ANTIQUE - This province’s pride, Bugang River, located in Pandan town gained another distinction as it was recently named one of the rivers in the whole Philippines adjudged as winner of the prestigious Dangal ng Ilog Awards.

This was announced by Jeannette Sapilan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during the 1st National Summit on the State of Philippine Rivers at the Mabini Social Hall in Malacañang.

Bugang River has been a Hall of Famer in the Cleanest Inland of Water under the Gawad ng Pangulo sa Kapaligiran contest. During the summit, it was again included in the contest and it subsequently won the award.

The contest was based on two criteria: the physical condition (of the river) and the support systems.

Bugang River has a cool, turquoise-colored water that stretches about five kilometers from the headwater to the subterranean river of northwest Panay peninsula natural park to the estuary of Bugang River. Its banks house a riparian forest and aquatic plants, which prove its purity. Colorful rocks and stones, with different sizes and shapes, can still be seen at 36 inches beneath.

The river also possesses river corals, which is unique and can seldom be found in other river systems in the country. Traversing in the middle section of the river, the landscape shifts from forest to mangroves and nipa that serve as a natural filter and breeding ground for different marine species especially shellfishes. The water is very potable, surpassing the chemical analysis of the permissible limits set by the Philippine National Standards for drinking water.

For its support systems, Mayor Plaridel Sanchez of Pandan had issued Executive Order No. 4102 entitled “Task Force Riverine” which implements and monitors local and national laws, policies, rules and guidelines in order to protect and conserve all natural inland body of water specifically Bugang River.

The local government had also allocated P960,620.00 for its Tourism Development Program and Environmental Protection with Bugang River as its main attraction.
Bugang River is the pride of Western Visayas. It has been developed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) way back as a natural spring and bathing area. It soon became famous as an eco-tourist attraction.

Waters from springs coming out of the roots of century-old trees flow into a big waterhole that creates a big bowl where people and fishes swim with delight. It flows to a narrow strip to provide a shallow bathing area for children. Its not-too-swift and not-too strong current is a good bathing recreation for lovers of nature. In this place, one can play with different colors of butterflies that are already very sociable and flit from shoulder to shoulders especially when one crosses the concrete bridge constructed to serve as a passage from one bank to another or a diving area towards the large water pool.

Today, the local government of Pandan is trying its best to maintain the cleanliness of the river not mainly because it had won an award but because of their commitment to preserve nature at its best.

Source:
Panay News
Bugang River bags nat’l ‘Dangal ng Ilog’ award

By Administrator | Awards and Citations, Reports

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