With the rebound of Laguna province’s tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic, serious concerns have been raised about the issues of “overtourism” and its potential impacts to the province’s natural resources.
One particular area of concern is the famed “hot spring resorts” near the foot of Mount Makiling in Barangay Pansol, Calamba City and the town of Los Baños.
This, as a group of researchers from the University of the Philippines – Los Baños campus (UPLB) noted that most of these resorts draw their water from groundwater resources in Mount Makiling.
According to the researchers, led by Dr. Margaret Calderon, the rapid growth in resorts has significantly impacted groundwater resources due to the wasteful use of water by many resorts.
In a study titled “Groundwater Use of the Resort-based Industry in Laguna, Philippines,” Calderon’s team found that while most resorts check for leaks as part of their conservation efforts, only a few reuse wastewater from pools for landscaping or treat used pool water for reuse.
The researchers also added that many resorts, especially private ones, discharge used pool water directly into the streets, and most of them lack proper filtration or wastewater treatment systems.
Willingness to pay
One solution Calderon’s team sees is the implementation of a so-called “water user fee” for the use of resorts in Calamba City and Los Baños.
This, as another study that was published in the April 2025 issue of the Philippine Journal of Science noted that visitors are generally willing to pay extra to ensure the conservation of groundwater resources in Mount Makiling.
The study, “Potential Contribution of Tourism for Groundwater Conservation in Mt. Makiling, Philippines,” pointed out that local tourists’ willingness to pay (WTP) an additional fee for resorts in Calamba City and Los Baños, Laguna could generate up to P159.2 million that can be used for groundwater resources.
Using an online contingent valuation (CV) survey, the researchers assessed the tourists’ awareness of water sources in Calamba and Los Baños and their willingness to pay for improved groundwater conservation.
Based on the study, a mean WTP of P75 was estimated. The water user fee can serve as an environmental fee that would be charged on top of existing resort entrance fees.
The mean WTP was calculated from a model with bid amounts of P0, P10, P20, P30, P40, P50, P60, P70, P80, P100, P120, P140, P150, P160, P180, and P200 presented to the respondents of the study.
By multiplying the mean P75 by the three-year average number of resort visitors in Calamba, which has around 2,015,124 visitors per year, and 111,821 visitors per year for Los Baños, resort-based industries can generate up to P151.13 million and P8.39 million per year, respectively.
“Conserving natural water resources, such as groundwater, is critical not only for human survival but also for the health of ecosystems that sustain life. As a researcher, I see water not just as a resource to be used, but as part of a larger natural system (like Mount Makiling) that regulates and renews it,” Dr. Vanessa M. Palma-Torres, one of the researchers, said.
(With report from the Philippine Information Agency)
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