BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
A P3.5 billion peso river protection project along the Loboc River in Bohol province is drawing scrutiny from provincial lawmakers, tourism operators, residents and worldwide netizens and environmentalists.
They cite its planning, its environmental safeguards and its effects on one of the province’s best-known tourist attractions.
The municipal government of Loboc, on the contrary, says the work is needed to protect residents from erosion and flooding.
The project is being carried out by the Department of Public Works and Highways Region VII (DPWH R7). It has been the subject of a provincial inquiry, a site inspection, a temporary halt on part of the work, an official municipal statement and public appeals to tourists.
Members of the Bohol Provincial Board’s committees on Environment and Natural Resources and on Public Works conducted a site inspection on Saturday after tourism stakeholders and local residents lodged complaints about the ongoing project.
Board members Jiselle Rae Aumentado Villamor, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Lucille Lagunay and Greg Jala led the inspection. Representatives of the Bohol Provincial Environment Management Office, the Bohol Tourism Office, the Loboc Association of Hospitality and Accommodation, the Loboc People’s Council and the Loboc municipal government also took part.
The investigation was prompted by reports that construction may have altered portions of the river’s natural ecosystem, including the removal of nipa vegetation and other riverbank features.
Tourism stakeholders and environmental advocates also raised concerns about the installation of steel sheet piles and other infrastructure. They warned the work could affect sensitive habitats, including those of the fireflies that draw thousands of visitors to Loboc each year.
“Stakeholders are not opposed to flood control measures. Their concern lies in the design of the project. They want approaches that address flooding while respecting nature-based solutions and ensuring that development remains science-driven,” Villamor told Inquirer.net.
She said transparency is essential to building public trust and ensuring accountability in the project’s implementation.
“We are calling for the full disclosure of environmental compliance documents and project-related studies. We also want concerned agencies, including the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), to participate in an open dialogue so that government officials and the public will be fully informed,” Villamor said.
The Provincial Board is seeking access to the project’s Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), environmental permits, technical studies and compliance reports as part of its review.
Lagunay urged a deeper consultation involving government agencies, technical experts, tourism operators, environmental groups and affected communities.
She said decisions on the river’s future should rest on scientific evidence and long-term sustainability.
Anter Calipusan, president of the Loboc People’s Council, questioned the project’s transparency. “There was no master plan presented to the public, and there was no public consultation regarding this project,” he said.
The board’s scrutiny follows an inquiry that began earlier this year.
In June 2026, the Provincial Board called for an inquiry and sought disclosure of key documents, including the ECC, environmental permits and technical studies, according to Bohol Island News, which reported on the inquiry June 17.
At a June 24 hearing before the board, DPWH Region VII Assistant Regional Director Nonato Paylado acknowledged that the project did not yet have a completed feasibility study or comprehensive master plan at that time, according to reports by Bohol Island News and The Bohol Tribune.
The reports also said the DPWH had requested P25 million pesos for planning in 2023 but received only 1 million pesos under the General Appropriations Act.
The Bohol Tribune reported June 28, 2026 that the DPWH-7 agreed to temporarily halt the installation of new steel sheet piles along the river pending a joint inspection.
The absence of completed planning documents does not by itself establish that the project is illegal or that its engineering components are defective. It has, however, intensified calls for public explanation.
Hospitality group’s field survey
In July 2026, the Loboc Association of Accommodation and Hospitality, together with the Loboc Municipal Engineering Office, reportedly conducted a field survey covering six areas: Sawang, Gotozon, Ondol, Ugpong, Valladolid and Villaflor.
The Bohol Tribune reported Aug. 2, 2026 that the concerns identified included tilting sheet piles, erosion, undercutting and damage to nipa palm roots. The group also raised questions about drainage openings and the structures’ effects on the river’s natural ecosystem. The observations are reported concerns that call for independent technical evaluation and are not final engineering conclusions.
History of flooding
Loboc has a documented history of flooding. A 2021 academic study by Calipusan Elnar and Abocejo, published in the Indonesian Journal of Social and Environmental Issues, recorded the experiences of Loboc residents and local leaders during Typhoon Seniang in December 2014, when severe flooding hit the community.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also documented flood control structures in the Villaflor and Valladolid sections that were washed out or scoured during Typhoon Odette in 2021.
In August 2026, the Provincial Government of Bohol published a procurement notice for consulting services for a hydrological and hydrogeological assessment and analysis of the Loboc watershed, with an approved budget of P5 million pesos. The notice does not establish whether the assessment has been completed.
LGU LOBOC DEFENSE
The Municipal Government of Loboc issued an official statement on the project, acknowledging concerns about its possible effects on the river’s natural beauty, vegetation, firefly habitats, tourism and livelihoods. It said the work is meant to protect people, preserve road access and keep communities connected.
The statement said erosion and recurring floods have damaged riverbanks and threatened nearby roads, homes and properties. If the roads become impassable, residents could lose access to workplaces, schools, markets, health care and other essential services, it said.
The project, whose funding was being worked out by 3rd District Bohol Rep. Alexie Besas-Tutor, is intended to protect people, households and establishments along the river across 11 barangays.
Among the most affected are Canlasid, Ugpong and Valladolid, which together have 279 households, 324 families and 1,267 individuals. The municipal government said further damage to the riverbanks could threaten road access in Canlasid and Ugpong in particular and potentially isolate those communities.
The municipal government said it coordinated with the DPWH R7 and local stakeholders to tailor the project to local conditions. Those discussions produced an agreement on modifications addressing concerns raised by local hotel operators while keeping the project’s main purpose of protecting vulnerable riverbanks. The agreed adjustments include restoring greenery along affected riverbanks after the protective works are in place.
The local government said it has requested project documents, studies, environmental clearances and technical explanations from the DPWH R7 and concerned agencies. It said coordination will continue so that environmental concerns are addressed through verified information and applicable regulations.
“Our goal is clear: to preserve the river’s beauty while protecting the communities, livelihoods, and road access that keep Loboc moving,” the statement said. It closed with the line “Save Loboc River. Safeguard the lives that call its banks home.”
Public Appeals
The issue has also spread through social media and guest communications.
In a lengthy social media post under the hashtag #SaveLobocRiver, a writer who said she stayed at Fox & The Firefly Cottages in Loboc in 2024 and swam in the river questioned whether the project addresses flooding or merely builds around it.
The writer, who said she has a background in development management, said she is not against flood control or development.
She said she opposes spending billions of pesos without clear public answers on planning, science, environmental impact and long-term effectiveness.
The post called for public answers to several questions:
– Where are the complete feasibility study and comprehensive master plan, and what studies guided the design and implementation of individual project sections if they were incomplete at the time of the June hearing?
– What environmental clearances and permits apply, and will they be made public along with environmental assessments and compliance reports?
– Has the project undergone an independent technical review of the reported concerns about erosion, tilting structures, drainage and nipa palm damage?
– Were affected residents, tourism stakeholders and local organizations adequately consulted?
– Were alternatives such as improved watershed management, riverbank rehabilitation, nature-based solutions and carefully designed structural protection evaluated?
– How will the government measure success, beyond construction completion, in flood risk reduction, structural durability, environmental protection and community welfare?
“Accountability is not an attack on public service. It is part of public service,” the post said. It ended with an appeal to “protect the people, protect the river,” and to make “every peso of public money count.”
A separate message, written by a group describing itself as “tourism professionals in the making,” called the river part of the community’s everyday life and a source of livelihood for many. The group invoked the Loboc Hymn’s line “Yuta kong mahal, yuta kong minahal” (My beloved land, my cherished land). It also cited a Bisaya saying that calls the river the path of life and its care the protection of the community’s future. The group called for tourism that sustains, development that respects and progress that preserves. Its slogan: “Protect what makes it beautiful. Preserve what makes it home.”
Eco-lodge letter to guests
A printed letter addressed to guests of Water to Forest Eco-lodge, signed by the lodge’s board of owners, asks visitors to help save the river. The letter thanks guests for staying and says the lodge’s “whole eco concept” is being destroyed by a government decision to “transform the beautiful Loboc river into a canal.”
The letter makes several claims that the document does not substantiate:
– No pre-study, engineering study or environmental assessment was done.
– Scientists from another country, hired by a nongovernmental organization, all had a negative opinion about concreting the river.
– The DPWH’s head engineer admitted that the project will have no effect on future flooding or erosion.
– Some people, described as “very greedy,” want the project to proceed because billions of pesos are going into it.
– The project is “fully illegal” because the pre-studies were not done.
The letter did not name the scientists, the NGO or the engineer. It also warned that concreting the river would cause a “massive drop in tourism,” and that the lodge’s staff would again suffer by losing their jobs.
The letter urges guests to spend five minutes sending an email, or better, to visit the Loboc municipal government in person to express disappointment. It lists the phone numbers 537-9090 and 537-9488, the emails tourismloboc@gmail.com and lguloboc@gmail.com, and the website bohol.gov.ph/contact-us.