By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental provincial government has acquired a property inside the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary where the highly-popular seven waterfalls are located.

Provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said the price of the 10-hectare property was pegged at P80 million.

The waterfalls and the river are now being maintained by the provincial government after its acquisition from the Mambukal Real Estate Corporation.

Plans are also being drawn up to develop the newly-acquired property by planting additional trees and introducing additional activities, such as hiking, biking and horseback riding.

The resort-hotel facility is also being planned for expansion and further improvement to accommodate more tourists.

In addition to tourism plans, Diaz said water security and watershed protection are also included in their purpose for acquiring the property.

The Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia town’s Barangay Minuyan reopened to the public in 2022, after more than two years of closure brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, during its closure, the provincial government stepped up renovation works at the resort, and introduced new regulations to protect its flora and fauna by declaring it as a wildlife sanctuary./DGB, WDJ