5 ways Lio Beach Festival 2019 went beyond music and celebrated the environment

Set in breathtaking El Nido, Palawan on March 21-24, the third Lio Beach Festival delivered on its promise of putting the environment front and center on all four days of the festival.

There was great music, of course, but with thrust on sustainable tourism, zero waste and community involvement, the Lio Beach Fest also lined up activities geared towards increasing awareness on conservation, sustainability, and waste management among guests. 

Below, we list five ways it delivered on its promise.

1. Tours on offer informed guests of nature's beauty and importance

As it has always done since its inception in 2017, Lio Beach Fest this year started with hikes to Paradise Falls and a tour of the Dewil River Mangroves, to celebrate the International Day of Forests (IDF) on March 21 and World Water Day (WWD) on March 22.

According to Jamie Anne Dichaves, Sustainability and Pollution Control Officer of Lio Tourism Estate, the tours are chosen based on available resources and how well the sites are able to showcase the core message of the festival (protection of forest and water resources), and community reception.

“In the past, I chose sites which needed cleaning and are only adjacent to the Estate. We had a bigger budget this year thanks to the sponsorships so this allowed us to bring people out,” she shared to GMA News Online. 

Dewil River Mangrove Tour. Photo by Jeb Alvarez courtesy of Lio Tourism Estate

Guests who signed up for the Dewil mangrove tour had a glimpse of El Nido’s lush mangrove forest. The 4.6 km-river cruise ran for about an hour, past thick and tangled mangroves amid the chirping of birds and the gentle lapping of water against the boat. Participants were enlightened on the importance of such an ecosystem and ways on how we can conserve them. A boodle-fight-style lunch punctuated the tour.

Those who opted for the one-hour, 1.3 km-hike to Paradise Falls were rewarded with a refreshing dip at one of the few waterfalls in El Nido that do not run dry during the summer. Participants were then reminded of the various threats to our water systems and what we can do to save them, most especially now that our country is in the midst of a water crisis.

2. Sustainability talks featured experts dishing out practical advice

A series of sustainability talks was introduced in this year’s festival. There were four 1-hour talks featuring environmental educators and local artists on topics ranging from sustainable tourism to recycling.

Francisco "Paco" Guerrero of Grid Magazine shared his thoughts on how travel can be a powerful tool in the conservation of cultures and the environment, while the passionate duo of Jessa Garibay and Karina Reyes-Antonio, founders of Centre for Sustainability PH (CS), discussed biodiversity conservation.

The ladies put up CS to contribute to the establishment of protected areas through the integration of conservation, livelihood, and education.

The second day of lectures had Kaila Ledesma-Trebol and Dave Albao of Sea Waste Education to Eradicate Plastics (SWEEP) talk about the Zero Waste lifestyle, while Engr. Rommel Benig of Green Antz, a company using shredded plastics to create building materials, spoke about recycling and upcycling. 

3. There were activities lined up that connected you back to yourself and to nature 

Art workshops and yoga sessions by the beach were lined up to help guests reconnect back to themselves and to nature.

Photo by Ten Knots Philippines courtesy of Lio Tourism Estate

“We want to be able to give people better means of connecting with themselves and nature, as well as help them express themselves in a more constructive manner,” Ms. Dichaves says of the art workshops that were on offer during Lio Beach Fest.

Lio Beach Festival gathered artists from diverse backgrounds to conduct art workshops like the Sirena Filipina Collective, artists behind Lio Tourism Estate's impressive murals; Sibaltan Women Weavers Association Inc. (SWWAI),  craftswomen from El Nido; Mario Lubrico - the former artist-in-residence of Puerto Princesa's Kamarikutan and advocate of Indigenous People's Art; and Art on the Move’s Mia Almorfe who conducted calligraphy and watercolor workshops.

Meanwhile, a two-day sunset yoga session lead by Gia Querubin of Sunset Flow Sessions made the participants feel one with nature with stunning Lio beach and Palawan’s signature limestone cliffs as backdrop.

4. A visit to the weekend market

Lio has been doing a monthly market pop-up but this year, they've turned it into a weekend staple "to maximize the benefits for the SMEs, as well as add a little something to weekends in Lio,” Dichaves said.

A vendor selling local delicacies at the market. Photo by Ten Knots courtesy of Lio Tourism Estate

During the Beach Fest, organizers gathered merchants from other parts of Palawan to sell native delicacies and traditional crafts.

During the festival there was a booth from Kalye Artisano, Kubo by PIOPIO, Honey's Homemade Cheese and Yogurt, Best Honey (cosmetics in reusable non-plastic containers), Farmbihira (chili jellies and other farm produce), Ara Pilak, Rurungan sa Tubod, and Astella.ph.

5. Great music as backdrop to Earth Hour

No beach festival is complete without music and Lio Beach Fest certainly delivered, with artists and performers from Palawan and Manila like This Band, Mojofly, Cheats, Kawangis ng Tribu, and El nido's Mike & Lyka headlining the event.

Mojofly. Photo by Patricia Laririt courtesy of Lio Tourism Estate

But the music festival only served as backdrop to the more important celebration of Earth Hour.

During the one-hour lights-out period, festival goers were treated to a mesmerizing series of high-impact contemporary light performances by Alab LED Poi Dancers. I couldn’t help but utter a string of “ooohhs” and “ahhhs” after each exhilarating sequence.

Alab during Earth Hour. Photo by Patricia Laririt courtesy of Lio Tourism Estate

The Music Fest x Earth Hour’s hosts Riki Flores and Jerom Yamat kept reminding the audience to manage their waste and smoke only in designated areas, with the organizers happily reporting that they collected few trash and zero cigarette butts within the grounds. They couldn't believe it themselves! — LA, GMA News