MANILA, Philippines?There we stood?a motley assemblage of writers, photographers, mountaineers, soldiers, medical teams, politicians and television folk?sweaty and sore, but mostly in awe. As the remaining members of our group staggered up the lava-coated boulders of Camp One?s delicate slopes, the groans and grunts were hushed into silence, and exhaustion gave way to pure, unbridled exhilaration: We had just climbed a volcano so bewitching that the elders speak of two legends behind it?one borne of beauty, and the other of wrath.

Considered one of the most perfect and most dangerous volcanoes in the world, Mt. Mayon is hauntingly beautiful, even in slumber.

JB Añonuevo, a strapping mountaineer from Legazpi and Philippine Everest team member, said not a lot of Filipinos climbed Albay?s famous peak. Unlike foreigners, Filipinos are mostly afraid of weather conditions, combined with the perpetual threat of an eruption. Mayon last spewed fire in 2006, and until now, huge stones of lava lie steaming near its base. Even as we climbed, Mayon was under Alert Level 1, although we were assured that an eruption was unlikely.

For Ricardo Dy, 76, known in Bicol as the Father of Mayon, storms and explosions are at most, inconveniences. The spunky senior has been scaling the volcano since 1954 and had once climbed through an actual eruption. In all, he?s reached Mayon?s crater more than 400 times, and had carved out most of the trails that lead to the summit, including the one we took from Buyugan.

?The climb to Camp One is actually very easy,? Legazpi councilor Cerilo Chan told us as we stood wheezing, 5, 742 feet away from the crater. ?It?s for kids.?

And before any of us sedentary Manileños could protest, we remember that Daniel Yuchencgco, 7, and Benjamin Roy, 12, had zoomed past us on the trek?beating us all out to the top. We also remember that the Father of Mayon?s last summit climb was in 2002?when he was all of 70 years old.

In truth, the three-hour commune with greens, rock and earth under a pensive blue sky to Mayon?s Camp One?2, 500 feet above sea level?is nothing short of incredible. Upon reaching camp, any regrets coagulated while traipsing through the volcano?s winding arteries immediately dissipate?especially upon discovering the world?s sweetest-tasting water trickling down its gentle slopes. Especially if a pot of native chicken boiled in gata appears magically from someone?s pack.

Bantay Kalikasan, under Managing Director Gina Lopez, has partnered up with the province?s local government leaders to promote Mt. Mayon, among the region?s other natural yet often neglected wealth of resources for ecotourism.

?It?s been my personal conviction that our country?s natural resources can help alleviate poverty,? Lopez shared, speaking with the same resolve that has incontestably made her media giant ABS-CBN?s social and environmental conscience. ?Bicol has some of the most spectacular natural wonders in the country, yet it remains one of the poorest regions. It?s just a matter of making people understand that they should take care of their environment, for example, that dolphins are more valuable to them alive than dead.?

The outstanding transformation of Sorsogon?s Donsol into a self-sustaining, ecotourism hub has become Bantay Kalikasan?s working model for all ecotourism ventures. The small town, whose shores teem with the friendly butandings or whale sharks every summer, operates whale-watching tours to groups of seven for P3,500 per boat?enough to feed a family of five for nearly a week. Donsol sees a 110 percent increase in tourist arrivals each season?so much in fact, that Karina Escudero, project manager for ecotourism in Region Five, says the town?s 66 rooms could no longer accommodate the volume.

With the majestic Mt. Mayon proven accessible even to jelly-kneed non-mountaineers, Legazpi may now begin to partake of Donsol?s tourist surplus. The city has two other attractions open: the Lingñon Hill, which looks out to Mayon and conceals in its belly a 1940?s Japanese-built tunnel for arms and ammunitions, and the Underwater Tunnel, which, also built by Japanese soldiers in hiding, hums of history, hunger, death and bat wings.

?There have been a lot of misconceptions about ecotourism. Some people think the product just needs to have something to do with nature. In fact, ecotourism must comply with world standards, which means that first, the environment must be protected and resources must not be degraded. Second, the visitors must be directly involved in the experience: it must be educational and participative. And third, it must be self-sustaining and community-based. It should benefit as much people in the community as possible,? Escudero, who is mainly responsible for launching the ecotourism program in Donsol, explained. ?Right now, Bantay Kalikasan is working on making good ecotourism packages for Mt. Mayon and other areas in the region.?

For U.P. Mountaineers Jay-Ar Caranto and Nan Enriquez though, the equation is tricky. Even during the Mayon climb, a palpable disregard for cleanliness was observed: candy wrappers and plastic bags littered the site, and the sheer number of people trampling through the trail seemed to do more damage than good.

?They must look into doing low-impact climbs.? Caranto observed. ?If stress isn?t reduced and cleanliness isn?t emphasized, they will destroy Mt. Mayon, just like what happened to Mt. Apo.?

The prospect is chilling, yet not unnatural. For impoverished towns ravaged by storms and volcanic eruptions left and right, who can stop people from running out and tweaking ecotourism rules a bit, so long as money comes in?

?The goal is to wake people up and tell them that natural resource is their wealth,? Escudero stated. ?We can do really well in ecotourism if we understand it. All it takes is one outsider to tell people: ?Wow, you have fireflies in your backyard. You are rich.? People just don?t realize how lucky they are. There?s a place in Guiaanoon, where the people have waterfall springs, edible ferns and gabi leaves right there in their Robinson Crusoe type island. They don?t understand when I tell them, ?That?s wealth.??

Karina continued to explain how Bantay Kalikasan is committed to keeping everything natural, using Boracay as the best example of what ?not to do.?

?People don?t want to travel around the world just to see another concrete jungle,? She pointed out. ?The ideal formula is low-tech, low-cost and low impact, which is perfect for the Philippines: Our wealth lies in our being third-world.?

Bantay Kalikasan?s partnership with Region Five is in its infancy. There is much work to be done: mindsets to change, tour guides to be trained and natural phenomena to keep uncemented. Still, the local government is excited. Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal speaks of a ?very bright future in tourism,? led by a P1.6 billion investment going into the building of ?The Embarcadero,? a huge strip of malls, hotels, call centers, restaurants, bars, spas and specialty shops right beside the sea.

Now whether it is this or the mountain climbing that will bring in the greater chunk of tourists, I have no idea. But there, gazing up at the sky within the folds of Mayon?s navel, breathing in the ancient energies of the earth?s womb, and sensing the restless, heaving crux of her volatile beauty, sweeping above the world and all its little inanities, I knew one thing: I was coming back for the crater. With ginataang manok inside my pack.