Eco-Tourism for the Conservation of Heritage (ETCH) in the Philippines

Sustainability is said to have three bottom lines: people, planet and profit. We intend to achieve this with the Eco-Tourism for the Conservation of Heritage (ETCH) in Lumban, Laguna. Our people goal is to uplift not only the economic condition of the people in the community, but also to raise the awareness of everyone on the cultural and natural heritage of Lumban, Laguna. Culturally, it is where the Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI), a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines, was found in 1986. It pushed back the written history of the pre-Spanish Philippines from 1521 to 900AD. Naturally, the Lumban River is a major tributary of the enchanted Laguna De Bay (Pronounced “bah, ee”, not bay, “bey”). It was once a home of large crocodiles like the salt water crocodile Lolong, caught in Mindanao, at the Southern part of the Philippine islands. Historically and culturally, the ancient people of the modern Philippines believe that our ancestors inhabit the largest of these crocodiles, and that we are children of the crocodile. In 1823, a 27 foot crocodile was shot to death in a town beside the Laguna De Bay and there is a separate part of the lake also called “Crocodile Lake”. The Lumban River is the southern part of the beautiful Pagsanjan River and upstream is where the Pagsanjan Falls is located. The river is home to 28 species of Wildbirds because the country is in the Southern flyway of wildbirds. By conserving these cultural and natural heritage of the place, we intend to create wealth through the profits of eco-tourism. And so we are inviting everyone to come visit Lumban, Laguna, Philippines. Learn our ancient script, the Baybayin and taste our locavores food in an eco-dining in the river/Laguna de Bay. Let time pass by with a view of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, experience a wild bird watching or fishing in a Bamboo Raft.