Boatmen power Pagsanjan’s adventure tourism rebound

Some local tourism workers do not just scrounge for a living, but they figuratively, as in the Psalm, "walk to the valley of the shadow of death" each day to just barely put food on the table.
One such tourism worker is Joycee Guevarra, a 41-year-old resident of Barangay Magdapio in Laguna, who has been toiling for years as a boatman taking tourists to "shoot" the rapids of Pagsanjan Falls.

Guevarra is an accredited "bangkero" or boatman of the Department of Tourism, which recently conducted the CALABARZON leg of the Philippine Experience 2023 Caravan that melds into the travel experience of heritage, culture, arts, food and wellness.

Other places visited by the Philippine Experience were the Museo ni Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite; Bakood Festival of Bacoor, Cavite; Casa San Pablo in San Pablo City; the wood carvers of Paete, Laguna; and the weavers of Lumban, Laguna, home of the famous barong Tagalogs and ternos.

For bangkeros like Guevarra, taking international and domestic tourists to the renowned Pagsanjan waterfalls in boats without outriggers may not be rewarding materially because there are now about 900 bangkeros bidding to ferry tourists. However, Guevarra said, the job gives them the satisfaction of making travelers appreciate nature more.

He said a boat can carry up to three passengers, each paying P400 for a single ride. Each boat has two boatmen or co-captains. For the P1,200 tourists pay for each trip, P400 goes to the boat owner, while the remaining P800 is split between the two boatmen.

"We're lucky if we get two trips per day and luckier if we chance upon tourists generous with their tips," Guevarra told the DAILY TRIBUNE on Monday while traversing the Magdapio River, the way to the main falls of Pagsanjan.

Halfway to the main falls is the most challenging and dangerous part of the journey, Guevarra pointed out, as they have to carry the weight of the boat and the passengers over the turbulent waters of the river.

A slip and fall into the boulders can result in serious injuries or even death, he said, but they do not mind the danger as the alternative is being jobless, like during the pandemic.
"It's really hard, but it's harder still when there are no tourists; we have nothing to feed our families, like during the pandemic."

Aside from possibly bashing their heads into the rocks, he said they constantly face the danger of the boat tipping over. He said the boat capsizing would never be acceptable to them, not just for their own safety, but more so for the tourists.

Joycee Guevarra, a veteran boatman in Pagsanjan, Laguna, exerts immense effort as he navigates the fiberglass boat, transporting three passengers to the breathtaking Pagsanjan (Cavinti) Falls. Guevarra's daily earnings of P400, along with the occasional gratuity, sustain his family's livelihood.