INTRODUCTION

The town of Bulan is composed of 63 barangays and one of it is Barangay Sta. Remedios which
Bariis Eco Park is located. The name “Bariis” was taken from the name of the grass that grows around the
lake.A tunnel is situated near the lake which they called the “Bariis Tunnel”. It was built during the Second
World War; said to be by Filipinos around the year 1940 to 1941. During the year 1942, Japanese soldier had
camped in the area to serve as their shelter. [1] It was also said that the Japanese hid treasures within the tunnel
which is why they killed the Filipino’s captives after it was built. Some people who lived near the tunnel had
said that the tunnel in Bariis also connects to the tunnel in Barangay San Francisco and Somagongsong and
just bar down because of the attempt of hunters from Magallanes to look for the hidden treasures that had
caused the cut off the passage way going deeper in the tunnel. [2] is a Smoke Free zone and Liquors are not
allowed for the conservation of the Ecotourism destination. The Bariis Eco Park was used to be a regular
mountain filled with trees which has a lake on it. [1] It was Marnellie Guray Ballesteros Robles, who developed
the Bariis Eco Park along with her other programs during his first term as the municipal Mayor of Bulan
Sorsogon with the objective to uplift the tourism potentials of Bulan Sorsogon. The development in the
Bariis Eco Park started on October 19, 2013 with participation of the Department of Agriculture, LGU and
BFAR and other government agencies like DOT. The Local Government Unit and the people of Bulan
described the Japanese World War II tunnel as a silent witness to the atrocities of war, a strong and defeat of
sacrifices and of shattered dreams that should remind those who are living today that there’s no substitute in
living a gratifying life that peace; even if peace is elusive, it is worth man’s dream. The Bariis Lake has a Fish
Cave which has over 20,000 tilapias, a project from LGU and BFAR. Boating was the best feature that the
Bariis has; there were 5 “swan boats” and a “floating cottage” which is being maneuvered in a parallel motion
with someone to manage and pull the rope from either side of the lake. It is free for everyone, as they only
ask for donations. The Eco Park once offers great sightseeing and exploration.

On December 13, typhoon Nona hit Bulan Sorsogon that left a tremendous impact on Bulan and the
livelihood of Sta. Remedios. Parts of the development that were once made got destroyed by the typhoon; the
restroom, the terrace from the uphill broke down, the tilapias from the fish cave were fished by locals after
the typhoon due to absence of caretakers and mismanagement. According to the caretakers of the new
administration headed by Felix “Billy” Lolos, this happened because the previous administration of
MarnelieGuray failed to allocate the 2015 budget thus, resulted to the decline of Bariis Eco Park due to
insufficient funding to fix the damages made by the calamity. It was neglected from May Election up until
July 13, when the new administration officially seated with Helen De Castro as the newly elected mayor. Since
there was no budget allocated for Bariis on 2015, the new administration of Bulan Sorsogon were left to no
avail but raise Bariis Eco Park by slowly renovating with the little donation that they get from those who still
visits Bariis Eco Park until the2017 budget allocation on the province.

The Department of Agriculture, coordinated with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
(BFAR) plans to restore the Fish Cave by building a fishpond where in the local organization of Sta.
Remedios will benefit the sales. This would take into action by end of August 2016 after registration of Bariis
Eco Park to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Other proposals are also to be
accomplished by 2016 for the restoration of Bariis Eco Park like an Employee’s House, renovation of the
Japanese Tunnel, Floating Cottages, Restroom, and a Function Hall where weddings, birthdays and other
events can be held. By 2017, they aim to fully execute their plans for the Bariis Eco Park with the purpose of
surpassing the developments made from 2013 with the help of Engr. Benito Marquez, the Engineer who also

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designed the innovation in Bariis Eco Park back on its peak and Amando Polo, the landscaper of the Eco
Park and restore the lake as reservoir for irrigation purposes going through the rice fields.

To assists the possible rejuvenation of Bariis Eco Park, the researchers need to know what the local
residents, LGU and other organization’s plan of action in order to restore Bariis Eco Park as a tourist
destination.

The objectives of this study are: to assess the development made in the Bariis Eco Park before; to
determine the condition of how they will restore Bariis Eco Park; to assess the intricacy encountered by the
tourists as to what kind of facilities are present, offered leisure activities and accessibility of the destination
present way back in 2013.Furthermore, the research will attempt to offer the most appropriate and effective
ways on how they will do the restoration in Bariis Eco Park. Finally, this research may provide opening for
reflective thought so that the management of the Bariis Eco Park may improve efficiently.

The study wanted to assess the restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon. Specifically, it
will attempt to answer the following questions: (1) What is the status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of
Attraction, Promotion, Services and Facilities; (2) What problems encountered by local residents of Bariis
Eco Park; (3) What are the measures recommended to address the maintenance of Bariis Eco Park in terms
of Attraction, Promotion, Services and Facilities

The study of Bariis Eco Park in Bulan Sorsogon aims to benefit the Local Government Unit (LGU);
the result of the study will contribute to the idea of conceptualizing plans regarding future restorations of
tourism attractions. This will serve as a reference when they have to look for aid while making plans about
restoring the destination as a tourism destination and help LGU look for remedies for conflicts that may
arise. It will also help the Department of Tourism (Region V) to recognize potential destinations and will
assist in giving recommendations that can be of use for the DOT in terms of restoring tourism sites. The
outcome of this study may also give DOT the chance to add again Bariis Eco Park as a tourist destination in
the list and will probably help the country to gain more tourists that will lift the tourism economy of Bulan,
Sorsogon and the Philippines in general. This study will also provide awareness to the local residents for they
themselves are involved and will have enough knowledge on how they will help the place maintain its beauty
and develop at the same time.

It will help the residents to strategically develop a plan of action for future restoration and proper
maintenance and will manifest the learning that they may have in promoting their very own place with
consistency.

Aside from restoration, this study will help in conceptualizing maintenance and troubleshooting for
unforeseen damages and calamity that may occur not just in Bulan Sorsogon but the entire country.

This is also beneficial for tourist who would like to know how a tourist destination can regain its
beauty. And also, this study can help educators widen their knowledge about destinations like Bariis Eco
Park. They can use this study as a tool for presenting a destination which renews its light as a destination and
can share it with their students. Students are also the beneficiary of this study; this will give them an idea on
why and how a tourist destination can reach its decline stage and how it restores itself. The present
researchers also will gain additional information of what they are studying at the present and will have
knowledge about restoration and maintaining a certain destination at the same time. Also further studies may
materialize because of the added facts and ideas in this study. Lastly, Future Researchers can use the outcome

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of the study will serve as their basis for further studies specially in restoring tourist destinations and further
understanding of how can they do it accordingly.

The coverage of the study will focus on the status of Bariis Eco Park, problems encountered in
maintaining the services and facilities and visitor’s arrival. Also, the problems encountered in implementing
promotion and development program and the measures recommended in addressing the problems.

Based upon George D. Gann and David Lamb’s theory article (+AJM theory), Ecological Restoration:
SER international and IUCN Commission Movement on Ecological Restoration. They explained their theory
on how one degraded biodiversity can be restored and boosts human livelihood. And with Josh Sidon’s
research on USCG Research Shows Economic Impacts of Ecosystems Restoration Project proves George D.
Gann and David Lamb theory that with the rejuvenation of the degraded lands show that this collaborative
projects can sustain our local economies and may attract investors to that could support jobs and livelihoods.
Also according to David J. Velinsky article, Dam Removal: Challenges and Opportunities for Ecological
Research and River Rejuvenation when the organizations took eyes on dam removal to restore the degraded
rivers imports new challenges for watershed management but opened opportunities for advancing the science
ecology. Peng S, Ren H, and Zhang Q some Chinese researchers. On their research about Theories and
Techniques of Degraded Wetland Ecosystem Restoration, in this research that was conducted at South China
Institute of Botany in Goungzhou. Theories such as self-design vs. Design Theory, succession theory,
invasion theory, flood pulsing theory, edge effect theory, and intermediate disturbance hypothesis, can be used
to as direct approach to the restoration of wetlands. Based upon Douglas A. Wilcox and Thomas H. Williams
article about Techniques for Restoration Local Wetlands, the success of restoration is demonstrated by the
sustainability, productivity, nutrient-retention ability, invisibility, and biotic interactions within a restored
wasteland.
As Maria C. Ruiz-Jaen and T. Mitchell Aide said in their article, Restoration Success: How is it Being
Measured. Rating and evaluating the succession rate of a restoration project they are able to determine how
successful a project would be and by this we can assess and develop more projects to get a much better
success rate. The study of J. A. Harris also tackles with the evaluation of the succession in restoring
ecosystem through measuring soil microbial community we can assess the degradation and the effects of
management design to reverse its effects. With these techniques we can evade failures and boost the chance
our success.
With all of the techniques and theories that we have read in all of the articles we can conclude that all of
it is relevant in our research that may help us in the Restoration/Rejuvenation of Bariis Lake. And with so
many techniques that we have observed we have a higher chance of success to restore or maybe improve the
lake and boost the job opportunity and the economy of the community.
This study is anchored of the Tourist Destinations Life Cycle Theory of Butler. According to
Butler’s research there are seven stages of tourist area life cycle model that is one of the most cited and
continuous areas of tourism knowledge. The first stage is the Exploration; destinations always starts as
unknown and undeveloped area that tourist explores and experienced. Second stage is the involvement; this is
the stage where local residents are involved in providing primarily facilities for the visitors, and this is also the
stage where local investment and advertisement of the area start. Third is Development; the facilities will
improve and investors will start to invest to the destination for the development, changes in the physical
appearance will be noticed but the local involvement and control of development will decline. Fourth will be
the Consolidation; the rate of visitors will decline, but total numbers will still increase and total visitor’s
numbers will exceed the number of permanent residents. Fifth stage is the Stagnation; the capacity levels for

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numbers of visitors will have been reached or exceed. The area will have a well-established image but it will
no longer appeal to the visitors. The next stage is the Decline; the area will not be able to compete with the
newer attractions so will face a declining market. Last stage will be the Rejuvenation; there will be a big
change to the destinations to uplift again the negative trends in visitor’s arrivals.

The tourism area life cycle stated by Butler shows that Bariis Eco Park, being in the declined stage
has potential to be back to its former condition.With this study is looking forward for the next stage which is
rejuvenation. Attraction, promotion and services and facilities will be a great factor for restoration. In order
for the destination to go back into competition, the last stage must be taken into action.

The conceptual framework of this study is based on the problems stated in this chapter. The
conceptual framework was illustrated in Figure 1, which is shown in the paradigm.

The study is focus on the restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon. To assess the status
of the restoration, the researchers will use a survey questionnaire in the gathering of the primary data that is
based on the problem of the study. The assessed data will be converted into an information that will be of
great use in the rejuvenation stage of the Bariis Eco Park as a tourist destination.

This paradigm will serve as guide to how this study will work. First, in order to answer all the
questions regarding the problem, the researchers provided a questionnaire that will define the status of Bariis
Eco Park.The assessment made will later then be used in order to restore the developments made before and
surpass that. As well to suggest possible actions that can be made in order to fully implement stable
maintenance and management in the Bariis Eco Park, Bulan Sorsogon.

Survey
Questionnaires will be
BARIIS ECO PARK used to gather the
information,
Bulan, Sorsogon
Butler’s Destination
Life Cycle

Assessment of the restoration of

Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon

FIGURE 1

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 After careful review and analysis of various related literature, there were foreign and local literature
and studies that had bearing on the present. However, there seemed to have no study assessing the
restoration of the Bariis Eco Park in Bulan, Sorsogon particularly its present status, problem it encountered
by local residents in terms of attraction, promotion, and services and facilities. This is the gap that the study
asserts and which the present study would like to bridge.

The following terms are conceptually and operationally defined:

Attraction-something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do. Used as something
referring to Bariis Eco Park.

Facility -such a building or large piece of equipment that is built for specific purpose. This was used to refer
what Bariis Eco park offers other than the destination itself.

Promotion- something (such as advertising) that is done to make people aware of something and increase it
sales or popularity. In the current study, this was used to emphasize the need of the place to come up with a
good result at the end of the day.

Services- things that are given in a certain time for someone or something. The study used this terms to refer
to those things offered by Bariis Eco park.

METHODOLOGY

This study will utilize and employ a descriptive method with informal interview and survey
questionnaire as a main tool to collect data and documentation analysis. This kind of research will describe
and compare the status of Bariis Eco Park from 2013 to present. The study also aims to assess the plan of
action of the new administration headed by Helen De Castro regarding the restoration of Bariis Eco Park by
2017. The data that will be used in the study will be generated from primary data to secondary data. The
primary data will come from the response of previous and current visitors of Bariis Eco Park and
information’s gathered from the interviews. An interview will be made to representatives of the DOA, LGU,
DOT and Mayor Hellen De Castro to validate the datas gathered. Bases of the secondary data will arrive from
log books, written documents, and site plan that have bearings to the study. The study will make a semi-
structured survey questionnaire as the research instrument of the study. The population size of the research is
determined by the no. of respondents present in the area. The researchers will randomly select 15
respondents from the visitors and tourist in the area. The respondents from the visitors will be the first 15
tourists to arrive in the said destination. The researchers will personally prepare the research instrument in
accordance of their subject professor and adviser. It will be subjected to analysis and approval by the panel of
examiners during the proposal defense. The instrument will be composed of 3 parts as follows: Part I will be
all about the status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities way back in
2013; Part II will deal with the current status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services
and facilities; Part III will be the measures recommended to address the problem. To validate the research
instrument, the researchers will conduct a dry run of the questionnaire to five students of AUL who already
visited Bariis Eco Park. The pre-testing activity will seek tentative answer to the questionnaires that will be
using in the study to validate its effectiveness and the clarity of the instructions. All the answers that will be
solicited from dry run respondents will be incorporated in the final revision of the instrument.

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The respondents will be given enough time to answer the question. After the data gathering, the researcher
will now collect it for tallying the scores and application of analysis.

Scale Range Interpretation Description

5 4.50-5.00 Excellent 80-90% were

FULLY Restored

4 3.40-4.49 Very Good 60-70% were VERY

MUCH Restored

3 2.30-3.49 Good 40-59% were

MODERATELY
Restored

2 1.50-2.29 Fair 20-39% were FAIRLY

Restored

1 1.00-1.49 Poor 1-19% were NOT

Restored

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SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE

Respondent’s Name: ___________________________________________________

PART I: The status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and facilities
way back in 2013 before typhoon Nona.

Direction: Using the scale of 5 to 1, kindly rate the following items by putting a checkmark (/) on
the space given that corresponds to your choice using the following descriptions:

5 ---------------------------------------------------------------Excellent

4----------------------------------------------------------------Very Good

3----------------------------------------------------------------Good

2----------------------------------------------------------------Fair

1----------------------------------------------------------------Poor

INDICATORS 5 4 3 2 1

ATTRACTION

View offered (Lake, Caves etc.)

Visual Impact (Ambience)

Activities Present

Cottages

Overall Impact

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 PROMOTION 5 4 3 2 1

Brochures

Department of Tourism Ad

Radio Advertisement

Social Media

SERVICES AND FACILITIES 5 4 3 2

Tourist Information Center (Tour Guides

Presence of security personnel’s

Clean comfort rooms within the site

Medical Facilities (in case of emergencies)

Presence of Garbage Bins

PART II: The current status of Bariis Eco Park in terms of attraction, promotion, services and
facilities.

INDICATORS 5 4 3 2 1

ATTRACTION

View offered (Lake, Caves etc.)

Visual Impact (Ambience)

Activities Present

Cottages

Overall Impact

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 PROMOTION 5 4 3 2 1

Brochures

Department of Tourism Ad

Radio Advertisement

Social Media

SERVICES AND FACILITIES 5 4 3 2

Tourist Information Center (Tour Guides

Presence of security personnel’s

Clean comfort rooms within the site

Medical Facilities (in case of emergencies)

Presence of Garbage Bins

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Evaluation Criteria for Tourism Attractions and Sites (Bariis Eco Park, Bulan Sorsogon)
In order to know if the Bariis Eco park pass standards as a tourist destination, below are the criteria to
be followed in terms of (1) attraction and (2) services and facilities.

Attraction

Tourist Appeal Criteria

Tourist appeal has five criteria: (1) uniqueness, (2) historical value, (3) socio-cultural value, (4) natural
aesthetic, (5) visitor traffic

Uniqueness
4: One of a kind
3: 2-3 similarities
2: 4-5 similarities
1: 6 or more attractions

Historical Value
4: 100 years or more
3: 50-99 years
2: 11-49 years
1: ten years or less

Socio-cultural value
4: very important
3: important
2: less important
1: no importance

Natural Aesthetic
4: All natural excellent
3: 1-2 enhanced structures
2: 3-4 enhanced structures
1: 5 or more enhanced structures

Presence of Visitor Traffic

4: 100,000 or more per annum
3: 50,000- 99,999 per annum
2: 1,000- 49,000 per annum
1: No record

Services and Facilities

Tourism Service Facility

4: With 6 or more tourism facilities and services
3: With 4-5 tourism facilities and services
2: With 2-3 tourism facilities and services
1: With at least 1 tourism facilities and services

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Guide signs and information board for tourist:
4: Well provided along the access road
3: Exist but not appropriate or do not meet the standard
2: Only sign board; no guide sign
1: Not provided

Visitor Service facility at TDA/TDC service center or town

4: Information center with shops and toilet/rest space
3: Shops and toilet/ rest space
2: Public toilet only
1: None

Activities and Products

4: With 4 or more tourism activities or products
3: With 3 tourism activities/ products
2: With 2 tourism activities/ products
1: With 1 tourism activities/ products

Road conditions from gateway town to TDA service center

4: Good (paved and more than 7m-wide carriageway)
3: Paved and 2-lane highway but less than 7m- wide carriages
2: All weather but not concrete pave
1: Unpaved and not all weather

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