Masayag Water Dam Site

Overview

Masayag Water Dam Site is a natural attraction in Barangay Masayag, Guindulman, in southeastern Bohol. It is listed in the provincial tourist-attraction inventory under Nature. A local group, the Masayag Farmers’ Association, maintains a public presence around agricultural activity in the barangay, and a community-shared video documents a tilapia harvest at “Masayag Guinacot” — indicating the reservoir area supports small-scale aquaculture alongside its irrigation function, though no independent source confirms this is the same body of water as the dam site itself.

Specific details such as the dam’s dimensions, reservoir size, primary use (irrigation versus municipal water supply), visitor access, and whether swimming is permitted are not published in any dedicated tourism source; confirm these locally with the barangay or the Guindulman municipal tourism office before visiting.

Small Dams in Bohol’s Interior

Bohol’s upland barangays are dotted with small irrigation reservoirs of this kind, most built decades ago through national or provincial agriculture programs to hold rainy-season runoff for use during the dry months — the same basic function as Capayas Dam and Benliw Dam further north in neighbouring Ubay. These are working agricultural structures rather than purpose-built tourist sites, and their appeal to visitors, where it exists, is generally a byproduct of the reservoir’s calm water and hillside setting rather than anything designed in from the start. Masayag fits that pattern: a farming barangay’s water infrastructure that occasionally functions as a scenic stop rather than a scenic stop that happens to hold water.

The Farming Economy Around It

The Masayag Farmers’ Association’s visible activity in the barangay, and the community video documenting a tilapia harvest in the nearby “Masayag Guinacot” area, point to a reservoir that supports both irrigated crop farming and small-scale freshwater aquaculture — two uses that commonly share the same impounded water in rural Bohol, with farmers stocking a reservoir’s margins with tilapia fingerlings as a secondary income stream on top of its main irrigation role. That combination, more than any postcard view, is the practical reason the dam exists and the reason it continues to be maintained by the community around it rather than by a tourism agency.

Location

Barangay Masayag, Guindulman, Bohol. Guindulman is a municipality on the southeastern coast of Bohol, approximately 75 km from Tagbilaran City via the coastal highway.

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, travel east via Jagna to Guindulman — approximately 2 hours by bus or van. The exact distance and road condition from Guindulman poblacion to Barangay Masayag are not confirmed; ask locally in Guindulman for current directions and road conditions before heading out.

Practical Info

• Currency: PHP
• Language: Cebuano, Filipino, English
• Operating hours, entry fee, on-site facilities, and management contact details are not consistently published; confirm current information locally with the barangay or the Guindulman municipal tourism office before your visit.

What to Expect

A dam and reservoir site in an upland barangay setting. Guindulman municipality also has coastal attractions including Basdio Marine Sanctuary and Guindulman Bay Area, making a combined itinerary possible.

Whether there is designated swimming access, a picnic area, and how the surrounding vegetation and water volume vary by season are not documented; check locally before planning activities around the reservoir.

Reservoirs like this one carry a real stewardship responsibility for the farmers who depend on them: silting, deforestation upstream, and unmanaged runoff can all shorten a small dam’s useful life, which is part of why farmers’ associations in barangays like Masayag typically take an active role in the surrounding land rather than leaving watershed care to a distant agency. Visiting respectfully — not disturbing fish stock, not leaving litter near the water’s edge — matters more here than at a purely recreational lake, given the reservoir’s working role in the barangay’s food supply.

Notes

• Listed in BPTO inventory under Nature / Nature
• Guindulman is also accessed via Jagna port for visitors coming by sea

Masayag Farmers’ Association | Guindulman, accessed 2026-07-17.