The Bugang River is a river situated in the northwest of

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...

island in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is located in municipality of

Pandan, Antique Pandan, officially the Municipality of Pandan ( krj, Banwa kang Pandan; hil, Banwa sang Pandan; Aklanon: ''Banwa it Pandan''; tl, Bayan ng Pandan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...

which is noted for its distinction as the "Cleanest Inland Body of Water" in the country.

Topography

The Bugang River entirely traverses Pandan town of Antique province. It has a length of Its headspring is deep. The river originates from around the area of the

Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park is located on the island of Panay, in the provinces of Aklan and Antique of the Philippines which was proclaimed a natural park by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 18 April 2002 (Presidential Proclam ...

From upstream to Pandan Bay where it converges, the Bugang flows along the barangays Candari, Santo Rosario, Guia, Zaldivar and Mag-aba. During the summer season, water levels of the river temporarily decreases.

Fauna

Thirty-eight species of fish belonging to 30

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and 20

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

were recorded in a November 2013 to March 2014 survey of the Bugang River. ''

Eleotridae Eleotridae is a family of fish commonly known as sleeper gobies, with about 34 genera and 180 species. Most species are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, but there are also species in subtropical and temperate regions, warmer parts of th ...

'' is the most dominant family with six species while ''

Gobiidae Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the ...

'' is the second most dominant with four species.

Tourism

The river serves as a primary tourist destination of the town of Pandan, Antique. The Malumpati Cold Spring Resort, which is situated in the upper portions of the river near the headspring is the main tourist destination of Pandan town.

Environmental conservation

Efforts to keep the river clean despite exploiting it for tourism has received recognition in both the national and international level. The river received a Hall of Fame award as part of the national government's Cleanest Inland Body of Water competition. The United Kingdom-based The Green Organization recognized the Bugang Community-Based Eco-Tourism Organization (BCBTO) at the Green Environment Apple Awards in 2006 for their campaign to preserve the river. The BCBTO conducts information drives regarding the river's preservation as well as monthly cleanups of the river. The organization also campaigned for the prohibition of maintaining pigpens along the riverside and swimming at the river's headspring. The 16th Congress of the

Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives a ...

commended the local government and community of Pandan in a September 2014 resolution for their conservation efforts which made the river the "Cleanest Inland Body of Water" in the country and cited their case a successful model for community-based

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

References

Rivers of the Philippines Landforms of Antique (province) {{WVisayas-geo-stub