Mambukal Resort, officially the Township of Mambukal or simply known as Mambukal (alternatively spelled as "Mambucal"),
is a resort township located within the boundaries of the municipality of
Murcia, Negros Occidental
Murcia, officially the Municipality of Murcia, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,868 people. It is east of Bacolod.
Geography
Barangays
Murc ...
. As a township, it is directly governed by the Provincial Government of
Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...
, which also manages Mambukal Mountain Resort in the 6-hectare townsite near Brgy. Minoyan.
The resort is owned and managed by the Provincial Government of
Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...
under its Economic Enterprise Development Department.
History
A
hill station was established in the area in 1923, through a provincial administrative order, to serve as a weekend getaway for the officials of the Negros Occidental provincial government and its guests. The first permanent structure in the resort, the Ishiwata Bath House, was built in 1927, as part of developments made by the Japanese architect Kokichi Paul Ishiwata.
Republic Act No. 1964, signed by
President Carlos P. Garcia on June 22, 1957, formally tasked the provincial government of Negros Occidental with the administration and management of the townsite and resort facilities. This date is commemorated in the annual Mudpack Festival, named after the medicinal sulfuric mud available in the area.
Legal status
Mambukal is administered as a resort township, independent of the
Municipality of Murcia by the provincial government, as the putative Township of Mambukal.
However, this is disputed in some circles outside the province as townships, as a form of local government, were already abolished in 1919 through Philippine Legislature Act No. 2824.
Legally, townships supposedly no longer constitute a
local government unit
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
under current laws, which only recognize four types of local government: province, city, municipality, and barangay.
Geography
Elevation
Situated 1,200 ft. above sea level and next to
Mount Kanlaon
Kanlaon, also known as Mount Kanlaon and Kanlaon Volcano ( hil, Bolkang Kanglaon; ceb, Bolkang Kanglaon; fil, Bulkang Kanlaon), is an active stratovolcano and the highest mountain on the island of Negros in the Philippines, as well as the hig ...
, Mambukal enjoys cool temperatures all year round with access to flora and fauna native to the Kanlaon area.
It covers an area of 23.6 hectares
covering part of Mount Kanlaon Natural Park, a protected area which also encompasses territories of Murcia,
La Castellana and
Bago
Bago may refer to:
Places Myanmar
* Bago, Myanmar, a city and the capital of the Bago Region
* Bago District, a district of the Bago Region
* Bago Region an administrative region
* Bago River, a river
* Bago Yoma or Pegu Range, a mountain rang ...
in Negros Occidental, and
Canlaon City
Canlaon, officially the City of Canlaon ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Canlaon; hil, Dakbanwa sang Canlaon; fil, Lungsod ng Canlaon), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...
in
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...
.
Flora and Fauna
Mambukal is home to several species protected under Republic Act No. 9147. The endemic
giant golden-crowned flying fox
The giant golden-crowned flying fox (''Acerodon jubatus''), also known as the golden-capped fruit bat, is a species of megabat endemic to the Philippines. Since its description in 1831, three subspecies of the giant golden-crowned flying fox hav ...
and the
Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat
The Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat (''Nyctimene rabori'') locally known in Tagalog as ''Bayakan'' is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines and known from the islands of Cebu, Negros and Sibuyan. It occur ...
can be seen in the area; these, along with other resident bat species, are estimated to number between 7,500 to 8,000. As part of the
Mount Kanlaon Natural Park
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
, Mambukal is also home to native
civet
A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...
populations and endemic animals such as the
Visayan warty pig
The Visayan warty pig (''Sus cebifrons'') is a critically endangered species in the pig genus ('' Sus''). It is endemic to six of the Visayan Islands (Cebu, Negros, Panay, Masbate, Guimaras, and Siquijor) in the central Philippines. It is know ...
and the
Negros bleeding-heart
The Negros bleeding-heart pigeon (''Gallicolumba keayi'') is endemic to the Philippines where it is found on the islands of Negros and Panay. It is critically endangered; continuing rates of forest loss on the two islands where it occurs suggest ...
pigeon.
Located near the entrance is the Butterfly Garden, raising endemic butterflies for preservation and sale as decorative items.
Amenities
Attractions
Hot springs were the first attractions to draw visitors since the completion of the Ishiwata Bath House in 1927. It enjoys warm temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius in the pools, drawn from almost boiling sulfuric water within the facility. The area's seven waterfalls are situated on a well-tracked trail that attracts up to 320,000 visitors yearly, mostly from Negros and neighboring Panay, along with the resident Korean population of Bacolod sojourning every weekend and foreign tourists.
Facilities
Sulfur pools form the flagship attractions at Mambukal, with a public sulfur pool, the Japanese-constructed rotenburo and the Ishiwata Bath House forming the premier facility. It also includes two swimming pools and a boating lagoon, though bathing is generally allowed in the upper portions of the river and selected areas of the seven falls. Overnight accommodations area available at Mambukal, with 3 family cottages fronting the boating lagoon, 28 villas, 11 cottages, a tourist lodge and dormitory, along with a convention hall for meetings and conferences. Reservations can be made in the Provincial Tourism Office, at the
Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol
The Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol is the seat of the provincial government of Negros Occidental located at Gatuslao St., Bacolod, Philippines. Within its complex is the Capitol Park and Lagoon.
History
Before its present location, the ...
.
Located in an isolated portion of the resort is the Governor's Lodge, serving the needs of the
Governor of Negros Occidental
The governor of Negros Occidental is the local chief executive and head of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental. Along with the Governor of Negros Oriental and the Mayor of the highly urbanized city of Bacolod, he serves as one of th ...
and has served in ceremonial capacity in the past for receiving dignitaries. A caregiving and retirement facility is slated to be built in its vicinity.
Investment
Mambukal earned a total of P48.5 million in 2014,
due to the surge of tourists from nearby Asian countries like South Korea and Japan, that funded the rotenburo facility. To improve tourism viability, the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental earmarked a budget of P500 million for improvements, constructions and renovations, including the P84 million Mambukal Mountain Resort Hotel and Convention Center, to replace its ageing inn facilities.
A mini-hydro power facility projected to generate sufficient electricity for the resort and its surrounding areas has been planned since 2008.
Mambukal Falls, Murcia.JPG, One of the seven falls in Mambukal
Mambukal.jpg, One of the seven falls in Mambukal
MambukalFalls.JPG, One of the seven falls in Mambukal
Mambukal Waterfalls.jpg, One of the seven falls in Mambukal
See also
*
Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental
Salvador Benedicto, officially the Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto ( hil, Banwa sang Don Salvador Benedicto; tl, Bayan ng Don Salvador Benedicto) or simply referred to as Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), is a 4th class municipality in the pr ...
, provincial hill station and Summer Capital of Negros Occidental.
*
Baguio
Baguio ( ,
), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
, first hill station and Summer Capital of the Philippines.
External links
Mambukal Mountain Resort official website14 things To Do at Mambukal Mountain Resort
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Mountain resorts in the Philippines
Populated places in Negros Occidental
Tourist attractions in Negros Occidental