The beauty of Lake Apo
Saturday, February 4, 2012
TALL trees… calm water… Cool weather… These natural sights greet me as we make our way to the rest house of Dr. Almer Alfonso Sr. in Sitio Lake Apo, Barangay Guinuyuran in Valencia City one morning in January.
I just can’t simply express my amazement as I stepped out of Dr. Alfonso’s vehicle and allow my eyes to feast on the natural beauty of God’s creation. It’s as if all my problems vanished by just looking at the calm waters of Lake Apo and walk through the all-green lawn of the good doctor’s property, nestled near the lake.
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Dr. Alfonso, a retired surgeon who is now a councilor of Valencia City, gladly gave in to the request of the Department of Education (DepEd) to allow more than 200 elementary and high school students from different schools in Northern Mindanao to visit his property. The students, who were participants for the Feature Writing category of the annual Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC), were required to tour Lake Apo and write about it. Of course, the best feature story would win in the contest and will get to represent the region to the National Schools Press Conference.
Being one of the judges for the Feature Writing category, I personally went with the DepEd team to see for myself one of the city’s beautiful tourist attractions. And my six-hour stay at Lake Apo surely made me appreciate Nature more, never mind if I was forced to wake up at 4:00 in the morning for the trip to Lake Apo, which is 12 kilometers away from the city proper.
Dr. Alfonso says he built his house and developed the area initially as a “hideout” when things at work become so stressful and he wants to run away from the bustling city life.
But things turned out differently. What he initially planned as a hideout became a business.
Since more of his friends often request to visit his place and tour Lake Apo, he decided to open his house to the public. He developed the area more and constructed a floating cottage at Lake Apo where guests can take their meals amidst the calm and cool water of the lake. He also bought jetskis, canoes and kayaks.
For those who will only tour the area and use the floating cottage, they are charged P2,500. But for those who want to stay overnight, they have to pay P8,000 that includes free use of the floating cottage, a jetski, kayak and canoe.
For jetski enthusiasts, they will have to pay P3,500 per hour.
Dr. Alfonso says he plans to put up a conference hall in the area.
Within the vicinity of the lake, at least six floating cottages are available for visitors to use at P200 per hour.
Dr. Alfonso says the income from the six floating cottages goes to the residents who are tasked to maintain the area.
The 59-year-old doctor, who served as health officer of Valencia City for 11 years, is an environmentalist who supports all activities that can save nature.
And being an environmentalist, Dr. Alfonso uses solar power to run the house’s electricity and encourages his visitors not to throw their trash anywhere.
“We have to take care of our environment for the future generation. We have to take care of Mother Earth,” he says.
For the three years that Dr. Alfonso’s hideout has been operating, hundreds of tourists have already witnessed the beauty that God wants the people to preserve. The good doctor says he doesn’t want to stop promoting for the preservation of the environment not for him but for the next generation, including his two children, his grandchildren and their future children.
For him, his advocacy on environmental protection and preservation is “intergenerational.”
Surely, many people would heed his call once they get to see Lake Apo and its beauty.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on February 05, 2012.
