April-June 2010 Issue no. 42
www.haribon.org.ph
The best of Philippine biodiversity
Biodiversity is Life Biodiversity is Our Life
Haring Ibon The best of Philippine biodiversity
A quarterly magazine on biodiversity conservation by the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Inc.
As Haribon’s media partner for creating public awareness on biodiversity conservation, The Manila Times generously provides Haribon a regular opinion column and free space for feature stories and announcements. Read the “Only in the Philippines” endemic species feature every Monday, “Haribon Corner” every Tuesday, “Nature for Life” column every Saturday and the Green Revolution page every Sunday.
Haring Ibon is intended for its members, staff, networks and the general public. Its pages aim to heighten awareness and appreciation of our fragile ecosystems and threatened species, and how our ways - from national policies to individual lifestyles - impact on these. Analyses, views, researches, community stories and photo essays hope to offer a reader-friendly resource. EDITORIAL BOARD Anabelle E. Plantilla Blas Troy R. Tabaranza Jr. Noel A. Resurreccion Christine G. Cenal Belinda dela Paz Mithi Laya S. Gonzales Je-el C. Ong Mike Edrial EDITORIAL TEAM Managing Editor Layout & Design CONTRIBUTORS
Aira Simon Ryan G. Palacol Alyansa Tigil Mina Ma. Victoria A. Boncayao Dymphna Chairmaine Deguito Aizan Joy Q. Hingpit Pedro J. Martinez Weng Matabang Don Geoff E. Tabaranza Conrado Vargas
CIRCULATION Membership Lyn Urriza Networks, Corporate Partners and Donors Christine G. Cenal General Public Yasmin Ponce
Haribon is the BirdLife International partner in the Philippines and a World Conservation Union member.
Haring Ibon is registered with the National Library Bibliographic Services Division, ISSN No. 0117-1259. Philippine Copyright © by Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Inc. with the national office located at 2/F Santos and Sons Bldg., 973 Aurora Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City, 1109 Philippines; Tel. (632) 434-4642 / 911-6089; Fax: (632) 434-4696; www.haribon. org.ph; E-mail: communication@haribon.org.ph. We welcome contributions in the form of articles, photographs, artworks and letters to the editor. The opinions and views expressed by the writers and artists do not necessarily reflect the official views of Haribon and its partners or donors. For contributions and advertisements, membership and donations, call Haribon at 911-6089.
Inside
Vol.42 5
The 40th Earth Day Celebration
15
By Anabelle E. Plantilla
8
a spaniard in mindanao
10
Bamboo Production
13
revitalization of mining industry By Alyansa Tigil Mina
By Pedro J. Martinez By Aira Simon
Giant pitcher plant discovered in central palawan By Don Geoff E. Tabaranza
19
a worthwhile journey from manleluag to kitanglad
By Weng Matabang
22
intervention in reina
24
a straight walk along a crooked road
By Conrado Vargas
By Ma. Victoria Patricia A. Boncayao
27
not just a graduate, but also a champion By Dymphna Chairmaine Deguito & Aizan Joy Q. Hingpit
33 A DAY IN A LIFE 3 Voices & Numbers 4 Gift Trees 30 people & events 34 Membership 36 Punong Pinoy Series
Photo by Elvira Arnuco
bamboo potting
message
from the Chief Operating Officer
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he United Nations (UN) launched 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). BirdLife International welcomes this UN decision to focus on biodiversity. But CEO Dr. Marco Lambertini shows a clear paradox. “On one hand the value of our natural ecosystem has never been better recognized, and on the other hand the destruction of our habitats has never been faster and the threats to biodiversity never been greater!” Added to this absurdity, he says “we have also never been more aware of our own impact on environment, yet we have not found a way to convert knowledge, awareness and recognition into actions and into responsibilities for the planet.” Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, reminds us in his message that “the world leaders in 2002 during the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed to substantially reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Now, we know already that the biodiversity target will not be met”. It’s now 2010, and “because biodiversity is still rapidly declining, it’s clear that we have missed the target!”, says Dr. Lambertini. He suggests that our message to the world when CBD meets for the Conference of Parties 10 in Japan in October 2010 should be: “Let us not fail them again! Let’s commit to real binding targets to achieve real change.” Ban
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Ki-moon adds: “We need new vision and new effort. Business as usual is not an option!” Biodiversity loss and vanishing ecosystems are easily appreciated in the Phili ppines. We have so many unique species that are critically threatened because their habitats are rapidly declining. But because our lives depend on biodiversity and the ecosystems, the signal is clear – we are in trouble! Just remember Ondoy and Pepeng,and you understand what we mean. Let’s respond to the call of the UN Secretary General to join hands together to protect life on earth. After all “Biodiversity is Life. Biodiversity is our Life”.
Blas R. Tabaranza, Jr. Chief Operating Officer Haribon Foundation
numbers
15
new species of mammals have been described since 1998 up to the present. Heaney et al. 2010/www. fieldmuseum.org/ Philippine_Mammals
58
mammals species are either ‘threatened’ or ‘near-threatened’. World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List 2008
2010 is International Year of Biodiversity, how can you thank nature for providing us with life’s essentials? “We can thank nature by respecting it and by nurturing it. We have little choice - this is the world we are living in so let’s leave it in better condition for our children than when we received it from our forefathers. Nature is a wonderful creation - enjoy it, thank it, and nurture it!”
Michael Hansson, haribon member
79 percent of the 104 amphibians are endemic to the country. World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List 2010
92 threatened bird species; ranked 5th place among the top ten countries with threatened birds. Birdlife, 2010
159 endemic birds with the most endemics found in Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas. Koch et al., 2010
2 new species (name of species) and 1 subspecies of water monitor lizard recently described in the Philippines. Birdlife, 2010
“Give back what we have received from Mother Nature, replenish what we have taken and encourage everyone else to do the same.”
Azea Valdez, haribon member “Nature has given us everything. Yet what have we done in return? We have defaced, destroyed and abused nature for our own selfish ends. This 2010, we can show our gratitude by not being apathetic about matters concerning nature, by making a stand and preserving nature for generations to come”
Florence Zapico, haribon member “By singing songs of gratitude to Mother Nature. I write songs about environmental protection and awareness and perform them with the Kaya Green Band, which I cofounded with Bob K and the Kaya Shaman in 1996. The Kaya natural anthem is entitled: “Alamin”
Rudy Abu , haribon member “The simple act of keeping a small candy wrapper in your pocket until you find a trash can is like thanking nature in your own simple way. Planting trees in your backyard and recycling stuff are like giving back a “thank you” to nature.”
“Those who want to “take care” of nature must connect with other individuals and institutions who share this advocacy. We can thank nature by joining organizations like Haribon. At the end of the day, caring for the environment is caring for ourselves and for one another.”
Vic Arguelles, haribon member “I can thank nature by learning its various make up and how it contributes toward the balance of life on earth. This way we can appreciate its various facets, identify how we can help preserve it and begin to love God’s creation more.”
Ed Chavez, haribon member “There are hundreds of little ways to show our gratitude to Mother Nature. If each person would conscientiously practice even only a handful of things, these can go a long way. I always try to think in simple and practical terms - nothing that’s hard to do or would cost money.”
Ruth Medford, haribon member “I believe I can show my appreciation by doing what I can in promoting good stewardship of the blessings God provides through nature, as well as by striving to keep a lifestyle with a symbiotic relationship with the environment. Such actions, though simple and small, will start a domino effect that can help make our Earth - with its multitude shapes of life pulsing within - a pleasing home for uncountable generations to come.”
Geraldine Carpizo, haribon member
Quojie Pearl Madarang, haribon member
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Give Gift Trees
PhP100 plants one seedling. Be part of the solution. With every tree planted, the beat of life continues. Global problems may be big but they can be tackled by individual actions. Each of us can do something about our degraded environment — from forests to the seas. Planting a native tree alleviates climate change and more importantly, it nurtures back to full health our natural ecoysystems. Natural ecosystems (i.e forests, mangroves, coral reefs), which embrace everything you can lay your eyes upon, provide the very basics for life. We use nature’s products everyday (water, food, medicine, materials for clothing, shelter, commerical and industrial goods). Its services make it possible for us to stay alive: an intact forest prevents flood, filter our air and water, harbors watersheds, locks up large amounts of carbon released in the air; rivers and oceans are sources of fish we eat; mangroves nurse fish, prawns, crabs and shrimps and
are also our natural barriers against rising sea level, strong wave surges and storms. Over the past 20 years, our forests have been destroyed through deforestation (roughly 100,000-150,000 has/year) and in doing so, we have risked our own quality of life, gambled with the stability of the climate and local weather, threatened the existence of other species and undermined the forests’ valuable products and ecological services. For a donation of Php100 per Gift Tree, you can support our tree planting activities. Any occasion, when you give a gift to plant native trees, you’ll delight your loved ones. A gift that endures a lifetime and helps make a lasting difference now and for future generations. Your gift directly benefits Haribon’s ROAD to 2020, a campaign that aims to plant native trees to restore 1 million hectares of forests in the Philippines by year 2020. Our forest restoration activities are in our project sites and watershed areas in Luzon and Mindanao. You are welcome to plant your seedlings with us. The survival of each ecosystem means the survival of everything in our planet, including us.
Plant Native Trees. Restore Our Forests. Join the ROAD to 2020 campaign! Visit www.haribon.org.ph for frequently asked questions. I want to donate and adopt seedlings now! _____ 200 Pesos = 2 seedling _____ 400 Pesos = 4 seedlings _____ 600 Pesos = 6 seedlings _____ 1,000 Pesos = 10 seedlings _____ 1,200 Pesos = 12 seedlings _____ 1,400 Pesos = 14 seedlings _____ 1,800 Pesos = 18 seedlings _____ 2,000 Pesos = 20 seedlings
To order, please fill-up this form and mail to Haribon Foundation, 2/F Santos & Sons Bldg., 973 Aurora Blvd., Cubao, Quezon City. For more details, visit to www. haribon.org.ph or call 434.4642 or email act@haribon. org.ph.
Date: ______________ Name: __________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________
______________________________________________ I will donate: (pls. specify) ________Pesos = _______seedlings Landline: ________________Mobile No: _________________ I will join the tree planting activity. Fax No:______________ E-mail: _______________________ I will not join the tree planting activity.
My Gift Trees for:
working with people
The 40 Earth Day Celebration th
By Anabelle E. Plantilla
Above: bj forbes, haribon’s junior ambassador; angelou de leon, Exhibit guest; theresa mundita lim, Protected areas and wildlife bureau (pawb) director; matthieu penot, european union’s environment & sustainable development officer; and eurick evardone, haribon’s junior ambassador officially openned the haribon’s exhibit through ribbon cutting ceremony.
Photos by haribon
C
elebrated worldwide, the 40th Earth Day held on April 22, is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The green celebration was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970. Our partner, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) has been home to Earth Day activities since 2005. Through the years, CCP has staged a kaleidoscope of artistic events such as installation art, interpretative dance, music and short films. This year's theme is "Luntiang Lungsod, Luntiang Sining" which showcased a variety of activities that took place at the CCP. An early morning bikathon was held at the grounds led by child star, BJ Forbes, who has been promoting Haribon's cause for the past 5 years! BJ's environmental awareness and knowledge has grown through the years. This year, he is also CCP's Earth Day "face", enjoining young people like him to be aware
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of the need to protect the environment and do small acts for Mother Earth. BJ later joined the human mural where hundreds of people came in different colored shirts to form the Earth Day logo. Immediately after the human mural, we all rushed towards the shoreline at the back of the CCP to watch poetry on water wherein verses about the environment, written on flimsy cloth, were paraded by various dragon boat teams along Manila Bay. Maan Hontiveros delivered a short but very educational and hands-on lecture about zero waste management. Being a practitioner herself, she demonstrated how to make compost out of kitchen waste which she said has driven away the cockroaches from her house. To showcase earth-friendly activities, the Caliraya Water Hyacinth and Pandan weavers, a women's organization based within the confines of the Caliraya Watershed in Laguna,
working with people displayed their crafts (bags, slippers and the like) made from water lily. The women demonstrated their skills in turning the "plant pest" into works of beauty and function. Some visitors even tried their hand in making slippers. Their group was organized by the National Power Corporation, the government agency that manages Caliraya Watershed. Aside from this organization, it has also helped form other peoples organizations in Caliraya to champion environmental protection and showcase that livelihood can be derived from nature. Incidentally, the Caliraya watershed provides a portion of Metro Manila's power supply from the hydroelectricity it generates. Hydroelectric power is one of the cleanest and cheapest forms of energy. Thus, it is very important for us to leave our forests standing and not cut them down. Other crafts like hats made from non-timber forest products and recycled items were also featured that day.
ube, sago, bilo-bilo and camote cooked in fresh coconut milk is a very good way to explain biodiversity. The more ingredients, the better it tastes. The absence of one ingredient renders this popular gustatory delight unsatisfactory. I also remember the home-made peanut butter which never lasted for more than 2 days! In the afternoon, Haribon opened its European Commissionsupported exhibit entitled "Ibalik nag Kalikasan, Itanim ang Kinabukasan" which featured more than a dozen photo panels highlighting the importance of biodiversity in our everyday lives. Biodiversity is the totality of life forms and has three levels: genes, species and ecosystems. The United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity and has aggressively promoted biodiversity and its protection. Biodiversity provides us everything we need to survive: food, clean water and air, medicines, shelter and a lot of ecological services like climate modification that we cannot even accurately value. "Itanim Mo" was the call that was engraved in each of the photo panels. It is an urgent plea for us to restore our forests that is our life support system. We should always keep biodiversity close to our hearts for without it our stomachs will be empty, our minds bereft of the knowledge and wonders
“We should always keep biodiversity in our hearts...”
below (left-right): Matthieu penot delivers an opening remarks; the participants receiving information, education and communication (IEC) materials and writing their wishes on leaves; and guests viewing the exhibit panels.
What is an event without food. The restaurants in nearby Harbor Square featured at least one dish in their menus that was slow-cooked. "Back to the basics," said Chris Millado who was in charge of CCP's Earth Day activities this year. And so these slow-cooked food brought back childhood memories when there were less junk food and more of the simple fare that was lovingly and painstakingly prepared by my grandmother and mother. Ginataan, a medley of saging na saba, gabi,
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that nature brings and our spirit dead because of the absence of the essence of life itself. That evening, I rushed to the Green ReFashion contest held in SM Marikina which featured 24 designs made from scrap materials and recyclable items. Organized by CPM Events Management the event promotes the need to re-use, reduce and recycle materials. Young designers from La Salle College International, School of Fashion and the Art, FEU College of Fine Arts and the Technological University of the Philippines participated. The apparel were all wearable and looked brand new! Funds raised from this event were donated to Haribon's ROAD to 2020 Campaign, its flagship forest restoration campaign. Child actress Bea Binene graced the event. Like BJ Forbes, Bea is always present in Haribon events actively promoting and advocating that we are all responsible in protecting our natural home. Earth Day should be like Christmas; it should be celebrated everyday. During Christmas, we exchange gifts; during Earth Day, we give the gift of life.
above (counter clockwise from top): the napocor officers lined-up to pose with the haribon’s exhibit; Angelou de leon and her friend hanging their leaves; BJ forbes and his friends hanging thier leaves also; and anabelle e. plantilla, haribon’s organizational sustainability group director, Director Theresa mundita Lim, matthieu penot and alejandro flores, haribon’s board of trustee member.
About the author Anabelle E. Plantilla is Haribon’s Director for the Organizational Sustainability Group. For comments or inquiries you may email her at: orgsus@haribon.org.ph
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A Spaniard in Mindanao By Pedro J. Martinez
Above (left-right): Pedro poses with the community in Surigao del Sur; and Pedro with KAAMPAKA, a People’s Organization of Fisherfolks.
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he landing was somewhat rough. The clattering of the plane’s wheels after making contact with the damaged runway, made me realize that I had just arrived in Butuan and that the end of that tri p was just the beginning of a new adventure. Well, I was only partially right since that was not the end of the tri p. I still had 5 hours of unpaved roads before reaching our final destination, the place where I was going to spend the next 7 months of my life; the not-soknown city called Tandag, in Surigao del Sur.
Photos by haribon
Oh, forgive me please. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Pedro Martinez, and even though it sounds Fili pino, I am not Pinoy. I came from Valencia, Spain. But do not panic, I am not another colonizer; I am just a scholar from the Spanish Government who was given the chance of doing his on-the-job-training (OJT) in a conservation and development project in the Phili ppines. I studied economic development in college, and then I was assigned as an intern in the Spanish nongovernment organization (NGO) “Cives Mundi”,
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to help them with their project in Surigao del Sur, from August 2009 until the end of April 2010. The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), through Cives Mundi, was the funding agency of the Governance and Local Development for Endangered (GOLDEN) Landscapes and Seascapes Project, which was fully designed and implemented by Haribon Foundation. The project aim is to protect from abusive practices, the endangered tropical rainforests, mangroves and coastal areas of Surigao del Sur, specifically Mount Hilong-hilong and Diwata ranges, as well as the marine ecosystems of Lanuza Bay. When I arrived in Tandag with Anabelle Plantilla— Haribon’s project manager, and Borja Serrador— Cives Mundi’s regional coordinator to Asia, I was first introduced to the site staff and then we started a meeting where the project was discussed in detail. I still remember the feeling I got back then: I did not understand anything at all. Words like “barangay”, “purok”, “P.O.”, “DENR”, “MENRO”, and “bantay-
working with people dagat” sounded like Chinese to me. However, only two months after that, I was using them when talking as if I had been doing it since I was born. My terms of reference with Cives Mundi were to assist Haribon in the implementation of the livelihood component of the project, and to act as a link between the two NGOs. Since the regional coordinator went back to the regional office in Cambodia, I became the only expatriate from my NGO in the Phili ppines. I spent the first three months visiting the four communities we were working with and joining all the meetings and activities that I could, in order to understand the project thoroughly. During that time, and thanks to Noel Resurreccion— Haribon’s Site Action Manager, and the four community organizers, I got to meet all the stakeholders of the project from members of the People’s Organizations (POs) to mayors and politicians,and also became familiar with the Fili pino culture and values – key factors to understand why and how some issues could have a big impact on the project outcome. After that learning period, I started to work in the livelihood component of the project until the end of my stay.
“...thanking all my colleagues and friends from Haribon for giving me the chance to become one of the green heroes who protect nature, and preserve life.”
I have very good memories of the time I spent with the community. I remember now that discussion we had with the members of Kadagatan Ampingan Pagmata Katawhan (KAAMPAKA), an organization of fisherfolk that patrols voluntarily the Marine Sanctuary of Barangay Burgos in the Munici pality of Cortes. They were conveying to us that they were afraid because some illegal fishers were armed with
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harpoons and had threatened the volunteer guardians when they tried to apprehend them. So they asked us for guns. We told them that the solution was not to provide them with guns to deter the illegal fishers from entering the sanctuary. The solution is to address the needs of those who need to steal or do other illegal activities in order to survive, and also to increase the local government’s involvement in the patrolling activities and to get support from the police as well. The discussion went on until the sun started to set in the horizon, transforming its beams into twilight, just before the night fell. It was indeed a great talk, and a great sunset. Another nice memory that I will always treasure is the time I spent in Sitio Ebuan,in the munici pality of Lanuza. Sitio Ebuan is located in the mountains,and you need a 40-minute ride on a habal-habal to get there since the road cannot accommodate four-wheeled vehicles. There are more than 70 indigenous households from the Manobo and Mamanua tribes living in the purok (village). I especially like this site because of the beauty of the landscapes, the amusing sky on its starry nights and the large quantity of children playing around that bring so much life to the place. In March this year, I moved from Mindanao to Quezon City and worked in the head office of Haribon. I also had a very good time there, and had the chance to get to know and work with almost all the staff of the organization. But all beginnings come to end sooner or later,and at the start of May, I had to take a plane back to Europe. Now, from my desk here in Valencia, I am writing these lines thanking all my colleagues and friends from Haribon for giving me the chance to become one of the green heroes who protect nature, and preserve life.
About the author Pedro J. Martinez is a Cives Mundi’s Intern. For comments or inquiries you may email him at: pedro_me@hotmail.com
Narra
Pterocarpus indicus Willid The Narra is native to the Philippines and is found not only along tidal creeks and rocky shores, mostly in evergreen forest, but also in seasonal forest up to 600 meters in altitude. This tree may grow in higher altitudes, as well, when planted. Narra can grow to 40 meters fall and 45cm diameter at breast height. The trunk is fluted and knotted with many plank-like buttresses. The bark is finely flaking and streaked cream and brown. The leaves are eggshaped, thin and bright green to brown and the flower is yellow and fragrant. On February 1, 1934, Governor General Frank Murphy issued Proclamation 652, which made the Narra national tree of the Philippines and stated “…because of its popularity, aesthetic value, hardiness, rapidity of growth, nativity and history, I hereby declare the tree known as Narra (Pterocarpus vidalianus Rolfe) to be the national tree of the Philippine Islands.” The timber of Narra is used mainly as a structural timber for light and heavy construction, joists, rafters, beams and interior finish. It is also used for bridges, piles, posts, railway sleepers, shafts and mine timber. This tree is threatened because of logging.
Source; Schulte, Andreas. (2002) Rainforestation Farming: Option for rural development and biodiversity conservation in the humid tropics of Southeast Asia. 36
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ROAD to 2020 UPDATE Bring back our natural forests. Plant Native Trees.
Target: 1,000,000 hectares
Planted: 282.36 hectares (as of July 31, 2010)
999,717.64 hectares to GO! For more information about ROAD to 2020 or how you can donate online or adopt a seedling, visit www.haribon.org. ph or email: act@ haribon.org.ph.
Legend Forest Cover Closed canopy Open canopy
You can also call at (632) 434.4642/ 911.6089, (+63) 922.815.1941. Data source: Forest Cover of 1988 - DENR Haribon Foundation, Inc.
Forest of Mangatarem, Pangasinan Photo by: Haribon