THE municipal government of Tuburan, in northwest Cebu will take over the administration of a famed spring from the officials in Barangay Molobolo to further its development after it was shut down last July 5, just a few weeks after it had resumed operations following a three-year hiatus. But a dispute and a resignation are complicating things.
Tuburan Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, July 20, 2023 that he made the decision to take over the spring, which attracted 500-1,000 visitors daily, after the barangay officials in Molobolo failed to cooperate with the municipal government to reinforce safety measures there.
The mayor said “they are not proactive enough.”
Diamante indicated that the barangay council should work closely with the local government in order to manage the spring, which is owned by the state. However, he said this is not the case.
He said there is a disagreement between the municipal government and the owner of the property where the spring is located, which makes it more difficult for them to carry out the rehabilitation efforts.
The property owner is a relative of the officials in Barangay Molobolo.
Amputate
Last May 21, the spring was reopened to the public for the first time since its closure in early 2020 for rehabilitation. However, Diamante recently ordered its closure again after a child’s finger was amputated after being sucked into a drainage hole in the spring’s infinity pool.
The mayor said he personally shouldered the cost of the victim’s hospitalization.
Diamante disclosed that the reopening was done in response to the requests of locals to make Molobolo Spring accessible to visitors in time for the Tubod Festival, one of the highlights of the town’s 166th fiesta celebration in honor of its patron saint, San Antonio De Padua, last June 13.
He said he will hasten the rehabilitation of the spring as he plans to reopen it again before December of this year.
The mayor did not divulge how much it will cost the municipality to pursue the rehabilitative measures at the spring.
“We will hopefully reopen it to the public before the year ends, but we have to make sure that it is already safe to accommodate visitors, especially the tourists from other places,” he said.
The mayor estimated that the spring used to welcome an average of 550 visitors per day during weekdays and more than 1,000 visitors per day during weekends. The local government unit of Tuburan only asks the visitors to pay a P10 fee.
The Molobolo Spring features two large pools filled with cold spring water.
To keep the water flowing out and the water inside continually fresh and clean, there are pipes underneath these two swimming pools that lead to the sea, which the mayor estimates to be about 500 meters away.
The larger pool, intended for adults and experienced swimmers, is around seven feet deep, while the second smaller pool is for children, which is preferred by the majority of swimmers.
Uncooperative
Diamante said in order to manage the spring, the barangay council should collaborate closely with the local government, but he revealed that the barangay officials remain uncooperative.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu last July 7, Diamante said he was shocked to find no one manning the spring although numerous people were swimming there when he arrived.
He hopes that their conflict will be resolved and that the local authority will get along well with the Molobolo barangay officials.
Diamante disclosed that Barangay Captain Donna Sayson had submitted a letter of resignation to his office on July 19 with the intention of resigning from her position as the chief of Molobolo due to health issues.
According to him, the barangay captain’s state of health could be one of the reasons it was not able to completely fulfill its responsibility to watch over the spring there.
Dispute
The mayor acknowledged that there is more work to be done, especially because municipal resources are limited.
He would have welcomed the cooperation the barangay should have provided.
The other concern he will prioritize to resolve is the dispute over the privately owned land on which the spring is located, a portion of which is used as the parking area there.
He said the way heading to the spring is also owned by the same person, who is a relative of the officials in Barangay Molobolo, and that “our right of way is currently under litigation.”
He added that he has been sending letters demanding that representatives from the private party show up in meetings. However, he said he has not received any reply from them.
He remains hopeful that he can still pursue the spring’s rehabilitation.
“We really cannot do a thing about it since it is their right, but we will make a way how we can address this in a legal way so we can fully take over the spring,” said Diamante.
“We want to reopen it so that it is safe for the visitors, and also we want to move forward so that there will be no hindrances along the way once we can solely manage this,” he added.
Small effect
Diamante said the closure will not directly affect the town as it closed just weeks after it reopened from quite a long hiatus.
The spring, when operating, has the potential to produce revenue of up to P10,000 per day, the maximum amount they can take in on weekends.
Attractions
With the closure, Diamante hopes that the tourists visiting the town will make their way to the other tourist attractions that the town has to offer.
The mayor said they take pride in their other tourist spots such as the Tuburan Coffee Farm in Barangay Cogon, Blue Hole Spring in Barangay San Juan, Marmol Cliff and Atabay Peak in Barangay Marmol, the five-century-old Giant Dao Centennial Tree in Barangay Jagbuaya, and the popular Tuburan 360 View in Barangay Kabangkalan.
The Tuburan 360 View is the newest addition to the town’s tourist destinations in western Cebu. It gives the tourists a good view of the natural beauty up north and also the sight of Negros Island to the west.
According to Diamante, Tuburan 360 View welcomes an average of 650 visitors per day, adding that numbers of visitors could go as high as 1,000 tourists a day. Visitors will pay only P20 for the environmental fee.
“We still have a lot to offer to the town’s guests that are awaiting to be explored. We have a lot of beautiful springs here! Our [Tuburan] 360 View also has been bringing a lot of guests, which is beneficial for the town,” he said.
The municipality of Tuburan is 82 kilometers or 51 miles northwest of Cebu City.
The town is bordered to the north by the town of Tabuelan, to the west by the protected seascape of Tañon Strait, to the east by the towns of Carmen, Catmon and Sogod, and to the south by the town of Asturias.