Natl Hero Jose Rizal as father of PHL’s biodiversity?

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

‘IS it time to declare [National Hero] Jose Rizal as the ‘Father of Philippine Biodiversity?’”

The question was a proposition made by broadcast journalist Howie Severino during his talk at the Asean Biodiversity Heroes Forum in Malate, Manila, last August 12.

An award-winning broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker, Severino, who considers himself a Rizal historian, has come up with several documentaries about the national hero that were aired over GMA television.

Severino talked about the national hero and his passion for the natural environment—the forest and the diversity of trees, plants, and animals, as well as the bounty of the ocean, including fish, seashells and other species.

Associating biodiversity with Rizal, he said young storytellers can make biodiversity a more interesting topic for their respective audiences, by associating it with history, heritage, and heroism.

Severino said: “You constantly have to experiment, to be resourceful and creative in your storytelling because you have too much competition.”

It is important to humanize the stories, to stir public interest in biodiversity, he added.

Learning forum

ORGANIZED by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) as part of the celebration of the 56th anniversary of Asean Day and International Youth Day, the event dubbed, “Asean Biodiversity Heroes Forum,” aimed to encourage young communicators and storytellers to be an agent of change for biodiversity.

It adopted the battlecry and the hashtags: “I write for biodiversity,” “I speak for biodiversity” and “I create for biodiversity.”

The interactive learning forum gathered development communication students from select state universities in Luzon and Mindanao and several storytellers from Asean neighbors with some ACB’s Asean

Biodiversity Heroes to learn about biodiversity advocacy, experiences, challenges, frustrations, perseverance and the success that made the heroes in biodiversity protection and conservation.

Among the topics discussed during the forum were the interconnectivity of life, development communication, basic biodiversity reporting and storytelling.

Severino’s documentary, titled “Rizal and the Creatures of Dapitan,” originally aired on November 18, 2018, showcased Rizal and his passion for Dapitan’s rich biodiversity.

Rizal: the achiever

WHILE in exile in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, where Rizal spent his last four years before his martyrdom in Bagumbayan, now known as Rizal Park, the national hero made many projects that matter to the people of Dapitan—such as building a dam and irrigation system, a school and eventually, discovering new species.

In Rizal’s school, which can be considered the first progressive school in the Philippines, he imparted to his young students his progressive ideas on topics, including agriculture, politics, governance, and even religion.

His schoolyard and laboratory were the forest.

Medicine man, artist

AS a physician and a teacher in Dapitan, Rizal explored the application of medicinal plants to treat his patients.

He also learned from the locals, while sharing his own knowledge, about the medicinal value of native trees and plants found around the forest of Dapitan.

His school and laboratory, according to Severino, was an 18-hectare land, which he acquired after winning a lottery.

While teaching about plants and animals, Rizal would walk around the forested area with his students and identify the species.

“Rizal collected hundreds of specimens of flowers, shells, insects and

Tañon Strait dolphins declining, in peril

RESEARCHERS from the University of the Philippines Diliman-College of Science are warning that unchecked ecotourism and overfishing are threatening the cetacean biodiversity of the famous and richly diverse Tañon Strait, the UPD-CS Science Communications unit said.

A narrow passage of water between Cebu and Negros islands, Tañon Strait is renowned worldwide for its rich marine life. It is home to numerous cetaceans, including 15 species of dolphins and whales.

However, recent findings suggest that the populations of these marine creatures are on a fast decline.

“We encountered only between 80 and 90 individual spinner dolphins throughout our four-day survey. This is in stark contrast to surveys in previous years, where we might spot as many as 100 individuals in just one day,” said Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, head of the UPD-CS Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Laboratory (MMRCL).

Tañon Strait, designated as a protected seascape in 1998 under Presidential Proclamation 1234, has been a sanctuary for a diverse array of marine species.

A popular destination for ecotourism, particularly dolphin and whale watching, the strait has attracted numerous visitors eager to witness these remarkable animals in their natural habitat.

Aragones spearheaded the survey from July 20 to 23, focusing on dolphin populations within the southern part of Tañon Strait, the UPD-CS said.

The initiative revealed deeply concerning trends, such as a decrease in dolphin numbers, a reduction in species diversity, and evasive behavior possibly linked to increasing human activity in the area.

In the past, these surveys witnessed vibrant gatherings of diverse species of cetaceans—including numerous kinds of dolphins and species of whales, with groups of as many as 100 individuals spotted in a single day.

However, the recent survey was starkly different, showcasing only three species: spinner dolphins, common bottlenose dolphins, and dwarf sperm whales.

Of particular concern was the notably evasive behavior of the dolphins, a possible sign of stress or disturbance due to the persistent presence of aggressive dolphin watching boats, UPD-CS explained.

Aragones and his team, who have been monitoring the region since 1997, noted a reptiles and sent them to Europe to know more about them,” he said.

By sending to foreign botanists the specimens that he preserved, he, in turn, received books and continued his education.

Most of the time, Rizal would sketch the species he discovered or found, and describe them with accuracy.

Passionate researcher

RIZAL , a visual artist, poet, journalist, and novelist, was a passionate researcher, who, during his time, was able to discover new species that were unknown to science then.

Some of the animal species, Severino pointed out, were named after Rizal by his colleagues who learned about his new discoveries between significant increase in the number of dolphin watching boats, even notwithstanding the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Odette (international code name Rai) in 2021. urging them to emulate the national hero in their pursuit of science and in communicating the importance of protecting and conserving the species and their habitats for human survival.

The area now hosts around 60 boats, down from the original 260. Nevertheless, Aragones fears that this may still be too much.

Too many dolphin watching boats in the area disrupts the cetaceans’ habits,” he said.

Aragones also warned against the overutilization of the area’s resources.

“There should also be a comprehensive assessment of fisheries resources in the entire strait as there is clearly less food now for these creatures,” he explained.

To preserve the delicate ecosystem and to safeguard the remarkable marine mammals in Tañon Strait, the scientists have proposed several measures, the UPD-CS added.

First, they recommend a moratorium on adding more boats to the already existing fleet. Second, a comprehensive assessment of fisheries resources including fishing activities in Tañon Strait, as a decline in food availability may be exacerbating the dolphins’ struggles.

Furthermore, strict monitoring and regulation of illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices in the area are necessary.

The marine expert emphasized the importance of educating boat operators on responsible dolphin watching protocols.

A certification process that trains operators to navigate around dolphins without causing stress could play a pivotal role in protecting these charismatic animals.

Research also suggests that previous ecotourism activities negatively impacted dolphin behavior, reinforcing the need for responsible and sustainable tourism practices.

The findings from this survey underscore the critical situation facing dolphins in Tañon Strait. Urgent action is imperative to ensure the survival of these magnificent creatures and to maintain the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem they inhabit, UPD-CS pointed out.

A naturalist, a Filipino SEVERINO said Rizal may even be the first Filipino botanist, or naturalist, who discovered new animal species and had the honor of having the species named after him.

“Europe is where he studied and developed his political ideas. But Dapitan is where he applied much of his learnings, as a doctor, as a teacher and even as an engineer, an ecologist and naturalist,” he said.

“There were a lot of foreigners who came to the Philippines to study the Philippine environment, ecology and nature. But it is hard to think of anyone before Rizal who studied and love nature the way he did,” he said.

More importantly, he said Rizal articulated in the way he lived and not just what he wrote his vision for the Filipino—enlightened, progressive, civic-minded, a believer in freedom and human rights, a lover of nature— “which I think we can take to heart and emulate until today,” Severino said.

Biodiversity hero

July 17, 1892, to July 31, 1896.

A flying dragon was named Draco rizali; a rare kind of beetle, Apogania rizali; and a frog, Rhacophorus rizali.

German museum exhibit

SEN. Loren Legarda, in her keynote address during the opening of the forum, said that specimens of the new species discovered through Rizal are being exhibited at a museum in Germany.

An advocate of biodiversity protection and conservation, Legarda vowed to work with concerned institutions in Germany, and through a loan, to have the specimens brought to the Philippines and be showcased at the National Museum of Natural History, in recognition of Rizal’s work.

In her speech, Legarda said there’s a bit of Rizal in every young Filipino,

THE journalist said the national hero indeed did many things, and that the underappreciated aspect of Rizal is that no Filipino before him had the kind of interest he had in nature and the environment, particularly Dapitan.

“While there are modern scientists who may lay claim to be the father of Philippine biodiversity, the fact remains that Rizal was the first to have new species named after him,” he pointed out.

“By recognizing Rizal’s contribution to biodiversity, we achieve a number of things. By associating biodiversity with Jose Rizal, we elevate biodiversity by making it more central to the identity of and the founding vision of the Philippines,” he said.

“We elevate biodiversity from being a fringe interest or being second fiddle in terms of global concerns to climate change,” he added.

According to Severino, while climate change is a big problem and will rearrange civilization, the loss of biodiversity, another mass extinction, can actually lead to the extinction of the human species.

“To me, it is more an existential threat, even more than climate change,” he said.

He added that by portraying Rizal as the father of biodiversity, the country will complete his memory and honor his contributions in the last four years of his life.

It should be noted that Rizal is also recognized through his statues in some European countries.

Severino said he wished that Rizal be recognized as a naturalist—or as the father of Philippine biodiversity— in the same breath that he is loved as a martyr, a hero, a poet, an artist and a novelist.

Significant contributions

FOR her part, ACB dxecutive director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said Rizal has made significant contributions through his works in Dapitan to biodiversity conservation, long before the word “biodiversity” was even invented.

“He was ahead of his time in protecting nature and the environment. However, data on his works, such as the specimens he collected, are still fragmented and are scattered across various references and sources,” Lim said.

She explained: “There’s a need to compile all information and undertake additional research, and consultations among Rizal historians and biodiversity experts to ensure that there are no other candidates, and to establish a solid and unquestionable basis to officially bestow the title of ‘Father of Biodiversity’ on Gat Jose Rizal.”

Finally, Lim said: “The ACB stands ready to support processes to move this forward.”

Athletes with fear of flying find ways of defeating stress above 35,000 feet

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco

Giants star Joc Pederson is scared to fly. Outfielder Seth Brown of the Oakland Athletics, too.

They are hardly the only ones. Longtime manager Dusty Baker would bet that anxiety in the air has shortened more than a few careers. He recalls watching terrified teammates and coaches cling tightly to photos of their loved ones during bumpy flights.

There’s no helping them,” Baker said. “A lot of times they have a couple drinks more than they should on the plane. I’ve had guys I played with, they had like four or five kids, and the plane was having turbulence and they would start kissing their kids, like they were kissing them goodbye, like it was the last time they would see their kids.”

I n big-time sports, there’s no getting around regular flying. Major League Baseball (MLB) players might crisscross the country several times in a single week. National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) teams frequently play on consecutive nights in different cities and time zones.

Even 300-plus-pound football players have to be comfortable traveling from one coast to another. And then there are sports like golf and tennis, with professional tour events spanning several continents.

Hall of Fame football coach

John Madden, who died in late 2021, is among the most famous for his trepidation with air travel.

Debilitating claustrophobia prompted him to eventually begin taking his own bus around the country.

Netherlands soccer player

Dennis Bergkamp was nicknamed “The Non-Flying Dutchman” for his anxiety, which he said stemmed from traveling on smaller planes while with Inter Milan in the 1990s.

Former NBA power forward

Royce White, a first-round pick by the Houston Rockets in 2012 out of Iowa State, fought crippling anxiety that became far worse when he flew and led to panic attacks—so he too regularly drove on his own whenever possible.

Even Barry Bonds, who hit a record 762 home runs, told The Associated Press he has a fear of heights.

We’re pointing to flying but what we’re really pointing at is the feelings of being out of control, the feelings that come with trusting, so it’s the fear that we’re pointing to,” said high performance psychologist Michael Gervais, who has worked with the Seattle Seahawks among other sports teams, Olympians and businesses.

Athletes find different ways of dealing with the stress at 35,000 feet.

Baker and Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker remember how teammates turned to alcohol to ease the nerves.

For many years with flying, players had to “get used to it,” insists Hall of Fame baseball star Rickey Henderson, who recalled what he described as crazy flights when he would try to “close my eyes and go to sleep.”

“ I was in the minor leagues for a period of time and I rode buses for 14 hours,” Henderson said, “I definitely don’t want to do that.”

Even with heightened awareness around mental health, there is a greater prevalence of anxiety in society now than people might realize, according to Gervais. He is proud of those who speak up and take on the challenge to cope with it, a part of how they strive to reach peak performance in their sport—and appreciates teams being proactive rather than reactive.

“ What’s great is that there is an attunement and there’s an awareness, more than there has been in the last 15 to 20 years about the importance