Baguio is like Gasa in our country where highlanders reside. But it is a hot tourist destination. However, here, everything functions in business mode. Right from the toll fee to the park fee, everything is peso. So, Mr. JM Hook jokingly says it is not the pesosPhilippines, but feelippines. But every action transforms into the local economy boom. Their GDP of 1.37M in an area of 57.51 km square explains it all.
Today, the second-day visit to Baguio was edifying. The officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Baguio took us through the policy guiding the ecotourism activities in the area. What is so unique about them is the orientation of their working modality.
They are serious about community engagement. On the other side, indigenous communities have a strong sense of belongingness. Hence, their participation in development projects is from the heart and they make sure that the revenue from the projects is retained in their place only. In other words, their attitude and mentality are optimistic. Therefore, most of the ecotourism products belong to private individuals.
Another unique feature of the civil servants at Baguio is that they design sustainable projects and completely decentralizes these to the private entities. However, they have their own set of challenges.
In short, Baguio city gave me the heavenly experiences and enlightening wisdom and knowledge.
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