In Benguet, a forest park's deep respect for nature shines through

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t. Camisong Forest Park situated in the Lower Agno Watershed Forest Reserve in Itogon, Benguet is only a year old but already, it's taken a hold on social media for its cleverly designed recreational spots.

The mezmerizing Alapaap viewing deck, with its transparent, cantilevered floor jutting out at the side of the mountain, is particularly popular for being a thrilling, IG-worthy spot.

The Samyo Garden is also a favorite, thanks to the opportunity it gives visitors to bask in the interplay of its cool shade and warm pockets of sunlight as they stroll a through the multi-level tree walk surrounded by pine trees.

Inspired by minimalist Scandinavian sensibilities, the park was designed to let nature take front and center, Mt. Camisong co-founder Ludette Querubin told GMA News Online one afternoon.

"It was really park-envy. You go to different countries around the world and all they have nice parks," she said, particularly pinpointing Singapore and the Nordic countries.

A graduate of UP Baguio High School, Querubin is a total Baguio girl with deep roots in Benguet. The entrepreneur would repeatedly go up north to meet up with friends, and when she came across the 10-hectare property with a healthy pine cover in the mining and logging town of Itogon a few years ago, she immediately had a vision of what it could become: A place that provides people an intimate opportunity to commune with nature, without necessarily having to rough it out.  

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n Mt. Camisong, nature meets you where you are, whether you're enjoying a meal in any of its three dining options; buying locally made merch from inside the glass-walled sun-drenched Kalihom gift shop; or finding relief in the rest room, where Japanese heated toilets abound and mirrors reflect the greenery outside.

But it's not just the opportunity to reconnect with nature and touch grass. Underneath all of it is a deep respect for the natural environment and a chance to act on it.

Single-use plastics are not allowed inside Mt. Camisong, and bottled water is also not available. Guests are instead advised to bring reusable tumblers and refill them at hydration stations that are everywhere.

On its website, Mt. Camisong expressed its aim to "strive to lead the way in ecotourism," which the Global Sustainable Tourism Council defines as "a niche segment of tourism in natural areas."

"The main motivation of tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas," the UN World Tourism Organization said, adding educational features must also be present, as minimizing "negative impacts upon the natural and socio-cultural environment."

At the Binhi Hall, Mt. Camisong proudly shares their efforts at keeping the forest park low impact, in the hopes of inspiring their visitors to do the same.

Here we learn that the garnishes of the park's beverages and desserts are actually edible leather made from fruit peels, and that the creamy vegetable soup at Alapaap dining is made from excess green salad. They also have a black soldier fly they've lovingly named Hermie and an African nightcrawler named Eugene to compost the rest of biodegradable waste.

These are among the results of enlisting the help of Beki Tenefrancia, President of Zero Waste Baguio, Inc. who proudly tells GMA News Online that in the first year of the park's operations, it's only produced "two tons of biodegradable waste."

"Two tons! In one year," she excitedly said.

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hese zero waste strategies are effective climate solutions as they divert organic waste from ending up in the landfill and prevent generating unnecessary methane, a greenhouse gas said to be even more potent than carbon dioxide in the long run.

Tenefrancia has been a consultant from the very beginning, ensuring the park remains low impact on the environment, even at the construction stage.

"I would go to the construction site with big vats of soap for the workers — we were doing the refill method," said Tenefrancia, who has since joined Mt. Camisong staff.

Her zero-waste sensibilities add power to Querubin's adamant vision to nature, which had them conduct a tree-mapping activity before building Mt. Camisong to account and protect the upward of 4,000 pine trees in the 10-hectare property.

"We had to assess and review the property, from the pattern of the rainfall, where the rain would be passing by, how we would be able to harvest this rain, how we make sure there's no erosion," Querubin said in a statement.

Then they built around them — never mind the added complications and cost of awkward measurements.

They allowed the mountainous terrain to command the park, using natural materials like coco nets and planting vetiver grass to hold the soil off the slopes in place. Pervious tiles were placed to let the natural water cycle take place, allowing water to seep into the soil and refill the water table underneath.

In building the park, about four pine trees were felled, but Querubin countered they've since planted more, consulting with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which "gave us a list of what not to plant," she said.

Emphasizing "what not to plant," Querubin said the park opted to plant fruit-bearing and flowering trees that weren't in the list to make the park more attractive to birds, which have yet to come.

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ithin their first year of operations, installed 363 solar panels providing 201 kilowatts of electricity and switched to 100% renewable energy.

The observant eye will quickly see the panels upon entry to the park, too: They are cleverly situated in Mt. Camisong's parking area to provide the necessary shade to parked cars.

Switching to renewable energy is among the most important actions anybody can do to care for the environment and curb climate change. It avoids burning fossil fuel for energy, which emits planet-warming greenhouse gases and in turn traps heat and causes climate change.

In 2024, world temperatures hot the 1.5C warming for the first time, and well ahead experts' prediction. The 2015 Paris Agreement set the limit of warming to 1.5C and well below 2C.

But saving the planet is hardly the motivation for Querubin. While she's keeping abreast with climate news, she admits "it's too much" and clarifies that saving the planet is "not really the main motivation" of Mt. Camisong.

"We want to make sure that our children today and their children tomorrow will still be able to enjoy Mt. Camisong," she said in a statement, and to GMA added "I'd like to do muna our own little thing here, like protecting the trees."

Still there is room for improvement, like the need to learn how to balance the great outdoors with the growing demand of visitors with pets. "We have wildlife here, and they were here before us so, we've offended a lot of fur parents," Querubin said exasperatedly.

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enefrancia emphasizes the difficulty of going completely zero waste, pointing to the seemingly trivial concern of purchasing toilet paper. "We bought toilet paper that said it was compostable but when we would check the compost bin, you could see yung iba, nag de-degrade na but the toilet paper, andun pa din," Tenefrancia laughs. They are nearly finished with the supply of the rogue green-washing product and are in the process of looking for a better supplier, she said.

Querubin also acknowledges "it isn't just about sustainability now," pointing the extreme weather events continually gaining ground in the country, a result of climate change.

In their first year of operations, Mt. Camisong contended with four strong typhoons that prevented guests from coming, putting at risk the livelihoods of their employees and communities. It's a real concern because "Mt. Camisong isn't just for our guests," Querubin said. "It also exists also for our community."

The park has 185 employees, about 70% of whom come from nearby communities, 35% of which are IP.  Local artisans and brands take front and center in the Kalupi Gift Shop, while local acts are often featured in Mt. Camisong's programme and events.

"We also aim to be resilient because being sustainable is no longer enough," Querubin said.

Hiking the Kahilom trails, it becomes obvious why Mt. Camisong is doing what it is doing. A serene field of ferns on one side and the pine forest on the other, the river flowing just below it, and a majestic view of the mountain range all around. — GMA Integrated News