary Award (10,000 British Pounds or about PHP 850,000) with a
counterpart from the municipality.
During his presentation, Mayor Nacario said:
"People who live in so-called modern communities think us so impoverished. Our houses are not lined with aluminum sidings. Our snacks are not packaged in aluminum foils. Our drinks are not contained in aluminum cans. But we are not poor, nor deprived. We are sufficiently provided for by Mother Nature. We derive sustenance from our forests, our farms, our rivers and our seas. That's why we care for them and take care not to abuse them. This is our livable community."
Calbiga was nominated to the Nations in Bloom by a Dutch couple, Joop and Rianne van Hezik of Ecotopia, who visited Calbiga many times before.
Calbiga is endowed
with natural wonders such as the Calbiga River, the Calbiga Caves, the
Lulugayan Falls, and the Literon Rapids which are potential eco-tourism
destinations. The 2,968-hectare Calbiga Caves is the biggest karst
formation in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia.
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