A Look-over from Gawahon

// January 7th, 2009 // Travels

One’s destination is never a place
but rather a new way of looking at things.
Henry Miller
US author (1891 – 1980)

Gawahon Eco-Park is a relatively new area for rest and recreation and preserved as a public property in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Gawahon is a component of Barangay XI in the city that is notable for being the site of Victorias Milling Company (VMC). VMC is the Philippine’s largest sugar refinery sitting on a 7,000 hectare compound, making it the world’s largest integrated sugar mill. When Gawahon Eco-Park opened some three years ago, a friend (whose brother headed the development of the area) had invited me to visit the site. It was only last Dec. 29, 2008 that I was finally able to give in to her request.

It takes an hour to travel by bus from Bacolod City to Victorias City and another hour from the latter’s city proper to Gawahon by motorcycle (locally called “habal-habal“).

Gawahon is actually a Hiligaynon term which means “to look-over from a high area”. In the olden days when houses were raised from the ground and were made of bamboo and nipa, “gawahon” would mean “to look-over from the window or door”. Indeed the name aptly suits this park since it is situated in a strategic spot in the high hills of Barangay XI offering an overview of the lower plains and the city. The site also features 7 waterfalls which I was not able to visit. The first waterfall is about an hour hike from the main area of the park. My short stay there did not warrant such walk.

This is the entrance to the park.

The accommodation facilities are concentrated around a large pond. There are many duplex houses surrounding the pond and there are huts made of bamboo and cogon under the eucalyptus trees.

The most prominent among the facilities surrounding the pond is the viewing deck wherein one could see the plains with the small artificial lake in the foreground.

There are limes and some fern trees in the area.

This was what really attracted my curiosity. This inedible banana specie with red and “hairy” peels is cultivated for ornamental purposes. Unfortunately, I don’t know its classification aside from knowing that it is from the genus Musa.

On top of the slope where the viewing deck is situated are two small adjacent swimming pools separated by a structure with rafters. There are some signs of ongoing construction in this area.

In this view facing southeast, one can see the mountains.

Moving to the opposite side and facing northwest, one can see the plains. This is my favorite shot.

Opportunities for Improvement

If Victorias City really wants to move the bar for its ecotourism program, then it should start with essential improvements for Gawahon. The concrete roads leading to its mountainous barangays are far from completion. The fee collection in the park is ambiguous: no receipts are being automatically issued. For visitors, I suggest that fees be made in the finance office in their city hall to ensure that the money goes to the rightful hands, otherwise insist for an official receipt.

The maintenance of the place is quite poor. Three years after it opened, some huts are already unusable. In spite of the brownish water of the pond, trashes are visible in its bottom. Some remnants of destroyed properties are just being left to rot.

These used to be swans, now they are ugly ducklings.

It would also be good if the activity areas would be immediately cleaned. It was December 29 when I went there yet I could still see the rubbish of the visitors who held their party in the viewing deck on December 20.

The pools were also verging on dark green due to “chlorophyllic” abundance. The views there were great but taking a bath is a different story.

Not Just the Destination

Sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. For my trip to Gawahon, I opted to take the motorcycle ride. I find it convenient because I can always ask the driver to stop by the roadside for me to take pictures. And I did take pictures along the way despite of the impending storm that threatened our way in the return trip to the city proper.

I was fortunate that the driver (named Junjun) was very accommodating and he was as enthusiastic as I was with the sceneries. So for those who would like to have a road trip to Gawahon via habal-habal, you may contact him through his mobile phone: 09292214665.

With the not-so-good things I have seen, I still think that Gawahon and the road trip were well worth my time and resources. The verdures were very refreshing. And Gawahon is indeed true to its name: it provides a beautiful look-over.

37 Responses to “A Look-over from Gawahon”

  1. ifoundme says:
    January 7, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    wow! tani ging invite mo ko kadto da… hehehe! i’ll try this one soon… makadto gid kami da sang miga ko

    I was planning to, but I was not able to contact you due to my very limited access to the internet while I was there… Next time ah! :)

    Reply
    • Dayan says:
      March 23, 2009 at 2:49 pm

      hi.. Any contact number from gawahon resort?.. for booking?

      I am sorry Dayan… I don’t have the contact number for Gawahon… I recommend going to the Victorias City website. :)

      Reply
    • Dayan says:
      March 23, 2009 at 2:51 pm

      me and my friends are planning to go there this summer…

      Ok… Enjoy the vacation… :)

      Reply
  2. Jorge says:
    January 8, 2009 at 10:15 am

    WOW! I wish i can be as good as you. Pero ciempre marami pa akong kakaining bigas, hehehe.. Ano nga palang camera ang gamit mo?

    Excellent kapatid!!

    Thanks! I am using Canon EOS 300 na SLR film camera… Kapatid, practice at saka sangkatutak na reading materials sa photography ang kailangan… And well-meaning friends who share the same hobby na honest magbigay ng assessments.

    Reply
  3. Geisha says:
    January 9, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    ang ganda kuya! sana makapunta ako jan! invite mo ko.. chozzz~~~

    Thanks for visiting. :) Sige, one of these days kung magawi ka sa Negros at may oras tayo… Isama natin si IFM. Road trip… :)

    Reply
  4. totomai says:
    January 10, 2009 at 2:34 am

    i think i wont be able to visit this time. sa sunod na lang. thanks for the info :-)

    happy new year

    Welcome totomai and thanks for dropping by… Hopefully, when you visit, there will be improvements… Happy new year too…

    Reply
  5. Dfish says:
    January 10, 2009 at 9:23 am

    It’s been my habit to address pipol by their names. So i guess i’ll just call you Cool. Thank you for dropping by my tent and the trail of affirmation. I can sense your passion from your beautiful shots. Bisita ko pirmi sa imo balay…Yung favorite shot na parang may Shinto gate, napahinto ako dun at napamuni-muni. Ang ganda! Napaka-mystical!

    Salamat Dfish… You can call me Cool, CWW or Mark… :) Thanks also for dropping by… Bistahon ko man pirmi imo balay ah… :)

    Reply
  6. betchai says:
    January 11, 2009 at 1:06 am

    Mark, thanks for sharing the place. Again, very beautiful pictures, I am especially drawn also to that “saging” and also the fern, you caught the unusual end of the fern there. Love the landscapes starting from the entrance to the end (was that you behind the motorcyle?). And thanks for sharing the place since I have never heard of that before. I think in all our parks, we have to promote “leave only footprints…carry only pictures…leave nothing behind” and pick up after yourself, that way we can help our government too from spending money on the overhead cost of maintaining our parks. Though there are some who also do not follow the basic rules, they behave like the world is to their disposal :(

    Thanks Miss Beth… The one behind the motorcycle was the driver Junjun. I agree that visitors really have to respect nature and to follow basic rules… Also there are some who really do not care… I think that much more should be done to increase the level of environmental awareness among Filipino tourists…

    Reply
  7. brotherutoy says:
    January 12, 2009 at 6:11 am

    ang galing naman ng pulang saging!

    sayang ang pool kung nilulumot lang. pero kunsabagay, ang gastos ding i-maintain lalo na’t ganyan ka-isolated ang lugar. at least mas “nature” na “nature” ang dating ng lumot at pond scum diba?

    hanga rin naman ako sa mga nagparty doon. nagsadya talaga sila sa ganung kalayo?

    God bless!

    Haha! Natawa naman ako dun sa justification mo sa lumot… Oo nga naman, “nature” na “nature”…

    Talagang maraming nagpupunta doon… Kaya lang wala kang taong makikita sa mga pics ko… Sinadya ko… hehe… In fact, noong umalis ako doon, isang bus ng mga local tourists ang dumating…

    Reply
  8. beero says:
    January 14, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    wow! ganda naman dun sa gawahon ecopark. sana mapuntahan ko din soon. i heard marami pang magagandang destinations sa victorias city. hope i could visit the place.

    Bai, thanks for visiting… Yep, there are still many places worth visiting in Victorias, like the Church of the Angry Christ and the Victorias Milling Company. The latter offers guided tours within its premises… Aside from the sugar mill, it has a golf course, canning facility and cutflower industry… :)

    Reply
  9. King says:
    January 14, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    I was here! Basahin ko muna ha bago ako gawa ng essay, ahihihi!

    Ok lang bro… Read on… :)

    Reply
  10. King says:
    January 14, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    Ganda naman!!! Sana mapuntahan ko din yan. I went to Bacolod & Iloilo many times pero di ko pa narinig ang place na yan.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Thanks for visiting… Relatively new pa kasi ito… But it is quite popular within Negros… :)

    Reply
  11. Balisha says:
    January 16, 2009 at 7:19 am

    Hi Mark,
    It’s 16 degrees below 0 here in Northern Illinois and I have just been on a trip, where it’s warm, to see a new place. I love that tree fern…do you have any pictures of the whole tree? Your skies are so beautiful there…ours are so grey at this time of the year. Thanks again for the comments on my blog. Peace…

    Hi Balisha… Thanks for visiting. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the whole fern tree…. I saw this young frond against the sky and I took a picture… The skies are also grey here for the past weeks due to the clouds brought by the cold front… And it is also quite cold here and its raining most of the time so my travelling is curtailed… Be well always… :)

    Reply
  12. edzmaya says:
    January 17, 2009 at 10:21 pm

    oooh, another destination when i come home. thanks for this!

    Welcome Edz… Bisita bisita lang ah…

    Reply
  13. ELIment says:
    January 18, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    what a place. amazing!

    Thanks for dropping by…

    Reply
  14. sherlenie says:
    March 16, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    hi! great place!

    I am interested to visit the place. I have a scheduled business trip on bacolod this marh 31 and I wish to visit the place after the trip. May I ask details of gawahon trip. how i can get there, where to stay and how much would be the budget. or maybe a person to contact to for the trip. :)

    Thank you very much.

    Hi Sherlenie… I have already sent you an email… :)

    Reply
  15. 3rd says:
    October 15, 2009 at 1:46 am

    i love the place.ive been their several times..but for those who want to go thier..i warn you the water from the falls are really freezing..hey for those camera lovers try to search manny librodo..he a can help you through workshops.thnx

    Reply
  16. roxiegirl says:
    October 25, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    hello there. how’s the road going to the Park? concrete road na ba?

    Reply
  17. Mary Ann Lazo says:
    January 28, 2010 at 12:03 am

    For visitors to Gawahon—You may get in touch with the Mayor’s office for reservations. Numbers are +6334-3993459 and ask for Deilen or Jonalyn. They will accept your reservations and you pay for your bookings at least one day before at the City Treasurer’s Office after securing the reservation slip from the ladies mentioned. There is an entrance fee of P20.00, P60.00 is charged for swimming at the pool. Swimming in the artificial pools beneath the waterfalls is free of charge. The duplex costs Php1500.00 for an overnight stay and can accomodate 10-15 pax (a rather tight squeeze) The viewing deck is rented out for P2,000.00 overnight while the Mayor’s Lodge is available for Php1500—good for couples or a small family. The staff there are accomodating and there on their own volition, except for a few who are actually employed by the city government. It is very important that reservations are made at least a week in advance and paid at least a day before. Otherwise your reservations might be forfeited in favor of someone more determined to visit Gawahon. Gawahon–It’s worth the trip!

    Reply
  18. AIZA says:
    February 15, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    the students of nothern negros state college of science and technology go thier on feb.26-27… hope we enjoy in your place

    Reply
  19. aiza says:
    February 15, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    i see some pictures, i very so excited to went in gawahon… i came frm.sagay city. hope i will enjoy in your place…

    Reply
  20. BlackJr says:
    March 20, 2010 at 6:50 am

    Manong CoolWootah. how many hours would it takes to reach gawahon from victorias?. Undi man Law-ay kag talaklaron ang dalan pakad2 sa park?. Please Rep asap planning to go before The Holy Week starts.. ahehe

    Reply
  21. honey says:
    April 5, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    the pool’s water seems dark…how much are the rates?

    Reply
  22. marzel says:
    April 27, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    hi,.,nice pictures,.,i would like to ask if how much did you spend for you to reach Gawahon??/ nice place,.,can you email me??tnx,.,.God Bless

    Reply
  23. myls says:
    June 11, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    hi..thnks for the info..we are planning to go there…thus you spend so much?

    Reply
  24. Marzel says:
    July 25, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    hi! i would like to ask if the rates of the accomodations are still the same???

    Reply

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