DAVAO CITY (September 3) — Arakan is rewriting its story—from a place once feared to a destination now drawing visitors for its waterfalls, forests, caves and Indigenous culture.
“Dati, ang Arakan kinatatakutan; ngayon, hinahanap na ang Arakan,” Mayor Jeam Villasor said, capturing the municipality’s transformation and its growing ambition to make tourism a driver of local livelihoods.
The municipality has been opening more destinations, including Matigol Falls and Epol Falls, along with resorts, pools, forest reserves and scenic landscapes. Villasor said Arakan ranked eighth among the country’s most visited municipalities in 2021.
But for Arakan, the bigger story is not just visitor numbers.
It is what tourism can do for the people who live there.
The local government has trained and organized tourist guides from various barangays, including members of Indigenous communities who are now earning from guiding visitors.
“Dati walang trabaho sila, pero ngayon nagkaroon tayo ng mga ino-open nating turismo,” Villasor said.
Trail running and other outdoor activities have also begun bringing visitors from outside the municipality, including international travelers looking for new terrain and nature-based experiences.
Turning attractions into livelihoods
Arakan’s tourism potential, however, remains constrained by a familiar problem: access.
Villasor acknowledged that roads and tourism infrastructure need major improvements, particularly in remote barangays where some of the municipality’s attractions are located.
The local government is working to open roads to these areas and seeking additional government support to make destinations more accessible.
The stakes are high. Better access could mean more visitors—and more opportunities for communities to earn from guiding, transport, food, accommodation and other tourism-related services.
But development also brings a responsibility to protect what attracts visitors in the first place.
When culture becomes part of the journey
In Sitio Inamong, Barangay Datu Ladayun, the Ubo Manobo community is ensuring that tourism does not come at the expense of cultural identity.
Children are being taught traditional dances and indigenous handicraft-making as elders pass knowledge to the next generation.
Sario Bangcas Dionog, clan head of the Mandiala Clan of the Ubo Manobo, said the lessons are meant to keep their traditions alive.
“Ginatrain namo ang mga bata aron dili nila malimtan sa mga mosunod nga panahon ang among kultura,” Dionog said.
At Matigol Falls, visitors are welcomed not only to see the scenery but also to encounter the community and its way of life.
For the Ubo Manobo, this creates an opportunity to share a culture that has been preserved across generations while giving younger members a reason to value and continue it.
A destination with a different story
Arakan’s tourism push is ultimately about more than putting attractions on a map.
It is about creating work where there were few opportunities, giving communities a stake in protecting their natural resources, and allowing Indigenous people to share their culture on their own terms.
“Suportahan natin ang turismo,” Villasor said.
The municipality still has roads to build, facilities to improve and communities to prepare for a growing tourism industry.
But the narrative has already begun to change.
Arakan is no longer simply a place people pass by—or fear.
