LOGSAC undergoes Naturalist Guiding Training

Several members of the Local Government of Sta. Cruz Adventure Club have undergone a special training on Naturalist Guiding as jointly conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT) and the LGU of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

The training was conducted at Tibolo Cultural Village, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on October 10-16, 2012. According to DOT Regional Director Art Boncato, the training will be part of capacitating the human resource component of ecotourism in the region. He further said that with the continuous effort of the DOT to promote tourism development in the region, there is a need to produce DOT-accredited naturalist guides who will be assisting the agency in terms of steering outdoor-related tours like mountain trekking, kayaking, cultural tours, bird watching, among others.

The one-week intensive training had numerous important components which had also eventually formed part of the accreditation process being set by the central office of DOT’s Standard and Accreditation Division. In order to be an accredited naturalist guide, one has to pass the following factors: practical exam, actual basic mountaineering course, written exam and attendance.

Aside from the participants coming from Sta. Cruz, the training was also participated by tour guides coming from provinces of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and Davao City including participants from Mountaineering Federation of Southern Mindanao (MFSM). The bigger bulk, however, of the participants were from Sta. Cruz basically because of its present program on Mt. Apo trekking.

According to training facilitator Roderick Gonzales, the training was only the sixth in the Philippines. Other regions already receiving the same training includes Banaue, Bicol, Lake Sebu to new a few. The result of accreditation will be revealed in the next months to come.

  

LOGSAC members who joined the training aside from this blogger were: Jonas Florencondia, Noel Bartolome, Julius Biala, Michael Gapula, Hardy Joy Desuyo, Jose Sabandal, Glenn Mark Bauya, Kirvy Palanca, Arjay Semilla, Kimber Clark Acson, Chester Mitz Manuel, Darwin Juntilla and Nikko Rosillo.