The Augustinian Mirror, October 2009

Table of Contents Editorial: .................................................................................. 1 ENVIRONMENT: Palawan, an Island Worth Visiting............................ 2 travelogue: Cruiship to Hell: Notes from a

Disgruntled Traveller................................................................ 5 media: Defending the Last Frontier:

Why Bandillo never loses hope on Palawan............................ 8 Society: Captives in Paradise:

The Iwahig Prison Farm and Colony........................................ 10 FOREIGN HERITAGE: Escape to Paradise:

The Vietnamese Odyssey to Palawan..................................... 12 CULINARY: Savoring an island’s tropical scents and tastes...Fine

Dining at Ka Lui’s Restaurant................................................... 14

From Vietnam with Love: Our Sweet Chao-long Experience... 16 green technology: That’s Green: A Peek into Sustainability...... 17 ECO-REHABILITATION: Through the Snake Roads and Backs:

Three years after the oil spill.................................................... 20

Iloilo River: The Deluge of a Once Proud Estuary.................... 21 Dynamite fishing: Que Sera, Sera:

The Tragedy of Illegal Fishing.................................................. 22 Eco-tourism: Bulabog Putian National Park Revisited................... 24

The Marugo Mountain Resort: A hidden paradise

in the highlands of Tapaz.......................................................... 26 Natural Calamities: What the Flood Washed Ashore: Digging

deeper on the Filipino stories behind the tropical storms......... 27 Eco-business: A Passion for Bonsai: From a

plant-lover’s perspective........................................................... 30 Waste management: The Sustainability of Sanitary Landfills....... 32 Poetry: Mga Binalaybay ni Erwin Sustento...................................... 34

Palawan Poems by Pietros Val Patricio................................... 36

About the cover In the cover photo stands a provincial lass from the locality of Snake Island, Palawan facing gleefully towards the horizon of Honda Bay’s sunrise. Looking at the morning sky, the child also seems to bare a tinge of shyness and reservation as it appears to be covering its breasts.

The child’s humbling beauty and innocence could be easily compared to the natural splendor and delicate environment of Palawan. The relatively young and untouched province has fascinated countless migrants and travelers through the years of constant growth and development. The vast

EDITORIAL STAFF

A.Y. 2009-2010 1st Semester Pietros Val Patricio Jefferson Magbanua Editors-in-Chief Donna Isabelle Fresnido Managing Editor Aljun Padisio Ray Adrian Macalalag Mia Rose Emboltura Associate Editors Emmanuel Barcelona Mario Ivan Gonzales Allin Joy Emboltura Ronald Sorrilla Senior Writers Josefa Maria Castro Diam Queenie Permocillo Josh Von Iron Tondo Mary Leslie Eregia Staff Writers Noel de Leon Staff Photographer Nicole Fernan Caminian Staff Artist Sheena Capindo Circulation Officer Erwin Sustento Moderator The Augustinian Mirror is the official student magazine of the University of San Agustin. It is published once every semester by the USA Publications with editorial office at the 2nd Floor, Alumni Hall, University of San Agustin, Brgy. San Agustin, Gen. Luna St., 5000 Iloilo City. Comments, suggestions, and contributions may be sent to the Editorial Board through the email address pubpipol@usa.edu.ph.

province also happens to be one of the greatest success stories of the Philippine ecotourism sector in recent history.

But it should also be taken into consideration that with great biodiversity in flora and fauna also come the great responsibilities of proper environmental awareness and conservation.

In this issue of The Augustinian Mirror, we would like to showcase to our readers several glimpses of daily life, social and environmental issues in the province that is otherwise known as the country’s ‘Last Frontier’.

Cover photo is courtesy of Cara Uy

Editorial

P

The never-fading beauty of Palawan

alawan is the westernmost island province of the Philippines. It is surrounded by the South China Sea in the north and by the Sulu Sea in the south. In general, there are 1,769 islands in the province.

With such geographical description, the province is no doubt one of the major tourist attractions in the Philippines. Palawan is ideal for nature hopping, scuba diving or simply for unwinding. However, we fail to mention the true gem of the island province

- the Palawan people.

Palawan people are good fishermen, divers and seafarers, mainly because of the province’s geography. Furthermore, like a typical Filipino, Palawan people are also very friendly and very hospitable. They open their arms to visitors and tour them around the province. This is very inevitable especially if you visit suburban communities.

You’ll be amazed with different kinds of Palawan people.

To understand further the Palawan

people, we must take a glimpse of the province’s history. The province was once called Kla-ma-yan, Busuanga, Paragua and Palau-ye. Palau-ye was changed to Palaw-ye. Eventually, it became Palawan, which is now the official name.

Archaeologists regarded Palawan people particularly the Tabon Man, to be the first inhabitants of the Philippines. The name Tabon was taken from the cave, where the relics or fossils of the first settlers were found. As time passed by, Palawan people met migrants from nearby territories such as the Malay and the Indonesian, which later on had acquired their form of living. To some extent, some Palawan people still practice their ancestors’ way of living.

Then, sometime between the 12th to 15th centuries, Palawan people became trading partners of other Asian countries such as China, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia. Palawan people had close contact with Filipinos from Luzon, Visayas, and the Muslim Mindanao. This explains why some of the Palawan People profess the Islam faith nowadays.

When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the Catholic faith was introduced throughout the archipelago including Palawan. At first, Palawan people resisted Spanish rule. To win the hearts of the Palawan people, Spaniards sent missionaries such as St. Exequiel Moreno. Majority of the Palawan People were converted to Catholicism; Others fled to the mountains and others migrated to Mindanao especially the Muslims. Then the Americans and Japanese came, respectively, after the Spaniards. The rest as they say is history.

With a mixture of influences, Palawan people, undoubtly, are amazing to meet.

Palawan is a great place to visit and hangout because of its natural wonder.

However, the true beauty of the province lies in the hearts of the Palawan People. In order to understand Palawan and Palawan people we must take a time-out to know its rich history.

The pleasures of being in the island of Palawan are truly grand experiences whether you are there as an individual traveler or you are with a company. What can one expect to see in Palawan? Diving pleasures, inviting resorts to go to, fully-equipped hotels to stay in… There are too many to mention.

Palawan should certainly be a role model for other provinces when it comes to tourism.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 1

Environment

Palawan, the Island Worth Visiting

By Mario Ivan Gonzales

“E

very Island is an Adventure”. That is the promise of the people in that famed island where tourists can be one with nature and have a kind of fun no amount of modern technology can give. Palawan is an island every country might be dreaming of. Its rich culture and richer natural resources made it stand out above the rest of the islands in the country.

Famed ecologist and explorer, Jacques Cousteau, even hailed it as the most beautiful place he ever explored. Its natural rock formations, white sand beaches that can make Boracay have a run for its money, and well-preserved wildlife is known not just to local tourists but to foreign dwellers as well, seeing Palawan as a suitable place to relax and to be connected with nature. Its thousands of islands and islets serve as the home of various tropical flora and fauna, and the presence of some 323 species of wild life in Palawan gained the province the title 2 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

“Haven of the Philippine Wildlife”.

Palawan is not just rich in natural resources, but also in its history and the diverse ethnic groups and foreigners who have come to Palawan to seek refuge or just to search for their permanent dwelling place. The name “Palawan” was believed to be coined by the Chinese way back in the 9th century. It was said to have originated from the word, Pa-Lao-Yu which means “a land of beautiful safe harbor.” Some would say it came from the Indian word, “Palawans” or “territory”.

But the more popular (and is somewhat accepted by some) theory about its origin is that it came from the Spanish phrase “Para Agua” because of its resemblance to a closed umbrella. As Spaniards began to gain superiority all over the Philippines, they have gone to Palawan and tried to establish firm foundations in some municipalities but was resisted by Moro communities dwelling in the area. Towards the 18th century, they

started to build churches with garrisons around it to serve as their protection against the attacks of the Moros. Some of these ruins were still standing, serving as a beautiful testament to Palawan’s colorful and historic past. Palawan, or Paragua during the Spanish rule, was organized as one province named Calamianes, with Taytay as its capital, but was later divided into three separate provinces: Castilla covering the whole northern province with Taytay as its capital; Asturias in the south with Puerto Princesa as capital; and Balabac Island with its capital, Principe Alfonso. After the 1898 revolution, a new civil government was established by the Americans in 1902. Boundaries were revised in 1903 and the whole territory was named Palawan, with Puerto Princesa as its capital. Developing the province was one of the major concerns of the American government, thus reforms and projects were laid down to uphold the province.

At present, the province is subdivided into

23 municipalities, 11 of which are located in mainland Palawan while 12 are island municipalities. The capital, Puerto Princesa, serves as the province’s center of commerce and trade, with 66 barangays under it. It is situated at the middle of the island, separating the southern part and the northern part. Southern Palawan is comprised by Aborlan, Narra, Quezon, Rizal, Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Española, Bataraza, and Balabac, while the towns belonging to Northern Palawan are Roxas, San Vicente, Taytay (which used to be the province’s capital during the Spanish era), Linapacan, Culion, Magsaysay, Agutaya, Dumaran, Araceli, Cagayancillo ( or Little Cagayan, an island municipality composed of seven small islands where Tubbataha Reefs are located), the Kalayaan Group of Islands, Cuyo (which had become well-known recently due to the filming of the independentlyproduced Judy Ann Santos film, Ploning, in the area), Busuanga, Coron, and El Nido (well-known for its El Nido Soup made from the bird Balinsasayaw’s nests which are in abundance in some caves in El Nido). Each municipality has a story of its conception,

and each has a tourist haven to boast.

Tourism was, and still is one of the main attractions of Palawan. Its wide selection of beaches, natural wonders and heritage sites makes the province the most-visited province in the country. Tourism started to become one of the major sources of income of the province in 2002, and had a steady climb up as the years passed by. The efforts of the provincial government to make Palawan a premier tourist destination were recognized, as they earned the Destination of the Year in 1995, and received recognition again in 2001, nailing Palawan as one of the country’s top choices for tourist destinations and cementing the province into mainstream travel industry. Puerto Princesa was the top tourist destination, given the fact that the Underground River, which was one of the choices to be voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is located at the province’s capital. Aside from tourism, agriculture and aquatic resources form the province’s economic backbone. Agriculture shows a huge potential in the province as 45 percent of its farmland remains uncultivated, therefore the local authorities provide

farmers and farm cooperatives with new technologies for better palay production and equipments to further increasing farm yield.

Even though the province is slowly taking a step towards industrialization and making Palawan globally-competitive, it still does not jeopardize its natural resources which they are first known for. Strict adherence to the laws against destruction of natural resources is implemented, and the results are evident as people become more aware and conscious about their role as caretakers of these God-given treasures. Several protected areas are found in Palawan to avoid environmental abuse by greedy intruders and illegal aliens. The El Nido Managed Reserve Protected Area, the Calauit Safari Park in the northern Calamianes islands, the Tubbataha Reefs, and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park are some of the most noted areas in Palawan that are protected by law. Republic Act 7611 or the “Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act” is a landmark legislation that connives every sectors in the society to give efforts in coming up with the best agenda to preserve the province’s unique ecological system. It

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 3

Environment

is an act that requires the State to protect, develop and conserve the natural resources of the country, with provinces other than Palawan included in the Act. Several Acts were passed to hasten the province’s efforts to preserve its well-known assets, such as the “Chainsaw Act of 2002”, the “National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act” of 2001, the “Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2001”, and the “Philippine Mining Act of 1995”, among others. Environmental Organizations were formed to further address certain environmental issues, notable of which is the Kilusang Sagip Kalikasan. Newsletters such as Bandillo ng Palawan focuses on certain issues concerning about the environment and bravely presents some anomalies that compromise the protection and preservation of the natural resources of the province.

Palawan is not just a caretaker of diverse natural resources, but also of some ethnolinguistic groups, such 4 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

as Agutaynen, Cuyonon, Batak, Tagbanua, Palaw-an, and Ta-ut Bato; and Muslims such as the Tausugs, Pañgutarans, Molbogs, Maranaos, and Badjaos to name a few. It also

welcomed Vietnamese people at the height of the Vietnam War, making Palawan their second home, and as a temporary, and later on, a permanent refuge during times of fear and hopelessness. Palawan hospitality is felt all throughout the province. People seem to be friendly and approachable, the more reason why more people and tourists have come to Palawan.

Recent developments can be seen in Palawan. Airports and sea ports were constructed to further cater for the increasing demand of tourists and visitors. Infrastructures were erected and furnished to meet the growing demands for a globally-competitive province. Solarpowered units and generator sets were provided to municipalities by the local government and have teamed up with the United Nations Development Program to utilize and generate power from new and renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, water, and biomass. Private properties were converted to tourist destinations but still abiding by the rules and regulations, proving that the province is eyeing for global recognition by being a province that bridges new developments and natural preserves.

Palawan is a good hostess, and it makes its visitors crave for more. Every island is indeed an adventure, but the whole of Palawan makes it an experience of a lifetime.

Additional Source: www.palawan.gov.ph

Travelogue

Cruise Ship to Hell: Notes from a Disgruntled Traveller

By Donna Isabelle Fresnido

O

pening my eyes on a humid afternoon, I try to roll over in my little bunk in the M/V Maria Isabel of Montenegro Lines. The dried sweat glues my skin to the faux leather mattress and I cringe in silent pain.

It is my second day at sea with the USA Publications but as far as I’m concerned, it could have been my nth day in this cruise ship to hell. Cramped living quarters, fellow passengers who just don’t know what “personal space” means, and a potentially hazardous experience make this trip to Palawan unforgettable if only because of its agony.

Clear skies The annual USA Publications trip started with far-from-ominous clear skies and still winds. Boarding the M/V Maria Isabel at the Iloilo Port, I was even inclined to think that this voyage may bring a whiff of inspiration to break the writer’s block that had haunted me for weeks.

This is my first time to ride a ship after about eight years, so the sensation of moving

floors was something I have to get used to.

Nevertheless, the M/V Maria Isabel left a favourable first impression on me when we reached our cabin: there were still few people, we got our choice of bunks, and the sea breeze wafted lazily and enticingly, bringing to mind images of hammocks, seafood, and bonding time with the Pub. When the ship eased out of the port, I can’t help but say, “Palawan, here we come!”

Calm before the storm Unfortunately, my excitement had to be stayed, for the voyage was supposed to take a total of 24 hours. We left Iloilo at around nine in the morning and we were expected to arrive at Puerto Princesa City, Palawan at about the same time the next day. The ship captain announced that we will be docking at Cuyo Island for dinner.

To amuse ourselves, Dawn, Allin and I played cards the whole morning. During the first round of cards, a stench suddenly filled the air: my closest approximation was that it was either radish left to rot in the ship’s nearby fridge or a fart let out by someone

who likes beans a lot. Either way, we covered our noses and looked at each other.

“You farted,” I accused Dawn.

“No, you farted,” she shot back.

We exchanged accusations back and forth until the smell died down, but we soon learned that the stench did come from the ship’s fridge. Apparently, there was a hunk of pork left untouched at the very bottom.

I didn’t stop to wonder whether the meat looked as bad as it smelled.

By the time the ship docked at Cuyo, we were all raring to stretch our legs and the thought of a meal outside the ship, which was beginning to get a little boring and oppressive amidst the heat of the sea, was more than appealing.

Nearing the entrance of the port, we noticed that a huge crowd was waiting beyond the closed gate. Old men, pregnant women, toddlers clutching their mother’s hands, whole families standing close together in the twilight – they were straining for a look at the passengers who came down.

As we passed them, I dismissed them as islanders who were waiting for loved ones The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 5

Travelogue

to return home. Surely, why else would they stand there for almost more than an hour since the ship docked?

It Starts Dinner was an uneventful affair set in some nameless carinderia where all we did was eat with little conversation on the side. When we returned to the ship, the crowd was gone. All we were interested in is a bath, a nice sleep, and waking up in Palawan. Unfortunately, things turned out a bit different than that.

Stepping onto the helm of the M/V Maria Isabel, it seems that the people on it just multiplied. All the free spaces were now occupied: people on the floor, people crammed on the viewing deck, people fixing hammocks between beds, people, people, people. Yes, the people near the gate did go away – only because they entered the ship as passengers. I had never seen anything of the kind – and the influx of two hundred new passengers wasn’t stopping. The scarred door which could handle only the girth of a normal person now witnessed harassed passengers forcing themselves two at a time, so great was their hurry in finding good – nay, available – bunks.

A family settled next to my bunk, loads of trunks and a puppy in tow. They placed the pup underneath the bunks and left a Styrofoam dish filled with food and water. I stared at the puppy. It stared back

6 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

and raised its leg to pee. Puppypee was odorous but even that was overwhelmed by the stronger stench of sweat coming from unwashed bodies going to and fro the ship.

In my paranoia, I could almost imagine the sweat droplets being carelessly flung at me by harried passers-by.

The next hour was bedlam. If being inside the ship before Cuyo was hot, this time it was unbearable. The sheer number of people made it impossible to walk freely for we were always stepping carefully over people asleep on the floor between bunks.

Our guardians, Ma’am Arlene Moscaya and Fr. Pederito “Perts” Aparece, were anxiously thinking of just staying in Cuyo and cancelling the whole Palawan trip.

They reasoned that they’d cancel a week of fun rather than risk our lives on a ship that seems dangerously on the point of capsizing.

Maritime incidents were still fresh in my memory, forcing me to envision the ship going down because of the sheer load, the gasping for breath and the subsequent slide towards the briny deep.

Later on, we heard from the grape vine that Montenegro Lines, the ship’s company, kept releasing tickets that exceeded the capacity of the ship. There were even chance passengers who, as I mentioned, slept on the floor or just about anywhere that would accommodate them, such as the viewing deck.

Just then, the ship’s captain requested everyone to go down and wait on the port, for there will be a head count to assure the Coast Guard that they are carrying an allowable number of passengers. After much grumbling, everybody gathered on the port. There were

mutterings, complaints. When it was time to finally board the ship again, the passengers from Iloilo raised their voices and said, “Paunaha lang ang mga taga-Iloilo ah (Let those from Iloilo go first).” I don’t know if the people from Cuyo understood what was said, but the tone of voice conveyed everything.

What was baffling was that the ship crew didn’t count each of us when we entered the ship. They looked at us disinterestedly and waved us through. Exercise in futility? Or perhaps it was just all for a show?

Shuffling back to our bunks, that was not the end of it. The ship didn’t start its motor because the Coast Guard still wasn’t convinced. To add to our uneasiness, rain started battering the ship, forcing those on the deck come inside and adding to the greenhouse atmosphere. We were two hours behind schedule, and it seems that we would be delayed even more.

The Island of “Toot” And so we waited until we completely lost track of time. We forgot about taking a bath amidst the pervading feeling of uneasiness. Sleep was also out of the question, for no matter how hard one tried to relax, the stifling heat, the stench of unwashed bodies, or the din of voices would get in the way. One of us christened Cuyo as “Toot”, implying that the traumatic experiences rendered the name of the island unspeakable.

I’m not a fickle traveller. I can take dirty comfort rooms, smelly people, and whatnot, but the Montenegro experience was something all together different.

The CR sink was filled to the brim with leftovers, and on the toilet bowl were piss stains mixed with the mud people leave when they squat on the toilet bowl.

The puppy of the

family next to us was yipping and yapping, and the last time I saw it was when it approached a sleeping Karlo Khristopher Cristales and snuggled next to him. Its food and water had scattered across the floor.

Staring across the room, I could see a tangle of limbs, bare flabby chests and tummies, and feet caked with dirt. It seems that where your head would end, a pair of dirty feet would begin. Fr. Perts was lying in his bunk, red in the face and sweating bullets.

And the smell! The stench from the moldy piece of pork was back again, this time aggravated by the enclosed heat.

Whenever the fridge would be opened, the whole cabin let out a collective moan, as if though to say, “Not again!”

Of course, writers that we are, we set out to listen and perhaps get some material to write about. I overheard some people from “Toot” explain why they were so determined to get on the ship: there are no health facilities in the island, and the nearest are in Palawan. Ships going there only passed

around once a week, so it was really a big deal for the sick and elderly to catch a ride going there.

Since then, I shifted the blame from the islanders to the ship’s management.

Were they really so intent on profit that they would allow passengers to be crammed like, for want of a better comparison, sardines with facilities that are beyond description?

What’s even sadder was that this seems to be the status quo – one passenger even boasted that during his youth, the delays took not hours but days. He spoke with the air of a hardened veteran so undoubtedly this experience was only a minor annoyance to him but for us, this was something that needed to be addressed. Even the most basic safety features were lacking. A trip around the ship revealed that there were only eight lifejackets in a cabin of, say, fifty people!

Now I was really alarmed.

In the midst of it all, I fell into a shallow sleep, waking up at four in the morning to find that the ship’s motor was running –

albeit far slower than usual, evident of the heavy load it was carrying. Everybody else had drifted off to a sticky, sweaty sleep, and I followed suit. If I may be so confident, I would like to say the worst has passed.

Good Riddance The next morning wasn’t so bad at first. The cool air left by the rain had mercifully entered the cabin, bringing with it temporary relief until it dissipated by noon, chased away by the sun’s heat. Again, we experienced having all our body fluids wringed out of us. Think of a sauna, only inescapable.

All in all, that delightful little experience cost us a day on our itinerary, causing the whole thing to be rearranged and extended for a week. Perhaps that was the only good thing wrought by that cruise ship to hell: more time to enjoy Palawan. But still, stepping down to the port of Puerto Princesa, I stared back at the M/V Maria Isabel and spat on the ground – good riddance.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 7

Media

Defending the Last Frontier: Why Bandillo never loses hope on Palawan

By PIETROS VAL PATRICIO

T

HEY have often been regarded as Palawan’s environmental defenders. A short glimpse into their small and seemingly crammed editorial office would lead to several dusted shelves packed with trophies, medals, and citations their publication has attained in the past. But nowadays, things are not the same anymore as they once were.

For nearly two decades now, the Bandillo ng Palawan Foundation, Inc. has been struggling to set up a new environmental order in what is known to be the country’s last frontier. The independent non-stock, non-profit organization was established back in 1993 by a group of freelance writers and journalists, at the same time

8 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

environmentalists, who were much willing to dedicate their time and lives towards spreading their idealism and help preserve the province’s neglected biodiversity. Its founders eventually launched a crusade with their pens in airing out their concerns and advocacies towards the environment. They saw the urgent need to address Palawan’s prevailing ecological issues which at the time, nobody else would have done. Their main goal and vision was to help establish a harmonious ecological balance between man and nature. And thus, the Bandillo ng Palawan monthly environmental magazine was born.

“We have always maintained our independence as a community newspaper and can therefore be proud of the ethical training we receive as practicing journalists.

Bandillo’s function as an environmental weekly actually serves a much bigger purpose in contrast to other local papers here, which are mostly geared for profit.

What makes our publication distinct from others is that we are a foundation advocating for a cause that we believe in. But its actual contribution to Palawan’s environmental issues and people is still a long process in the making”, shares former editor-in-chief Serge Pontillas while taking time to have a short talk with us at his editorial desk.

The present editor, as well as many other correspondents, was on leave at the time of our visit. Leny Escaro, a feature writer and columnist, shared with us earlier that their publication has recently been experiencing a crisis, both technically and

financially. Most of its reporters come and go. Many of them are frequently on leave.

Others are not even Palawan-based. With a weekly circulation of only 500 copies that is not even profitable and barely enough for the production and salary needs of the editorial staff, many would agree that the profession may not be a lucrative job after all. These kinds of problems are actually nothing new or uncommon to the publication since they have regularly occurred in the past. But according to Pontillas, what keeps Bandillo alive and running depends upon the devotion and willingness of its journalists to stay and serve for the common good of the province: “It is actually a choice to commit one’s self to service and community development as a media practitioner, to live without any expectation of receiving anything in return, becoming famous or getting rich.”

Looking back, the self-sustaining publication has indeed gone a long way since its founding, especially after the birth of its weekly environmental newspaper in 1998 which also became an influential driving force in the island’s socio-political affairs on development and ecology. Among its many glorious attainments are the countless distinctions it received from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation-Philippine Press Institute where it was also cited as a Hall of Fame Awardee for bagging the Best in Science and Environmental Reporting Award for five years. It also won the Likas Yaman Award from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the Best in Environmental Campaign in Print

category in 1997. It also took the founders several years to figure out that their organization has evolved into a highly institutionalized and largely volunteer-based operation that income and profit didn’t even seem to matter anymore. The group also endeavored on taking bigger social responsibilities by organizing income-generating activities such as partnering with the USAID for the I Love the Ocean Movement-Palawan in 1999, partnering with the European Union for the Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Programme, reaching out to the public by launching the Palawan Media Council in 2002, the implementation of a Honda Bay information campaign and helping promote the Olangoan Falls as a protected area together with the Henry TSL Foundation among others. Bandillo also played an active role in conducting environmental workshops, both for public and private schools, non-government organizations and even for local government units all over the province with the support of the Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE). It even helped finance the publishing of the reference

book Tales from Tubbataha: Natural History, Resource Use and Conservation of the Tubbataha Reefs written by Yasmin Arquiza and Alan White in 1994 as well as John Iremil Teodoro’s first poetry collection entitled Paru-paru at Korales: A Collection of Palawan Poems in 1999. In 2003, it celebrated its 10 th anniversary with the theme “Changing the Face of Community Journalism” by organizing a fundraising activity through the staging of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues in Puerto Princesa City for the benefit of the Palawan Heritage Center.

Many of its past and current editors would like to believe that a new era of environmental awareness is now underway in Palawan after the many years of toiling with the hope of awakening the public’s consciousness regarding environmental issues. But sadly, this is not yet the case in the province. As reality shows, history apparently tends to repeat itself. With the seemingly tranquil crystal-clear waters, verdant fauna, lush rainforests and giant trees along the streets of Puerto Princesa that Palawan otherwise boasts to the world, one could easily claim of its peaceful paradise appeal. But behind the visible beauty that it bears to the curious traveler also hides the harsh and horrifying realities of illegal logging, dynamite fishing, deforestation, excessive mining and land quarrying, crocodile hunting, the abuse and exploitation of indigenous tribes, and the dumping of toxic wastes in its virgin waters that still remain masked behind Palawan’s virtual appeal as an eco-tourism hotspot.

But writing for the environment has never been an easy task. Many businessmen, local politicians and outsiders have repeatedly attempted to either bribe or blackmail Bandillo’s editorial staff. They’ve also received fierce criticism from the public through their commentaries and news articles that have appeared in their news and opinion pages. Many editors were forced to abandon their positions and leave Palawan for good after receiving several libel suits and death threats that have been slammed against them. One of them even ended up in prison after being convicted guilty of libel. And on May 22, 2006, the unexpected happened: One of their most influential columnists, Fernando “Dong” Batul, was shot dead with several bullets while commuting on his way to work at the DYPR radio station. Up to this day, his case still remains unresolved.

Despite all the challenges it has faced, Bandillo ng Palawan still remains standing and running as it still has a mission to fulfill.

Serge Pontillas, who obtained his BS Physics degree from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, believes that in spite of the chilling effects that the Batul massacre has brought to Bandillo, many people in Palawan have began taking their newspaper more seriously than ever before with a legacy unsurpassed by any other local paper. What are the environmental issues that need to be addressed? What are the national government’s policy makers doing about it? Why did it have to take the life of an innocent journalist to get the people’s attention? Can Palawan still be saved?

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 9

Society

Captives in Paradise: The Iwahig Prison Farm and Colony

By Mario Ivan Gonzales

P

uffy undisturbed mountains seemingly flirting with the puffy white clouds unde the heat of the summer sun, sturdy trees that let their leaves be fanned by the clean air, and lush green cerpetis spread along the sidewalks leading the way to our destinantion the - the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. One would picture as one of the tourist spots of the famed island, but this is not your typical tourist destination: this gives enriching experiences and eyeopening realizations.

I first heard of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in the magazine show, Rated K, wherein they featured an ex-convict who decided to live there permanently, together with his family. My first notion of the place 10 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

was that it was just a place for convicts. Most people think at first when they hear the word prison is that it is lurked with Michelin-like men with tattoos painted along their arms, that there are frequent gang wars, that the place has lack of sanitation, and that the prisoners are left in constant darknessmuch like the usual action films we were accustomed to. But as I first stepped at its premises the “colony�, as Iwahig would be usually addressed, is painting a different picture. Prisoners were free to roam around and act like a normal civilian, and they were given tasks and responsibilities. They are situated in a peaceful and beau colic environment, and the trees and mountains serve as their bars in lieu of the iron bars of the prison cell. Along with healthy

atmosphere it promotes, the colony also has a handful of stories and a colorful history.

Iwahig Beginnings 1902 serves as a starting point of Iwahig which was originally called the Iuhit penal settlement, as it was originally intended by the United States to house Filipino prisoners who had fought against the American colonization of the Philippines. Governor General Luke Wright authorized its establishment on November 16, 1904. The colony was originally comprised an area of 22 acres and served as a depository for inmates who could not be accommodated by the Manila Bilibid Prison. The Philippine Commission of the United States government passed Act No. 1723 in 1907 classifying the settlement as a penal institution, where vocational activities were provided for the prisoners. In 1955, President Ramon Magsaysay promulgated A.O No. 20 which permits the distribution of colony lands to be cultivated by deserving colonists. During President Carlos Romulo’s term, the Iwahig prisoners were divided into settlers and colonists. At present, the colony still serves as a receiver for prisoners who are Bilibid rejects.

Visiting the “Colony” A visit at the colony would make one think that with this kind of environment, the prisoners will not have a hard time to pick up the pieces and move on. The prisoners were respectful and courteous; they never fail to say “Ma’am” or “Sir” to people who would stop by and pay a visit to this place that was called by bloggers on the web as “bizarre”

and “a place worthy to visit”. The colony is well-protected from possible abusers and irresponsible visitors, the cleanliness in the area were maintained but the signs of old times were visible as some of the buildings in the colony are slowly dilapidating. Prisoners are very accommodating and were a delight to talk to. Some of them have chosen to stay in the colony, while some are just waiting for the right time for them to be free and be able to return to their families and homes.

Just like a prisoner I met at the colony.

“Mang Richard” and other Iwahig settlers He hailed from Bacolod, in his late 30s when he committed a crime which separated him from his family. He was transferred to Muntinlupa and stayed for a couple of years until he was finally brought to Iwahig where, just like the other prisoners, he would try to reflect on some things and try to slowly pick up the pieces. If things turn out well, he will become a free civilian again come 2010. “For now, I am trying to make a living for myself by making and selling handicrafts and key chains,” he said. Handicrafts were sold to tourists and were made from indigenous and recyclable materials like fast food styrofoams. They were also given some tasks like tilling the soil to be planted, taking care of the plants, threshing the harvested rice stalks and maintaining the cleanliness of the colony. Some of them sell the hand-made crafts of vintas and percussions to name a few, and whatever profits they gained were given to them. Some were persistent enough to make a sell, but it was understandable.

Although Iwahig has been their second home, it is still inevitable that they still miss their families. In Mang Richard’s case, ever since he was moved to the colony he has lost contact to his wife or his other family members. “I miss them, of course but I have to face the consequences of my actions,” he said, the sadness in his voice is noticeable.

When asked if he is excited to see his family when he will be released from jail, he just replied,” I don’t know. I am not sure if I still have a family to come home to. Maybe she’s (his wife) with someone else now.”

As our group leave the colony, I realized how blessed these prisoners are that they are placed in this heavenly place. Iwahig had given them their newfound hope and has given them their dignity back. There, they are not prisoners, but they are treated as peoplepeople who have dreams and feelings, and who are capable of admitting their mistakes, and are capable to raise themselves from the quicksand of wrongdoings and move on. But as Iwahig had given them new opportunities, some of them had lost hope. Some are like Mang Richard; he may have changed himself, but he had lost hope of making his family whole again.

Iwahig was originally made for prisoners who had rebelled against Americans, but now, it served as a place of hope, a place of regaining one’s lost dignity and a place that provides hope and respect to those who needs it the most.

Photo Sources: http://www.wirephoto.com http://media.photobucket.com

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 11

Foreign Heritage

Escape to Paradise: The Vietnamese Odyssey to Palawan

I

T was a cloudy afternoon during one of our last days in Palawan when I finally decided to set out from our hotel together with Ivan, Karlo and Will in search for Puerto Princesa City’s much fabled ‘Vietnamese Village’. During our stay, many locals have pointed that an existing monument marking the site where the refugees from Vietnam first landed still stands in an enclosed garden along the white sand coast overlooking Honda Bay. Riding the tricycle with our driver Mang Bert, not his real name, we were headed 12 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

By PIETROS VAL PATRICIO

to the city’s outskirts to get an eventual glimpse of the renowned Viet Ville Park, which through has already emerged as a favorite tourist spot. Set in the vicinities of the relatively undeveloped grasslands of Brgy. Santa Monica, the former refugee camp now serves as a historic reminder of the thousands of Vietnamese refugees who once fled their war torn homeland for a more peaceful sanctuary with better opportunities.

And they found this one piece of paradise in Palawan.

The decade-long civil war in Vietnam

(1954-1975) has left its economy ravaged and most of the population impoverished.

Large parts of its countryside were heavily scarred by bombs and laced with land mines.

Most of its urban cities were left in ruins.

Its agriculture and industrial development alone have been disrupted for more than two decades. The country was literally burning with poverty and despair back then. Total estimates of civilian casualties during the war were said to have reached up to two million deaths.

The dilemma eventually led to the

mass exodus of political refugees, displaced persons and citizens who remained faithful to a democratic Vietnam after the communist take over. Supporters of the old government in the south were forcefully confined to re-education camps for ‘ideological conversion’. Roughly one million civilians were imprisoned in these camps without formal charges or trials. Many of them were abused and tortured. Nearly half of them eventually died. This was later followed by a much larger wave of migration in 1978 caused by widespread hunger and poverty in the country. Many of these refugees were forced to escape mainly due to the tightfisted and unbearable policies imposed by the socialist regime in Vietnam at the time.

Boarding on unsafe and dilapidated boats, they set out crossing the South China Sea often in small crowded vessels becoming prey to hunger, typhoon and even pirates on high sea. Many of them died from starvation, dehydration and even drowning on the way to their destinations with death tolls that totaled up to half a million. Of the millions of mass émigrés that fled, only a meager number of not more than 10,000 eventually made it to land on Philippine shores, mostly in Palawan, Manila, and Bataan.

But as an old saying goes, there are many things that history books are never going to tell us. Experiencing true-to-life stories firsthand is certainly a much different encounter from written accounts.

“I’m afraid you aren’t going to encounter

any Vietnamese refugees at Viet Ville.” Mang Bert suddenly shares with us during our thirty-minute ride to the said village. Killing our excitement, he continues: “They have long abandoned the place. The camp is only maintained by the city government through private funds as a landmark site and a tourist spot.”

Most of the Vietnamese who once lived in the place eventually resettled in Puerto Princesa’s city center to establish independent lives and set up their own businesses a few years after their arrival. Traditionally, many of them opened small eateries that introduced the famed chao-long, a spicy rice noodle soup with pork and wild chili that became very legendary in Palawan. Others did their business by selling souvenirs, umbrellas and jewelry while roaming through motorcycles.

Many of them later moved to Manila.

The Philippines, being a third world country itself, has later proven to be an unfruitful place for “greener pastures” as many Vietnamese later decided to leave and resettle in more progressive countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Canada, and the US. It was in the year 2001 when the Philippine government granted the remaining 2,100 stateless refugees of Palawan a choice to either become Filipino citizens or return back to their homeland upon the expense of the city government of Puerto Princesa. Most of them left; only a few hundreds remained. Those who have already become citizens of the country or

have married Filipinos, however, are not eligible of applying for asylum abroad anymore.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to conduct an interview with any Vietnamese refugee during our encounter but our visit to the former refugee camp made everything appear very much alive. With the entire village appearing like an open air museum, I discovered that sights accompanied by silence may sometimes even speak louder than actual words. We glanced at the several hundred small houses that appeared to be very small, decaying and abandoned. A small chapel and a Buddhist shrine are found on both ends of the village scribbled with Vietnamese symbols we could barely understand. An activity center with a Confucian-inspired covered court also stands at the park area. According to Mang Bert, the few remaining Vietnamese in the city meet here occasionally during special events for ceremonial purposes.

The Viet Ville Restaurant, nestled near the entrance, serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It is owned by a former Vietnamese refugee but managed by Filipino cooks and waitresses. One house near the entrance has been converted into a souvenir shop selling Vietnamese-inspired ornaments and postcards depicting sceneries of rural Vietnam. A huge billboard right beside the souvenir shop reads: “This Vietnamese Village was made possible through the efforts and donations of Vietnamese communities around the world for their displaced compatriots, made possible in cooperation with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines and the National Commission on Displaces Peoples. This village serves as a bridge and symbol of eternal friendship between the Vietnamese and Filipino people.”

Upon leaving the place, I felt this mystic feeling of witnessing something foreign yet so familiar. The Vietnamese were described by locals to be very reserved but kindhearted people. It was sad to discover that many trademark Vietnamese business establishments have already closed shop in recent years. As time passes by, things apparently change. The scars of war eventually heal. And Vietnam is now slowly becoming a progressive nation with an economy growing almost twice as fast as ours. But the memories of the once lively Vietnamese Village and its legacy to Palawan’s diverse heritage will always remain alive in the errands of time.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 13

Savoring an island’s tropical scents and tastes…

Fine Dining at Ka Lui’s Restaurant

By PIETROS VAL PATRICIO

E

XPLORING Puerto Princesa City’s gastronomic landscape can always be quite an adventure, especially for first time travelers.

With a myriad of cafés, restaurants and eateries that cater diverse varieties of exotic and native flavors scattered around this bustling provincial city, it showcases the best of what the vast tropical island of Palawan can offer to the most stylish and discriminating culinary critics.

It was literally a feast of the senses when we entered the lavish entrance of Ka Lui’s Restaurant, which is said to be one of the city’s prominent culinary hotspots.

Its tropical and homey interior, patterned after Filipino aesthetics, has caught the attention of many local and foreign travelers.

Its concept of serenity and cleanliness is accompanied by the restaurant regulation that all guests are required to leave their shoes or slippers in the foyer grounds before entering the restaurant. Aside from being a favorite dining place for tourists, it is also locally known as the “place to be” for the 14 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

city’s rich and famous. Rumors have it that one’s visit to Palawan wouldn’t be complete without having a feast at the legendary restaurant.

Its owner, Louie Oliva, a retired financial analyst of a big banking chain in Manila, settled in Palawan in the 1980’s after having been captivated by its natural splendor and peaceful environs. He later decided to venture in the food business with a meager capital of only PhP 10, 000.00 Little did he know back then that his cooking enterprise would eventually turn out to be very successful when the restaurant first opened its doors to the public in 1989.

Oliva never really intended to have his restaurant publicized in the newspapers, but since it grabbed the attention of the media and advertisers, the restaurant wa featured in countless publications. After its initial breakthrough in many travel magazines and restaurant guides here and abroad, Ka Lui’s soon rose to become an important trademark often associated to the city. And the rest then became history.

Among its many rare specialties include grilled blue marlin, sizzling seafood sisig, sautéed stingray dipped in coconut milk, crispy fish tail, lapu-lapu sweet and sour, tuna steak and belly, giant lobster, crab curry, fish cordon bleu, special kinilaw, seafood lumpia, marinated squid, sea catch tempura with native sour cream as well as grilled shrimp dipped in honey and garlic butter, which are all caught fresh and daily from Palawan’s virgin waters.

They also serve one of a kind drinks and refreshments such as piñacolada with rum, green mango with ginger, fresh young bukonut, native watermelon, coco banana, wheatgrass in coco juice and Palawan honey, mango papaya and other kinds of shakes.

As an advocate of healthy living, Oliva has made it a policy to ban the serving of red meat in his restaurant. He also makes sure that the sea urchins and crustaceans they serve are of the best quality from the nearest market. Unlike most restaurants, the table menus here happen to vary everyday depending upon the available catch of

Culinary

seafood in the wet market. The prices are quite reasonable since the food is usually served in large portions and cost way below the usual charges in other high end seafood eateries. Whether grilled, steamed, or marinated, the famed bistro has never failed to satisfy even the stomachs of its sophisticated customers which include prominent celebrities, politicians and state visitors.

Being an avid supporter of culture and the arts, the proprietor had the place decorated with the different ornaments and art collections which he gathered through the many years of constant travel in Africa and Asia. Many indigenous and oriental artifacts and decors that were hanging on the walls also caught our eyes’ attention. The absence of windows offers visitors an unobstructed closeness to nature and the vibrant breeze of fresh air coming from the tropically landscaped gardens surrounded by pebble stones and banana trees. Its owner came up with the bold concept of giving guests the distinctive feeling of being at home, hence

the relaxing atmosphere. Some of its dining tables are even lowly elevated with cozy pillows to sit on instead of chairs. A small corner for souvenirs behind the dining area showcases bags, handicrafts, house decors,

photographs, figurines, masks and paintings done by local artisans.

We spent the entire evening together with Father Perts and our travel agent, Ma’am Lorna, indulging on the exotic tastes served before us. Adding to this mysticism was the spicy aroma, classical Filipino music and artistic atmosphere that surrounded us.

We helped ourselves at the long table we occupied that night, savoring the moment only to find out that we couldn’t get enough of the place. It was as if we were stranded in a lost dream. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the night as laughter frequently broke out at the other end of the table. Cara was busy taking pictures of the place and palates while Karlo was talking nonstop about his curiosity of the strange drinks and dishes we were consuming that night. In the end, we had an assorted bunch of chilled fruit cocktail for dessert.

The place was very memorable indeed.

No wonder why many visitors keep coming back. I realized that the Publications staff never had it this good at a dinner gathering for a very long time already. I honestly can’t remember the last time we’ve all dined together in such a cozy and elegant restaurant.

Through the years, it has gained many patrons who kept coming back to Palawan to look for the famed restaurant. With the millions of taste buds it has already satisfied, even a simple treat to Ka Lui’s would still be a worthy experience one shouldn’t miss while staying in Palawan. To many, it is considered a hidden cove of gastronomic delights. But for me, it was a celebration of the soul and the five senses.

Culinary

From Vietnam with Love: Our Sweet Chao-long Experience

By PIETROS VAL PATRICIO

W

hen most of the remaining Vi e t n a m e s e r e s t a u r a n t owners of Puerto Princesa City started closing shops in 2006, many locals feared the loss of their favorite foreign delicacy, the authentic Palaweño version of chao-long. But luckily, the beloved specialty dish still managed to survive in time despite their absence with the Vietnamese cooks having been replaced by local apprentices.

One of the many things the Puerto Princesa food scene can surely be proud of is its localized version of the chao-long.

Nowadays, there are only a few surviving eateries that serve the special dish. The solemn odyssey of this sweet and spicy rice noodle soup, however, has a long and vital migratory story to tell. Brought over by the Vietnamese refugees during the 80’s who paddled their way over to the Philippines to escape extreme poverty and hunger in their war-torn homeland, chao-long gained so much popularity in the province upon their arrival that it eventually became very much associated with Palawan.

Chao-long, as it is called, is said to be a typical sidewalk dish found in the streets 16 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

and alleys of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) comprised by the chao (rice porridge) and the long (fully loaded with pork intestines) – the Vietnamese version of our very own lugaw bituka so to speak.

But contrary to the traditional chaolong of Vietnam where it originated, Puerto Princesa’s chao-long doesn’t even contain any pig innards at all. With the unavailability of several spices in Palawan’s locality, cooks had to adapt whatever the local flora had to offer at the time. Its ingredients have also been altered, if not improved, in order to suit the local taste. The Palawan version is rather served with the nearly transparent flat rice noodles dipped in sweet-savory chowder, stuffed with beef/pork chunks, sprinkled with raw mongo bean sprouts, twigs of mint and basil, several slices of boiled egg upon request, and a pinch of kalamansi followed by a few drops of wild chili. The spicy soup then renders a bizarre orange hue through the addition of achuete (annatto seeds) resulting to a rich sweetish-sour flavor of the syrupy broth. It is accompanied by the typical French bread served in a separate plate and dressed with fresh tomato slices, small onion bits, basil

leaves, garlic, and butter.

The herbal aroma alone already radiates a mystifying attraction to many people making them look for the taste and want more. It only takes one taste of the orange stew for one to be hooked into addiction until the last drop. Even I got myself mesmerized by the taste of the dish that I ended up savoring three bowls of the delicious chaolong beef stew. Most of these noodle shop businesses in Puerto Princesa, often coined by locals as chaolongan, operate 24 hours a day. If you happen to come and look for an authentic chao-long eatery in the city, we would recommend Bona’s Chao-long Haus and Restaurant along the Manalo Avenue Extension at the city center.

Diversified as it already is, the Palaweño chao-long has indeed become another great addition to the city’s culinary landscape through the years. Even if most of these migrant refugees from Vietnam have now left the country to either seek for greener pastures in the US and Australia or return home, their famous chao-long is surely going to stay in Palawan for good as a sentimental legacy of the Vietnamese refugees who have once found a second home in the Philippines.

Green Technology

That’s Green: A Peek into Sustainability

By RAY ADRIAN MACALALAG

“M

odern technology, owes ecology an apology.”

Alan M. Eddison, an environmental writer, has stated this straightforwardly facing the truths of technology. Glimpsing at the dreadful endowment of Mother Nature right now, we might think twice in what we’re doing – contributing to the tormenting tortures we endow upon her.

People today have been working on something in order to combat what’s going on in our planet. One of which that I will share to you is sustainability – sustainability in the sense that we use cleaner sources of energy and simpler yet functional and green design in our homes and establishments.

We will have a discussion on the different ways of sustainability – photovoltaic cells, roof gardens, and wind power. Mentioning the word “sustainable” would give us the concept that there are cycles going on – it never ends for it is self-sustaining.

Clean Technology = Clean Environment These cells are the ones responsible for

A solar village in western Europe.

bringing out what we call as solar panels today. Photovoltaic cells (PV) work when the energy from the sun is absorbed by these and are converted to electrical energy.

Photovoltaic cells are usually installed separately from the design of houses.

However, many houses are designed in a way that the solar panels are part of the house’s design today.

Now, why are these photovoltaic cells helpful and sustainable? Of course, no one owns the sunlight. Being the source of electricity, it will minimize the use of alternative fuels that will cause damage in the ozone layer – carbon dioxide [CO2] emissions from burning coals and the like.

According to American architect Rik DeGunther, installing a full-scale photovoltaic system on a home is the king of solar investments. We can’t deny the fact that spending for a photovoltaic system would be costly. But still, the benefits are endless – you will spend less after having such system since there will no longer be electric bills mailed to your doorsteps.

In the Philippine setting for instance,

companies (like Greenpower Philippines, Inc., Fortune CP Ltd., Sunmaster Corporation, Solar Star Marketing, JGP Enterprises, and Physics Research – Cebu) producing solar panels are growing in number. It’s amazing even to realize that our country is an exporter of these technological marvels. With these solar panels installed in our homes and establishments, we will no longer make use of fossil fuel. Hence, the lesser is the possibility of our country getting blamed for excessive CO2 emissions.

In addition to the Philippine context, the project entitled “Building the Philippines’ Capacity for Grid Connected Solar Power” by the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO) will be the first of its kind as well as being the largest gridconnected PV installation in the developing world. The project is expecting to generate high gratification on power – more than a million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually. That amount of electricity could replace the consumption of 1,500 barrels of fuel per year. Over and above all, with this, CO2 emissions will be reduced by The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 17

800 metric tons per year. There’s no doubt why the proponents of this project further that “using clean technology helps to provide a clean environment for the local population.”

In contrast to its sustainability, the application of PV systems has some disadvantages. One is its inconsistency and unreliability. Power comes from the photons of the energy from the sun. When the sun is far down in the horizon, photons received by the PV cells decreases and so power produced goes down to zero at night time.

If so, then storage of power is needed when we use PV systems.

This next disadvantage of PV systems comes economic in nature. Although clean power is produced, solar power is fairly expensive to produce. Obviously, one solar panel can produce only a small amount of electricity, since the receptor of photons is small. You would rather need an array of solar panels to have more electricity.

Technically, this last disadvantage is related to the previous one because it is indirectly economic in nature. In the view of the fact that not only photons of the sunlight comes in contact with the solar panels, deterioration of the silicon wafers of the solar panels might be caused by bombarded ultraviolet radiation that comes in contact with the PV cells. Other factors like rain and constant flow of dust particles on the panels may also cause damage to it. When there is damage, there has to be replacement or repair and when there is repair or replacement, there is expense.

If we’re into clean energy and less CO2 emissions, we may decide on using PV systems in the future. But if we put economic issues on our way, then the next means of sustainability might come in handy since this would give us a green thumb.

Thumbs Up for Green Roofs Buildings sometimes have rooftops available to maximize the space for occupants.

Apartments for example have rooftops ready for “sampayan.” Or just like the University’s Mendel Hall that once had a rooftop but is now the fifth level of the said building used as laboratories and classrooms. In the bigger scale, the Sears Towers in Chicago, USA have rooftops readily available for additional levels of the building. Rooftops integrated to the design of buildings have been a great technique for its expansion.

It is such an alarming fact that the world 18 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

has only 29.6 percent of its total land area covered with trees. An average tree absorbs ten pounds of pollutants from the air each year, including four pounds of ozone and three pounds of particulates. Quite a small amount of pollutants is absorbed by these trees. So where does the big amount of pollutants go? Of course, it’s greatly felt by us today – typhoons, heat waves, famine, and the like. Pollutants did not cause these catastrophic life events but the ozone depletion did. Ozone depletion, it is caused

by these pollutants. CO2 is the major cause of this depletion as well as the favorite of our trees – not just it but plants, smaller than trees, as well.

Having a plain rooftop and fully utilized can reduce the land area of the planet covered by plants. Imagine the roofs of malls, for example, if the mall covers an area of two hectares and it has a roof not used at all. Then it has a reduced the world’s land area covered by plants by a fraction of two hectares. That’s why to be sustainable

Green rooftops in Europe.

More glass creates more independence from electricity catching sunlight for light efficiency.

we might decide on having our roofs with a garden on it. In this way you will not reduce the amount of greenness of the planet.

Having a garden would be a great recreation not just for the young but also for the elderly to spend time breathing fresh air or on top of their homes. You can imagine yourself having some tea in your garden while looking at the picturesque landscape you have come up with. And so you end up having gardening as a hobby and eventually have a green thumb.

In addition, you got two great benefits for having a garden on your rooftops – you end up being a horticulturist by heart, and an environmentalist concerned with sustainability and betterment of Gaea (Mother Earth). Why sustainable, I say? Did you know that having plants on your rooftops could reduce high electricity consumption due to the use of air conditioning units?

Plants do not just absorb carbon dioxide, they absorb heat as well.

Think of the possibilities of using this technique of sustainability in our country.

Malls would have smaller electric bills if they had gardens outside and on top of their building since the plants would aid somehow in the cooling of the building. Our elderly would find themselves having a good time watering their garden and strolling by it instead of just staying indoors. And with this, the suburbs will experience less air pollution as the plants absorb them. Instead of dirty air, fresh air could be consumed.

The only disadvantage of having a roof garden is the building’s design itself.

The building you might decide on to have a roof garden might not actually hold the heavy load of the garden you are creating.

You might experience leaks on your ceiling if that case may happen. In addition, if the structure cannot handle the weight, you might be fortunate enough to have a garden on your bedroom.

whatsoever coming from coal or any other fossil fuel. Wind power has virtually no environmental problems to cause.

According to the North Luzon Wind Power project, the Philippines depend entirely on coal and oil imports from other countries to attain 60 percent of energy. With this data from the project, we may say that wind power can be a good alternative in order to reduce such demand.

Well, say no more because this project is now a reality made by NorthWind Power Development Corporation as a start. It is strategically located at the coastline of Bangui, Ilocos Norte and it provides about 25 megawatts of power to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (the one that generates electricity to the locals). Right now, 40% of the power in Ilocos Norte is provided by these wind plants. It is with pride to say that the Philippines now has the first and largest wind farm in Southeast Asia.

A number of advantages can be seen with the use of wind power. It is a renewable source of energy since wind cannot be used up. In a better scale compared to solar panels, it can be used as energy source whole day long. And wind plants can be installed anywhere. You may also prefer small wind turbines in your homes or business establishments. Even so, wind plants can be placed anywhere beside the coastline. It can be placed on farms, even on deserts, and on top of hills.

However, one of the hindrances of having a wind plant or turbine is its cost.

Although it has already become cheaper in the past 10 years, this technology requires a high initial investment. It is too costly to

build despite the given benefits. Another disadvantage is its consistency in production.

Though it produces energy 24/7, it does not produce the same amount of energy the whole time to meet our demand.

Environmentally speaking, wind plants can be a good source of renewable energy but it still has a big impact on the safety of flying animals especially during nighttime.

Birds and other flying creatures may be struck by the propellers of the wind turbine and thus, they may get killed or injured. To resolve this disadvantage, you may consider of choosing the right place for these.

Sustainability may not be just depending on these means. It can also be done by doing our simple ways like walking instead of using public or private transportation. We may use bicycles as well if we have one in our household. Instead of escalators and elevators, why not use the stairs? It’s a good way of exercise. Depending on the situation, there are always cleaner and sustainable means of moving from a place to another.

Like Whoopi Goldberg, she encourages us to do whatever we can to be sustainable because as she says, “That’s the thing about Mother Nature, she really doesn’t care what economic bracket you’re in.”

Photo sources: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index. php?title=Image:Banguiwindmills.jpg h t t p : / / w w w. f l i c k r. c o m / p h o t o s / s t o r m crypt/2280100615/ http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/ uploads/2007/03/solar_roof_0705.jpg http://www.solarge.org/fileadmin/media/ bestcampaigns/torino/SOLARGE_turin_ campaign_01.jpg

Southeast Asia’s first wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

Blowing Tales on Wind Power Since photovoltaic cells just work on daytime, this source of power might blow you away because it is clean, and works all day and all night long. Wind turbines work when kinetic energy in the movement of its propellers is converted into electrical, mechanical, or thermal energy. It generally works without any chemical disturbance in our atmosphere and produces a generous amount of electricity. As discussed earlier in solar power, similarly, it uses no fuel The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 19

Eco-Rehabilitation

Through the Snake Roads and Back: Three years after the oil spill

By Josh Von Iron Tondo

A

s a child, I’ve been to Barangay Tando, a place south of Nueva Valencia in Guimaras, to enjoy its virgin shores adorned with white sands, stunning rock formations and to tackle its bumpy and hilly “snake road”.

I didn’t mind the repetitive whines of the engine every time our ride goes through the undulating trail for I was eager to see the promise of Tando. It was paradise then…

Three years ago, came a disaster dubbed as the worst oil spill the Philippines has ever seen. News photos showed bunker fuel lining the shores of coastal barangays, inking the white sands and cursing the fishing folks with a tomorrow more vague than they ever had.

Barangay Tando was among those which have taken the most damage.

News states that Guimaras fishermen will benefit from some P2.4 million in grants that the US government was giving to those who had lost their livelihood in 2006. Also, Citi Foundation and Petron Foundation will finance the second phase of a mariculture livelihood program for people in Nueva Valencia. But is 2.4 million enough to rehabilitate the coastal barangays and the disheartened fishing folks? I wasn’t sure that’s why I went to Tando to find out.

The sun was three palms away from the 20 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

earth when I arrived at my destination.

The tedious task of pushing the tricycle in the upward slants of the “snake road” dissolved from my mind when I felt my pen burn in my pocket as I was eager to know how Tando is three years after the disaster. News has it that Guimaras still reels from the oil spill but I want to find out what came of the fishing folks of the place I laid admiration with when I was a kid.

“Sa subong indi mo na makita, pero kun magtaub nagalatab man sa gihapon (Right now you won’t see it (oil spill traces) anymore, but when the tide rises it’s still evident),” said one fishing folk, with a bottle of vinegar on one hand and a frown on his face, as we waited for Kap Olivia Evangelista, Barangay Captain of Tando. By that time, I was not able to visit the shores yet.

It was a pity to find out how a fishing barangay, which is supposed to be selfsufficient in terms of food supply, was reduced to resorting to resources coming from neighboring non-fishing ones. And of course, prices would define another burden, as if the disaster wasn’t enough.

“Ang tando three years after naglugdang ang bunker MT Solar I, wa-ay gid iya kaulian. Pigado ang pangabuhian sang tao, asta subong (Tando three years after the bunker MT Solar I sank, is still the same.

Still the people’s livelihood suffers, up to now),” Kap Olivia said in the interview when she came. “Ang pangabuhian sang mga tao diri pangisda gid iya. Pag-abot nila sa baybay maayo kun makadakop sila. Iban jackpot lang kun paghunos nila sang labay nila makakuha sila bisan duwa lang kakilo; ang iban gani haluson kakuha bisan duwa lang (The people’s livelihood here really is fishing. When they come to the sea, it’s good if they can catch something. Some are already lucky to get just two kilos; others can’t even catch two fishes).”

This difficulty was because of the bait, she said further. The fishermen now find it difficult to catch small fishes to use as bait

for the mangroves which housed them are also affected by the oil spill. Scientists have discovered abnormalities in mangroves which point to the continued effects of the disaster.

On the other hand, because of the drastic aftermath, the people of Tando have no choice but to rely on other means of livelihood. Some resorted to charcoal, others to sari-sari stores. The fortunate ones said Kap Olivia, are those who have children working as seaman. The burden of the consequence led the people to extract all necessary means to survive, for some even dynamite fishing, for to wait for government assistance might render them hungry and is surely inadequate.

“Ang claims sina subong sang mga barangay officials, wala gapareho. May ara three-thousand seven-hundred, may ara three-thousand one-hundred. Ang sa kapitan six-thousand… kagamay. Indi gid na siya makaigo (The claims as of now, for the barangay officials, varies. There’s three-thousand seven-hundred, there’s threethousand one-hundred. For the Barangay captain, it’s six-thousand … it’s a small amount. It’s really not enough).” She said sadly. For the people, such small amount is already “dead money” and they will surely have, in one way or another, a need for it.

As for those who are into “taksi” or dynamite fishing, they were controlled by the government through the Bantay Dagat and were given nets.

Despite the still lingering effects of the 2006 incident, the people of Tando are slowly rising from the nightmare brought by the oil spill. The people are making ways to survive said Kap Olivia. They themselves help each other just like when the tragedy came.

Kap recalls that the day MT Solar 1 sank in stormy seas southeast of Guimaras and spilled more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil on the strait off the coast of the Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, is an unexpected one. Everyone woke to see the shore in a blanket of bunker fuel. It was the people, she said, who worked together

for the clean-up.

“Wala gid kami nag-expect. Nakibot nalang kami nga nag-itom na ang tubig… gin kadtuan kami sang tag-iya sang MT Solar kag sang Petron, gin hambalan nga maclean-up sila. Ang mga tao ko nag-ulubra sila pero wala sa ila sang gin provide nga gloves kag ukon mga pala. Gin manu-mano sang mga tao kag gin hakop lang to kag puno sila sang bunker fuel. Sang ulihi nagabot di ang DOH kag gin advisan sila sang doktor nga indi na pwede, kinahanglan tagaan kamo sang mga gloves kag tanan nga protections sa lawas kay poisonous ang bunker fuel [We never expected it. We were all shocked to find that the sea turned black… the owner of MT Solar and Petron came to us and told us that they’ll have a cleanup. My people worked but they were not provided with gloves and even shovels.

The people did it manually and they were filled with bunker fuel. Later the DOH (Department of Health) came and advised the people that it shouldn’t be, that they should be given gloves and all things they need to protect themselves for the bunker fuel is poisonous].”

The tragedy that happened three years ago is a sad story of how unpredictable fate is and of how man is one with nature. After the interview, I decided to descend to the shores of Tando. Indeed, no trace of the oil spill is left. Not even in that high key colors brought by the sun. The same mangroves greeted me, the same arcs of splendid rock formation and the same cordial shore. All were silent except for the waves that toyed with the pebbles in the shoreline. I guess, if all three could speak, they would have spared time to tell me their own side of the story.

As for the people of Tando, they should live on—to get up from a disaster that left their place’s marine life struggling for time.

Right now, they are doing their best, coping to survive and passing through the greatest snake roads of their life. But as what Kap Olivia said before we bid part, her people still needs help.

“Kun may ibulig ya ang kun sin-o da, either ang mga NGO or government, willing gid na iya ang mga tao kay ang pangabuhian nga pagpangisda pigado gid.

Kinanlan gid nila [If there is help that would be given by anyone, either from NGOs or government, the people are willing (to accept it) for their life in fishing is really difficult. They really need help].”

Iloilo River:

The Deluge of a Once Proud Estuary

L

By MARY LESLIE EREGIA and RONALD SORRILLA

ocated between a barrier beach and an alluvial plain formed by its tributaries, the Iloilo River is considered to be one of the most beautiful gifts of nature to the province of Iloilo. Having a noseshaped form, the Iloilo River was once a channel of trade from Villa Rica de Oton-Arevalo to what is now Iloilo City, making Iloilo the most active center in relations on commerce and trade from the Visayas to the Moluccas at the time, earning its title of “Queen City of the South”, long before Cebu took hold of the title. Barely a few centuries later, the once majestic body of water has now shrunk into a mere “commoner”, ready to be forgotten by those who have feasted their eyes upon it. How can a waterway as great as the Iloilo River be suddenly laid out into nothingness?

History of the Iloilo River During the American Period, when the Americans took over the governance of the Philippines, the first major improvement made in Iloilo was the port of the Iloilo River because of its leading importance in Philippine economic activities during

that time. The dredging work done on the Iloilo River from 1904 to 1907 enabled the government 210,000 square meters of land long the banks, especially the lower portion of the area between the river and Fort San Pedro. The dredging projects and maintenance done on the Iloilo River made it deep and able to accommodate larger vessels, both in foreign operation and local shipping.

These projects on the Iloilo River had made far-reaching effects on the physical character and economy of the province of Iloilo.

Role of the River Iloilo River was already noted to be a busy artery of commerce to the towns of Molo and Jaro, long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. The river was also a rich fishing ground for fishermen who had started putting up huts along its banks. Iloilo River was also instrumental in the development of the sugar industry.

It provided for a safe entry point for the Negros and Panay sugar which afterwards, were loaded on ocean-going vessels bound for other countries.

But with its present situation, the future of our city’s beloved river still remains uncertain.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 21

Dynamite Fishing

Que Sera, Sera:

The Tragedy of Illegal Fishing

By Aljun Padisio

T

he morning sun is not yet shining.

The only trace of light that gives vision in the darkness in the humid horizon in the sea is the brightness of the so called petromax or the alcoholburned lamp that appears like a swarm of fireflies in the distance from the coastline.

Lolo Indo, a native of Carles, Iloilo, was staying in his small, brown fishing boat while waiting for the right timing to execute his motive.

“This is for my family”, he says to himself as he tries to convince himself to do it. But his heart keeps on pounding and his hands perspire as he tightly grasps a longneck bottle of Tanduay filled with some colorful and odorless powder.

This is his first time, and if ever, a big pot of money is going to fill the empty stomachs of his family for quite a long period of time for the much awaited capital for his planned business to come true. He is both excited and nervous as the strange feeling of uneasiness flows down through his veins. After a long period of silence, he places a burning match inside the bottle until all of a sudden, everything bursts in his surroundings.

From the very moment Lolo Indo opened his eyes, he found himself lying inside a solemn, white room with his wife seated right next to him; she has been watching over him the whole time during 22 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

his unconsciousness. A man dressed in a white wardrobe has just come in. He was bewildered with a sudden shock in his face as he tried to reach for his wife realizing that both his hands were already gone.

He was barely even strong enough to lift his own body and bare arms at that very moment when countless drops of tears started streaming down his face. He was wailing out of anger and despair at the time; he wanted to kill himself badly but there was nothing else he could do. The brightness of the room was suddenly overshadowed by darkness and agony coming from the sentiments of Lolo Indo and his wife. It was as if they were both sobbing while embracing each other with their hearts filled with blood.

Apparently, regret always takes place in the end of every tragedy because people often refuse to follow what they consciously know is right. If there are people who would rather spare their own lives than put themselves in danger, others would do otherwise because of poverty. And not surprisingly in a coastal setting, one of the fastest ways to earn easy money at an instance is illegal fishing.

What is illegal fishing?

In its broadest sense, illegal fishing is defined in Section 86 of Republic Act 8550, also known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 as the “unauthorized fishing

or engaging in other unauthorized fishing activities – no person shall exploit, occupy, produce, breed, culture, capture or gather fish, fry or fingerlings of any fish species or fisher products, or engage in any fishing activity in Philippine waters without license, lease or permit.

The discovery of any person in an area where s/he has no permit or registration papers for a fishing vessel shall constitute a prima facie presumption that the person and/or vessel is engaged in unauthorized fishing: Provided, that fishing for daily food sustenance or leisure which is not for commercial, occupational, or livelihood purposes may be allowed.

It shall be unlawful for any commercial fishing vessel to fish in bays and in such other fishery management areas which may hereinafter be declared as overexploited.”

There are several kinds of illegal fishing which are mostly hazardous to our ecosystem and most especially to us humans as well.

Some of these are even enumerated in R.A. 8550: “1) Fishing with explosives or the use of dynamites; 2) Fishing with noxious or poisonous substances; 3) Payao – a fish aggregating device consisting of a floating raft anchored by a weighted line with suspended materials such as palm fronds to attract pelagic and schooling fish species common in deep waters; 4) Purse Seine –

a kind of encircling net with a line at the bottom passing through rings attached to the net, which can be drawn or pursed; 5) Trawl – an active fishing gear consisting of a bag-shaped net with or without otter boards to open its opening which is dragged or towed along the bottom or through the water column to catch fish by straining them from the water. Others include the karas or rake which are used to gather sea cucumbers and also fish in the in a prohibited zone.”

Authorities in legal action The use of explosives and other illegal methods of fishing have never been sanctioned by national law since 1998.

The current existing law, which is the Philippine Fisheries Code, penalizes the use of explosives with an imprisonment span of five to ten years. In addition to this, the perpetrator is obliged to forfeit his boat, equipments and catch to the government, and if the explosion also injures or kills other people, s/he can be charged with a separate criminal case. Also, the marketing of fish caught by explosives is punishable with an imprisonment of six months up to two years, and so is the unauthorized possession of explosives.

The Easier, the Better Even though many prohibitions and acts have already been passed by the government, many people still continue to engage in illegal fishing activities. There are many reasons behind it, most likely because of poverty reasons and others probably selfishly longing for profitable gains. Because of this, vast parts of the Philippine seas have been greatly abused, especially in the northeastern parts of Iloilo province. Some people do this in order to sustain their daily needs while some just crave for easy money.

Many people get easily attracted to

engage in such activity because of its returns if ever. In fact, not only smalltime fishermen engage in this harmful activity; most of them are actually big people, usually the ones who have high positions in the government. Due to this tendency, illegal fishing has become an endemic and never-ending cycle in many local communities. Moreover, people who are in position are also the ones who often tame illegal activities in their respective places. That is the reason why they are not capable of addressing the issue since they also commit same crime themselves.

Even the Philippine Fisheries Code was not able to stop or reduce the incidences of blast fishing, whether in the past when the penalty was much harsher (ranging up to twenty years of imprisonment) or in the present, when the penalty has been made more ‘humane’ because of the popular belief that all blast fishers are poor.

Its poor enforcement by authorities has always been a major issue. The sad reality is that only a few blast fishers have been apprehended, and much fewer have been convicted since the passing into law of R.A. 8550 eleven years ago. Most often, the unfortunate ones who get caught are only mere followers or underlings – the real ‘big fish’ usually gets away.

It’s not sustainable Illegal modes of fishing have proven to be unsustainable in the long term. This could be so because they threaten the fish stock itself by overfishing or because they threaten the environment that the fish need in order to thrive. Unconsciously, fisher folks are more focused on their stomach to feed not in the long term run of their activity.

Illegal fishers are unaware of stealing the opportunities intended for the next generation to have a safe environment and

abundance in aquatic resources. This may give the government an idea on how to solve this major problem in the country given the fact that it is an island nation surrounded entirely by abundant waters.

The end justifies the means At a first glance, we do not see its damaging effects but if we look at it more closely, we will see the great difference.

Illegal fishing such as the use of dynamite, cyanide, purse seine, trawl and others cause great hazards to our waters since it does not only catch large fish but all the other sea creatures and habitats also get affected including the fingerlings.

I can still remember one of our lessons in our Financial Accounting major where it was stated by our mentor that the higher the risks one takes in any endeavor, the higher the returns would be – meaning that the more harm and damage we cause, the greater the possibility would be that we would put ourselves in the danger of getting ourselves killed.

We shouldn’t let out minds get polluted with the thought that we are going to get rich in no time when we do the wrong things.

And this is not even a new issue in society.

Anyway, the decision is always ours.

There are so many but’s and if’s playing in Lolo Indo’s mind. At first, life seemed to be unbearable for him because something in his ‘self’ was already lacking after the tragedy.

But at least he has now learned to adjust and live his former solitary world together with paradise with his loved ones. He is now equipped with the courage and hope for his family to surpass the great waves from the sea of life. But now with more vigor and positive outlook, more concern for the environment so to speak. He’s now back into fishing by the way – and this time by legal means.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 23

Eco-Tourism

Bulabog Putian National Park Revisited

“D

By MIA ROSE EMBOLTURA and DIAM QUEENIE PERMOCILLO

ingle? Ahhh, ok…” and then we freed a deep bored sigh upon hearing our assignment. It’s because this place had been very ordinary to us. It is where we got our two-inch heeled shoes worn off; our sweat poured on and lives shared a part on. For three days of RLE duty, we are there walking to and fro the yards of our clients; exhausting their patience and get a hold of their precious time. Upon hearing the name Bulabog Putian National Park (BPNP), our brows started to rise together as our minds baffled but it made us realize that there’ more to know and discover about this place. More than just knowing its people, we must also take time to discern the place where this people live.

The crouching life in the eye of the city under the curse of its polluted air from thousand of vehicles between the fingers of the hot rays of the sun while the traffic bursting over our temper, why don’t we try to relax our bodies and minds?

The splendid wonders of nature ahs everything to offer after the mountainous paper and research work in school. Going to beaches is almost and ordinary thing as most people do. We have decided to visit hidden impressive places as not everyone knew.

24 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

An exciting without drilling much a hole in our pockets, gives us an idea to go in Bulabog Putian National Park. An unfamiliar place for most of us right? For others, they just describe it as a place usually visited during holy week. With its caves ideal for sight seeing.

Off we set to Dingle, to make the trip more fun, our friends (Donna Dilla and Harlyn Apitong) joined us in discovering the things to tell and tales about the park. It took us almost an hour to reach our destination.

Although this had been an ordinary place to us, going to Bulabog Putian had been a dilemma for we have almost been fooled about the fare. We really had no idea of how can we get there. Well, good thing is, we had tricky minds that we have made an excuse for a cheaper means (financially constrained eh, kinulang pa nga! Hahaha!).

Ecological attractions like mountains, unique caves and caves system, Nautod and Puti-an cliff or rock/wall for climbing.

The management aims to maintain the high level of biodiversity or interconnectivity of life of our Protected Area that could provide a venue for researchers, environmentalist, educators, biologist, foresters, economist and tourist among others to undertake intellectual, religious, and recreational

activities such as research, symposiums, trainings especially for Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines, etc. while at the same time generating income to sustain the financial needs of the Park.

Pursuant to Republic Act No. 7586 known as the National Protected Area System Act of 1992, the BPNP is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 6, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, Province of Iloilo under the direction of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) Chaired by the DENR Region 6, Regional Executive Director and Ex-Officio member from Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO); with the following members as follows; one (1) representative from its Municipalities covered by the National Park; one (1) representative from its Barangays & Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) (General Management Plan, Gallaza, 2006).

Pieces from the Past The Bulabog Puti-An National Park was proclaimed as Protected Area by the former Philippine President Carlos Garcia last June 14, 1961 covering an area of 854.33 hectares

that covers the portion of the Municipalities of Dingle and San Enrique in the Province of Iloilo. From Dingle the National Park included portions of Barangays of 1) Lincud, 2) Moroboro, 3) Camambugan, 4) Caguyuman, and 5) Tulatulaan while at San Enrique covers the Barangays of 1) Rumagayaray, 2) Compo, 3) Palje, and 4) Lip-ac, Iloilo (General Management Plan, Gallaza, 2006).

Accordingly, the Mount Bulabog, locally known as galinapta, belongs to the Municipality of Dingle while the Mount Puti-an known as “pil-as” or white/limestone “Cliff” belongs to the Municipality of San Enrique. The local folks and quack doctors regularly visited the park especially the caves during holy week to find the mystical plants locally known as “pangalap” (General Management Plan, Gallaza, 2006).

The Maestranza Cave is considered as historical and was proven by the National Historical Institute that it served as a hide away of Filipinos Guerillas and place where they make up gun powders under the leadership of General Hernandez (and was recognize as a National Hero) and finally captivated the Spaniards through a surprise attack. There is also the presence of Latin inscription inside the cave wall. It is as well a cultural site for Roman Catholics who regularly visit every holy week to do via cruses or way of the cross in contemplating during the season.

Biographical Setting The BPNP is situated at the central part of the Province of Iloilo Island of Panay and about forty one (41) kilometers from Iloilo City as the Regional Capital of Weatern Visayas. It covers the Municipalities of Dingle and San Enrique under the Fourth Congressional District of the Province of Iloilo.

The area is characterized as limestone rock formation with a combination of Molave and Dipterocarp forest. Most of the vegetation of the BPNP is secondary or residual forest formation due to the conversion of natural forest spaces into

coffee plantations and massive kaingin making sometime in 1950’s to 1980’s.

The National Park has a unique natural feature and biogeographical setting as it is surrounded with clean and clear lakes and springs coming from its underground river and creek systems that drains through the cave system down to Moroboro Spring and major River of Jalaur and Ulian at the south portion; while “Lake Bito” (as the people call it) in Brgy. Camambugan is located at the northwest portion.

Seeing the Sights For. Bertito Gallaza, (FMS II/PASUBPNP) imparted to us some of his knowledge about the attributes of the park. Our eyeballs nearly jumped from our eye sockets upon knowing that there was a total of thirteen caves. Namely Tuko, Maesteranza, Guiso, Lungib, Butak, Maanghit, Tayon tayon, Tayon tayon (Kapid), Mugni cave, Taluto, Isol-isol, Ipit-ipit, Tuntunan, and Linganero.

These caves highlight the Bulabog Putian aside from its various ecosystem and rich wildlife biodiversity. The endemic plants, bats and birds (swiftlets) inside the caves and old fully grown trees species constitute the part of the ecosystem of the protected area which serves as an additional showcase and attraction for the tourists and visitors and a great appreciation of ecological importance for the protected area’s biodiversity conservation activities.

Taking the trails and trek in BPNP, all your hardships could be eased by the parks remarkable attractions. The place is conducive for recreational and learning activities and in fact it had been a camping area for several Boy and Girl Scout camping.

The establishment and operationalization of the Botanical Garden is composed of Butterfly Farming that involves the propagation process of producing the host and nectar plant, carrying and identification/ labeling of endemic plant species. Mountain Trekking and Eco-tour is accommodated at the mountain peak f Mt. Bulabog at the Municipality of Dingle ant Mt. Putian at the Municipality of San Enrique that can be

done through a various route options.

Of course, since we talk about this wonderful hallows in earth openings, caving and spelunking will definitely one’s thirst on knowledge and satisfy your curiosity about caves and its hidden clandestine.

These caves are not only decorated with stalactites and stalagmites but exist with various life forms.

Extreme adventure is really there, most especially that a rock climbing area was developed. This activity as initiated by the Iloilo Mountaineering Club, is participated not only by local visitors but also by foreigners as well. Souvenirs are never missed in a Filipino pasalubong list when visiting a place. BPNP has also an answer to that. Various souvenir items displayed in the office are made of local materials like “bunot”, tree roots, anahaw leaves and others.

But despite all this, BPNP is faced into different concerns with regards to its condition. Like habitat disturbance from human illegal activities such as hunting,kaingin and loss of biodiversity with the presence of bio-invasive tree species like mahogany and Gmelina being introduce at the area for the rehabilitation species.

“Obserbahan ta tani and proper garbage disposal. Kag ang ginatawag bala nga selective cutting. Indi lang kita magpataka utod sang kahoy kag tani hatagan man naton atensyon ang pagkaingin...kay ini makaapekto sa proseso sang bioregeneration,” says Forester Gallaza when asked about his thoughts about the National Park.

It was an absolutely extraordinary thing for us, as this experience has nothing to compare with. Through this adventure, we have learned to appreciate the beauty of our nature, for we are blessed, with its abundance. We people, must realize its importance as this wealth had became one of our tropical treasure as Filipinos.

We are only human. In exploring natures grandeur we must, “Take nothing but memories. Waste nothing but time. And leave nothing but footprints...”

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 25

Eco-Tourism

The Marugo Mountain Resort: A hidden paradise in the highlands of Tapaz

By ALLIN JOY EMBOLTURA

U

pon hearing the place Capiz, a sudden chill will creep into your nerves. It is known for its scary aswang and maligno stories.

Many people are often afraid to visit Capiz because of its mysterious myths. However, for those who believe that Capiz is a place of witches and aswang will miss a lot by not visiting the mystifying yet beautiful province.

One of the undiscovered and unspoiled municipalities of the province is Tapaz. It is a 3rd class municipality in the province lying within the latitude 11º 09’ to 11º 09’ 42” and the longitude of 121º 11’ to 122º 34’ 45”. It is bounded on the northwest and northeast by the municipality of Jamindan, on the north by the municipality of Libacao in the province of Aklan, on the east by the municipality of Dumalagi in Capiz, on the west by Antique, and by the province of Iloilo, principally by the municipalities of Janiuay, Lambunao, Calinog and Bingawan from the southwest to the southeast.

The municipality has an unexposed place for nature lovers who want to spend a day inhaling fresh air and be amazed by the striking scenery brought about by nature. Have you seen a floating cottage in the midst of mountains? Well, you can only see it in Marugo Mountain Resort located at Tapaz, Capiz. It is built in a 400-hectare land situated along the dam. In your way to the resort, you could see rice fields and fish 26 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

pond. Upon arriving, you will be welcomed by the splendid view of the dam surrounded by green mountains full of trees.

The resort was opened to public on August 13, 2009. It is owned Roberto “Nonong” Orap Palomar. They started with 7 land cottages and two months later, they added 8 floating cottages that can cater up to 15 persons. Entrance fee is not required for each person. You just have to rent a cottage that is consumable for the whole day.

It is a perfect place for a person who wants to enjoy a day alone with nature.

Spend some quiet time thinking about few things. It is also perfect for a family that wants to spend some quality time together.

For students like us who also want to have bonding moments as a barkada, we could also spend a day at the resort.

For people who just want to enjoy the scenery and are not fond of swimming, there are seven side available cottages. Bringing outside foods and drinks are allowed by the management. There are also eight floating boats ready to accommodate visitors who want to be in the middle of the dam and to swim. There is also one island cottage situated in the middle of the dam. A motor boat will pull the cottage to the part of the dam where the visitors want to. For those who still want extra adventure, one could rent a boat to cruise the whole dam. The place is full of surprises. Several minutes away, one can trek to see the crystal clear water

of the splendid waterfalls. One could really appreciate nature by being in this place.

For parents who want to be sure of the safety of their children since the dam is quite deep, a swimming pool near the side cottages for children and adults is also located at the elevated part of the resort. The construction of a café and a mini bar in the resort is already on its last phase. It will soon be opened to public.

Aside from giving people a place to reunite with nature, the opening of the resort to the public helped the Tapaznons greatly.

It provided them jobs. The staff of the said resort are all from the said place. The dam itself also provided a means of livelihood for them. Some of the people caught fishes, shells and other sea creatures that they could sell in the market.

The management does not forget the importance of equilibrium in nature that is why they always remind their staff and visitors to maintain the cleanliness of the place. They are hands off to wild animals present in the said place. In fact, they are taking care of wild ducks and other animals present on the vicinity so that it will multiply and give more attraction to the place.

Through this newly discovered paradise, Tapaznons are indeed very proud to tell people that the myths are all wrong. Tapaz is indeed a place that can offer a relaxing and enjoyable day through the mystifying beauty of Marugo Mountain Resort.

Natural Calamities

What the Flood Washed Ashore:

Digging deeper on the Filipino stories behind the tropical storms

By Jefferson Magbanua

T

hree young boys are seated on the floor of a room without walls, looking on a five-foot blackboard with these writings on it: “CAUSE: The storm had flooded the streets. EFFECTS: A) People went out and swam. B) People went to the malls. C) People waited for days before leaving their homes.” Of the three boys, one appears numb with his eyes still and bites his fingernails as if he is reliving the trauma caused by the Tropical Storm “Ondoy”. This was the scenario in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (October 20 issue) photo I came across. And, this was how pupils of Malaban Elementary School coped with their classes, after they were displaced when their school was used as an evacuation center by the other victims of the said storm.

A room without walls near a dirty pavement for eight year-old pupils who are more than willing to learn – a literal version

of the “learning outside the four walls classroom” our teachers try to impose on us.

Sad but true… Almost intolerable but real…

I saw this reality not only on newsprints and on national television but those who have been dished into such a ring of fire have lived greater truths.

The experience of Filipinos in Metropolitan Manila and the entire Northern Luzon revealed the tormented nature of our sense of environmentalism. The stories of approximately 2.5 million of them have become haunting, making people in this ill-fated archipelago panicky. With Leptospirosis alone, death toll has climbed to 138 as of this writing – and still counting – not including those who were lost and remained unseen. For the ignorant, these may be mere statistics. But we might scream foul on ourselves once we get to know the realities behind these numbers.

Awakening from Sleep Nineteen year-old Franz Magbanua, my classmate in high school, remembers that he was taking a sound sleep in their house in Tabuc Suba, Jaro when Typhoon Frank battered Iloilo City. He scrambled on his bed, he said, after hearing the strong current of the flood water gushing to his room. “I cried while running to the second floor of our house. It was a horrible experience,” he shared to me in one of our tête-à-têtes.

Franz was quick to admit that he isn’t environmentally conscious. “I used to live a happy-go-lucky lifestyle and I didn’t really care for the things around me, not even my trash.”

However, it was because of the Typhoon Frank catastrophe that he became alarmed, his consciousness awakened, although he seemingly misinterprets care for environment with fear to die in a natural calamity.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 27

Natural Calamities Many of us shared the same experience as Franz and still, many fail to recognize the essence of taking good mind of the environment. Worse, many continue promoting environmental consciousness through tree-planting and recycling activities, when in fact they could be seen throwing their candy wrappers in streets.

A typical Filipino attitude – “bahala na”, they call it – this is the main reason why our environment degrades and why we continuously encounter nature’s inevitable forces – tropical storms, massive flooding, and landslides.

Because we ignored the beauty and value of our environment, we awfully scowled, cried, and even fell on wounded knees when Frank’s brothers, Ondoy and Pepeng, came to visit us. Like Iloilo’s case in 2008, millions of properties – houses, clothes, money, and cars – were eroded with animal pets in the devastated Manila and Northern Luzon. The loss has been so mindboggling that even Malacañang officials were scratching their heads off in attempting to come up with a compreshensive calamity rescue plan. They had Malacañang opened for common tao for the first time since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became president – a feat memorable for those who have been seeking refuge in a tormented metropolitan.

Malacañang was a home and Gloria Arroyo a mother: it happens only when hazardousenough tropical storms like Ondoy and Pepeng hit Manila.

28 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

In this context, it is evident that the environment is not one of our top priorities, not even of the government. If not for the storms that came and the flood waters that we’ve braved, we have not realized the importance of nature. Just as Franz was awakened from his sleep by the rushing floodwaters, so are the Filipino people rubbing their eyes from a slumber that had cost them much.

Thank God that we were awakened.

Thank God, too, for the worst has not yet come.

Victims of Trauma Though the residents of Biñan, Laguna remain thankful for the gift of life, it is a fact that many students in the area did not report to their classes on the Monday following their week-long struggle with Typhoon “Ondoy”. According to media reports, the students have been showing symptoms of trauma – they have become less talkative, more quiet and sad, and unfocused.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer news story, Puguis Elementary School Principal Ambrosio Atew asked the teachers to observe students who may show symptoms of trauma. Quoting Atew from the same source, he said, “Watch them closely.

Some may be staring blankly.” In this, Imelda Ciano, a music teacher in Puguis, said she wanted her students to feel secure following the killer landslides triggered by the downpour.

Laguna residents were not the only ones inflicted with trauma; Manileños also underwent the same as they became homeless and jobless, not knowing where to scavenge for food and jobs. Come the joyful Christmas day when all the lights of parols shall beam brightly in the cold December nights, their houses might still be submerged in flood waters and the occupants probably worried of what meal to place on their tables for the traditional noche buena – if they still have tables.

Those in flooded Lupang Arenda, Rizal, for instance, lost their livelihood when Tropical Storm “Ondoy” swamped their houses on September 26. As of this writing, floodwater is still knee-deep in most areas, and will probably remain so until mid-December. Situated near the shores of Laguna de Bay, Lupang Arenda in Taytay, Rizal served as dump for Metro Manila’s garbage from 1996 to 2001. Approximately 30,000 families currently live there.

With the typhoon incident, some residents have been gaining money from weaving doormats, selling these at P10.00 to P15.00 per piece. These people think that selling doormats would be the best way for them to earn and eat amidst a natural disaster.

Worse, some of these flood victims have been relying on floating garbage for food. Dangerous though the garbage to their health, they have no choice, considering that not all government and private sector-

produced relief goods reach them.

Filipinos who suffered on the climax of the Tropical Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” have not only been living a life full of physical misery, but a life with relentless painful memories which, they, having no other option, must bear, if not modify.

However, even if these slum residents would dump their trashy memories, the pain and destruction of their experiences would stay visible.

Imagine waking up in a place doomed by flood, where all trees were knocked down by the wind, dead animals float, and the roof of your house sails as if it were a rubber boat on flood water. This scenario is what “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” victims shall dread for the coming weeks. They could not do much so they choose to be at a halt, doing only little and passive efforts to sustain their lives and their way of life. And, so, the trauma caused by the cited natural phenomena becomes a chilling nightmare for them, literally and figuratively.

Witnessing the ‘Filipino Resilience’ During the period the Typhoon “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” rammed Northern Luzon, I’ve heard the phrase “Filipino resilience” repeated over and over again on national television. Advertisements boosting the Filipino morale were showcased in ABSCBN and GMA-7 in particular, as if these would reach those whose television sets were broken by the flood water.

Yes, this message reached those who managed to survive, believing that they have the capacity to muster all the determination left in them and rise to their finest hour in times of greatest peril, showing courage beyond self-preservation and showing bayanihan beyond the call of self-sacrifice.

Unfortunately, many souls could not just easily take in such an overwhelming phrase for they, having no means to go well with their lives after the storm, depend only on relief goods distributed by the government, movie stars, and other charitable institutions.

The “Filipino resilience”, as media puts it, is resident in the Filipino, particularly in the way he handles the disaster. It’s not just how the civil society spurs action to come to the aid of the victims; it’s how the victims themselves respond to their ravaging.

But how could these people be resilient when they are merely dependent on the community, especially on government?

Indeed, there is a downside to the resilience of the Filipino.

The Filipino is able to take in the thrusts and bullets of contemptible fortune because that is a natural lot in his life. He is a margin of his society. He is hopeless. He has nothing to do and to make do with. He slowly learned to fend off the thrusts and bullets of contemptible fortune because those thrusts and bullets have been battering him every day of his life. Perfect practice makes perfect and so the Filipino handles adversity skillfully with his experiencepolished disaster management ability.

It is because of the “Filipino resilience” that Malacañang boasted earlier this year

that the Philippines had escaped the effects of the global recession, thanks to a “resilient economy and a resilient people”, as Arroyo puts it. Recessive, not resilient. That’s what we are and that’s why we’re spared from the global recession.

Coincidentally, we are less harmed by the financial crisis compared to our Asian neighbors. The reason: we are too backward to be so harmed, like kerosene and candleusing folk in the mountains who manage to “endure” brownouts. Que horror!

Another bitter face of resilience is a long-suffering people. Worse, the other face being the uncomplaining people.

Colonial mentality, which we have carried on since Spanish occupation, has something to do with this – our experience of being oppressed and suppressed have been imbedded deeply in our psyche, making us believe that oppression and suppression are a natural lot in life. And so, the passivity continues.

That is why in times of natural calamities like in the case of “Ondoy” and “Pepeng”, it is irritating to hear government and media chant the phrase “Filipino resilience” like a motto or worse, a tired expression. It sounds like condoling the people: The pain will ease, you’re strong, anyway.

Sources: http://www.ionlinephilippines.com/wp-content/ uploads/2009/09/ondoy.jpg http://files.chesscomfiles.com/images_users/tiny_ mce/isnabin/Ondoy1.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr. com/3523/3961664218_643797589f.jpg Philippine Daily Inquirer (October 20, 2009 issue) www.inquirer.net

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 29

Eco-Business

A Passion for Bonsai: From a plant-lover’s perspective

By ALLIN JOY EMBOLTURA

P

lants plays a vital role in the equilibrium of the ecosystem.

Plants are everywhere around us and are essential to our lives in the form of food, drugs, fibers for cloth, and wood for energy and building materials. All of our food either comes directly from plants (wheat, corn, rice, beans, etc) or from 30 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

animals which exist only by eating plants (e.g. cows) or by eating other animals, which in turn ultimately depend on plants. They also provide essential habitat and food for many species of animals, and animal species often have strong preferences for, or even an absolute dependence on specific plants.

The oxygen in the air we breathe comes from the photosynthesis of plants. The quality of the air can be greatly influenced by plants. Plants can stop the movement of dust and pollutants. Through the intake of carbon dioxide, plants can also lessen the greenhouse effect caused from the burning of fossil fuels like coal. Plants are an important part of our aesthetic experience. We use them to decorate our streets, parks, yards and homes and many people find great pleasure and recreation in observing wildflowers and natural plant communities. Plants are also popular subjects for photographers and artists.

Have you imagined your home being surrounded by beautiful, blooming and

useful plants? Well, for Mrs. Preslou Glory – Genovate, it is indeed her paradise. Her house was surrounded with different species of flowering and non-flowering plants.

Because of her too much love of flowers, she even used it as decorations inside her house.

“Pres” as called by her friends and relatives is a member and at the same ti me adviser of the Igcocolo Multipurpose Cooperative Rural Improvement Club (RIC) located at Brgy. Igcocolo, Guimbal, Iloilo.

RIC is a women’s group organized by the Department of Agriculture wherein each of the members have their own business to run that is a good source of income. The said group was a Provincial and Regional Awardee of Gawad SAKA which is a special program of the Department of Agriculture for the outstanding farmer. It was organized May 2003 and presently it has a total of 34 members. It offers lending, utensil rentals, paluwagan and swine dispersal to it’s members. They have a total savings of 100,000.00. the group is nationally affiliated

to Democratic Socialist Women of the Phils.

(DSWP), Aksyon Kababaihan and RIC Federation.

In her case, Pres is into cut flower and dish garden business. Her love for flowers outgrew maybe because she was born into parents that have trained them to love the piece of land that they had. “I remember on Saturdays and Sundays, even though we have enough workers our parents will send us to pull weeds, plant rice, corn, peanuts and many others as well as harvesting them.”, Pres narrated.

“Even though my parents are both government employees and they have enough salary to support our needs and pay for workers, we were taught to do household chores whether it’s a boy or a girl’s work.

During your free time, except from going to farm, attending to the needs of our younger brothers and sisters we are also the ones doing the household chores”, she added.

Her mother was a retired teacher and her father is a retired Municipal Senior Agrarian Reform Officer and a Sanguniang Bayan Member of Tapaz, Capiz for 12 years. She was the eldest among the four sons and four daughters of Crisostomo Glory and Dalinda Java Glory.

Because of her passion to plants, she took up Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Major in Agronomy at West Visayas State University, LaPaz, Iloilo City. She helped in developing and managing their land for nine years. Being married did not stop her passion. While attending to the demands of her two sons, Bryan, 18 and Dave, 6 and her job, she continued her fervor to plants. She planted bonsai in their home.

Bonsai is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees, or of developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers.

Cultivation includes techniques for shaping,

watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.

‘Bonsai’ is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai A ‘bon’ is a tray-like pot typically used in bonsai culture.

[1] The word bonsai is used in the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots.

Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woodystemmed tree or shrub species [9] which produces true branches and remains small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning.

Some species are popular as bonsai material because they have characteristics, such as small leaves or needles, that make them appropriate for the compact visual scope of bonsai. The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation (for the viewer) and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity (for the grower).[10] By contrast with other plantrelated practices, bonsai is not intended for production of food, for medicine, or for creating yard-sized or park-sized landscapes.

As a result, the scope of bonsai practice is narrow and focused on long-term cultivation and shaping of one or more small trees in a single container.

It was liked by her friends who had visited their house and seen her creation.

Her friends offered to buy those bonsais to be used as giveaways. That is when her business started. Her sales started from few pots until it grew to hundreds and more. She was able to hit 2 birds with one stone as they say. She enjoyed planting bonsais and at the

same time she had a profit in her unexpected business and at the same time, she was able to ease up global warming by the plants that she had planted. She also offers landscaping services.

Aside from being an avid fan of plants and flowers, she was also active in helping other women. She is the Regional Coordinator of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) named Support Service Institute for Women (SIW), National Vice-Chairperson of Aksyon Kababaihan Federation, Regional Coordinator of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP). She is also a member of the Mediation, Reconciliation and Ethics Committee of Visayas Cooperative Training Office (VICTO), Treasurer of the Iloilo City Coopreneurs Surety Fund, and the Chairperson of the Panay Negros Development Cooperative (PANDEVCO).

Her place in Igcocolo starts to be known. The Deapartment of Agriculture (DA) and Rural Improvement Club (RIC) technician has visited her house to perform studies on how to improve her agri-business.

The RIC Womens Federation Meetings were also held in her house. Her accomplishments serve as an example to other members of the RIC. In fact, Women Associations from Iloilo Province conducts fieldtrips in her place. Her paradise is starting to be exposed to other people but she is happy sharing what she has and what she has achieved.

“Every success needs hard work and honesty. It does not come instantly but needs hard work and passion for us to achieve what we want.”, words from Preslou-Glory Genovate, a successful woman in her Agribusiness.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 31

Waste Management

The Sustainability of Sanitary Landfills

U

By Emmanuel Barcelona and Josefa Maria Castro

environmentalists as the cleaner solution to the growing problem on waste management.

This word seems alien to many of us. So, what really is a sanitary landfill?

Here in the Philippines, the first local government-controlled sanitary landfill is that of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

This landfill was made possible through the efforts of Mayor Richard Hagedorn with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Located in Barangay Sta. Lourdes of Puerto Princesa, it is fully operational and the mayor is inculcating in his constituents to be conscious of solid waste management by having a proper waste disposal system. The landfill also meets the international standards on ecological waste

management, meaning that the waste being thrown in here does not cause alteration to the environment. The claims that sanitary landfill is environmentally friendly had been immense but little do we know of what a sanitary landfill really is.

The term was first used in the 1930’s to refer to the compacting of solid waste materials. Initially adopted by New York City and Fresno, California, the first sanitary landfill used heavy earth-moving equipment to compress waste materials and then cover them with soil. The practice of covering solid waste was evident in Greek civilization over 2,000 years ago, but the Greeks did it without compacting.

Today, the sanitary landfill is the major

Photo by Christian LozaĂąes

pon hearing the word Calajunan, one would always associate this infamous place with garbage because it is where the open dumpsite of the city of Iloilo is located.

Garbage in varying degrees of disgust are brought in here daily by massive and aging dump trucks who routinely and capriciously dump waste here ranging from plastics to different sorts of filth. the mere presence garbage here does not only cause a simple eyesore but also potentially deadly diseases. These deadly diseases could be prevented from occurring if a better alternative to an open dumpsite would be constructed. Sanitary landfills are the more sustainable alternative proposed by many

32 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

method of disposing waste materials in North America and other developed countries, even though considerable efforts are being made to find alternative methods, such as recycling, incineration, and composting. Among the reasons that landfills remain a popular alternative are their simplicity and versatility.

For example, they are not sensitive to the shape, size, or weight of a particular waste material. Since they are constructed of soil, they are rarely affected by the chemical composition of a particular waste component or by any collective incompatibility of comingled wastes. By comparison, composting and incineration require uniformity in the form and chemical properties of the waste for efficient operation.

Sanitary landfills involve welldesigned engineering methods to protect the environment from contamination by solid or liquid wastes. A necessary condition in designing a sanitary landfill is the availability of vacant land that is accessible to the community being served and has the capacity to handle several years of waste material. In addition, cover soil must be available. Of course, the location must also be acceptable to the local community.

Maintaining a sanitary landfill is not easy as its spelling suggests. There are principles and certain protocols to be observed. The three basic procedures that are carried out in sanitary landfills are the spreading the solid waste materials in layers, compacting the wastes as much as possible, and covering the material with dirt at the end of each day.

This method reduces the breeding of rats and insects at the landfill, reduces the threat of spontaneous fires, prevents uncontrolled

settling of the materials, and uses the available land efficiently.

Trench and area methods, along with combinations of both, are used in the operation of landfills. Both methods operate on the principle of a “cell,� which in landfills comprises the compacted waste and soil covering for each day. The trench method is good in areas where there is relatively little waste, low groundwater, and the soil is over 6 ft (1.82 m) deep. The area method is usually used to dispose of large amounts of solid waste. In the area method, the solid waste and cover materials are compacted on top of the ground, while the combination method is usually done in a slope.

While landfills may outwardly appear simple, they need to operate carefully and follow specific guidelines that include where to start filling, wind direction, the type of equipment used, method of filling, roadways to and within the landfill, the angle of slope of each daily cell, controlling contact of the waste with groundwater, and the handling of equipment at the landfill site. Considerations have to be made regarding the soil that is used as a daily cover, which is usually 6 in (15.2 cm) thick, an intermediate cover of 1 ft (30.5 cm), and a final cover of 2 ft (61 cm). The compacting of the solid waste and soil has to be considered as well, so that the biological processes of decomposition can take place properly.

When the secure landfill reaches capacity, it is capped by a cover of clay, plastic, and soil, much like the bottom layers. Vegetation is planted to stabilize the surface and make the site more attractive.

Sump pumps collect any fluids that filter

through the landfill either from rainwater or from waste leakage. This liquid is purified before it is released. Monitoring wells around the site ensure that the groundwater does not become contaminated. In some areas where the water table is particularly high, above-ground storage may be constructed using similar techniques. Although such facilities are more conspicuous, they have the advantage of being easier to monitor for leakage. Aside from the promising ecological benefits of sanitary landfills alternative energy could also be derived from them.

The methane gas that is produced during the breakdown of garbage by bacteria and some fungi can be used to generate electricity.

For example, in Yolo County, California, a landfill releases 1.4 million cubic feet of gas a day used to generate electricity. Compost from biodegradable materials could be recovered from landfills to fertilize gardens can also be a good source of revenue for the local government.

The sanitary landfill is a good alternative for our government to consider in solving the perennial garbage problem here in the city that not only destroys our image as people who are addicted to cleanliness. Besides, our laws even stress out that open dumpsites have to be closed and later replaced by efficient sanitary landfills. However the solution on the garbage problem is not only our government’s problem but also ours.

Above all, everybody is affected by the garbage problem. We all suffer the flood that occurs during heavy rain because of clogged drainage caused by people who just indiscriminately throw their garbage anywhere.

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 33

Poetry

Mga Binalaybay ni Prop.Erwin Sustento Original Batchoy

(Samtang ako nagahulat sa mamalidha para sa isa ka interview parte sa lokal histori) Intensyunal ginhatag sang serbidora

ang pre-war nga pandesal

sa akon.

Insidental

ginhigop

ang mainit nga batchoy

sang turista

sa unhan nayon.

Aksidental

naurungan ang bukayon

kag nagapanilag

nga agurang

nga manugbaligya koron.

May nagsinggit KALDO!

Sa grupo sang pamatan-on.

Dali-dali

nagpalapit ang serbidora

nga ang iya bisti

ugis nga duta

ang kolor

kag wala gid

ribiti.

Pangga, makadto ta sa Yato!

Maputi nga balas, kag ang malimpyu nga tubi, amo ang nagaganyat sa akon nga magkadto.

Napinsaran ko nga hagadon ka apang indi ako magdala sang kamera kay indi ako luyag presuhon sang lente sini ang anuman nga madiskubre sa paraiso.

Luyag ko nga naka-album lang ini sa aton paminsaron kag panan-awan Para kita may ikasarang nga bag-uhon ang mga kayuyom.

Mahimo kita istorya nga paga-asuyon sang apa nga balas kag matugnaw nga hangin sa mga madason nga makakadto diri.

Bisan isa lang kita ka gab-i, matahi kita episodyo pares sang epiko nga napun-an sang pagpanglakaton kag romansa.

Maabot ang adlaw, ambahon ini sang kataw sa Yato Bal-an mo kung sin-o ang bida?

Pangga, ikaw lang kag ako Sa ginharian sang Yato.

Himos na pangga, makadto ta sa Yato!

Pagwahig

(Sa ginbayaan nga airport sa Madurriao, siudad sang Iloilo) di ko luyag makita ang airport kag ang malapad nga wayang sini, nagapadumdum ini sa eksena sang paghalin kag pag-abot.

Tigbaw nga hilamon amo ang kaupod sang mga nagtalalang nga kalag nga naanad sa gahud kag pirmi lang nagadali. ang masanag nga suga kon gab-i gin-ilisan sang landong sang kadulom.

Daw sementeryo ini.

(Nahadlok ako maglabay sa lugar nga ini kay basi ako bagaton.)

Amo gid bala ini?

Sa kada paghandum sa pagbag-o may ginagihit ginapakilid-kilid kag ginawahig?

1908-2008 kag ang flyover Nahadluk ako mag-istorya sa driver samtang sia nagakambya manibela.

Hayluhon ko sia tani nga sa flyover sia maagi.

Kahigayunan ko ini nga makit-an ang aerial view sang progreso sang siyudad.

Sa babaw sang flyover, klaro sa akon panan-awan ang natuad sa tarpaulin nga nagapabutyag isa ka gatus katuig na ang primiera nga buluthuan sang pungsod.

Indi ko na pagtublagon ang driver.

Ginalikawan ko ang liwat nga pagpanghayhay nga akon nabatian halin sa iya sa kada madumduman ang presyo sang gasolina hinali gani magtadlong sa hublas nga laragway sang amay ni FPJ.

Damang nga-a indi mo pagpabay-an nga maghimo sang balay-balay ang damang sa binit nayon sa imo matuod nga balay? nga-a nga paminsaron mo ang hambal sang iban nga ikaw tamad kag di kabalo magtinlo sang imo puloy-an? wala ka bala nahisa sa damang kag sa daw perpekto niya nga puloy-an?

The Augustinian Mirror October 2009 35

Poetry

Palawan Poems by Pietros Val Patricio Eva and the Crocodile My flesh is nothing but a feast to the attention of your five senses, my human intellect bewildered, abstained by your ferocious presence.

Your treacherous eyes gaze at me with tranquility as I walk through this garden of calm left with nothing but silence in the air.

I look straight into the depths of your reptile eyes, you and me alone, eye to eye…

Snap, snap!

And in our midst, silence breaks as I suddenly cross the threshold of this mossy swamp, your eternal domain.

Countless women like me have fallen prey to your long, sharp fangs, your seductive charm…

Swallowed alive like tender chicken meat falling into the inevitable trap of your bestial mouth.

Snap, snap! Snap, snap!

I can’t help but fall prey to you, fully hypnotized and juxtaposed by your handsome eyes and built, surrendering my body to yours.

I can’t help but fall prey to your sturdy posture, attracted to your intense strength and superiority.

To you, I am nothing but prey for you only hunger for my flesh, the exploitation of my body, my dignity and soul abused.

Intensely, I feel the lover’s breath, his heart beat next to mine, caught in his trap.

And with one snap, everything is gone… divinity, virginity, pride…

36 The Augustinian Mirror October 2009

Island Ecstasy

Tonight, this dance floor becomes the sea, the lights become the stars in the sky as we both dance together in this endless dream of ours.

It’s like being cast away, you and me alone, in a tropical paradise, wrapped up in your love.

Your body shaking like guava jelly, guided by the rhythm of the waves, feeling the heat of our fantasy under the erotic summer sun.

If life were to be a dance floor, then let God be our DJ and we shall dance for eternity lost in this island of love.

The Pub Adventurers

cara

dawn

piet karlo donna will fr. perts

allin

ma’am arlene

ivan

ma’am lorna

s n o i t a c i l b u P A S U The presents

The 4th SanAg rds a w A s s e r P s u p m Ca Major Awards with a cash prize of PhP 2,000, a plaque, and a certificate Best College Magazine Best College Newspaper Best High School Magazine Best High School Newspaper Minor Awards with a cash prize of PhP 1,000 and a certificate Best Editorial Page Best Literary Page Best Layout Best News Page Best Sports Page Best Tourism Page Best Gender- Sensitive Page Individual Awards with a cash prize of PhP 1,000, a medal, and a certificate Jigger S. Latoza Award for Best Columnist Isidoro M. Cruz Award for Best Poet Alice M. Sun-Cua Award for Best Travel Writer John Iremil E. Teodoro Award for Best Kinaray-a Writer Arch. Jose Dureza Award for Best Magazine Cover Artist Special Award with a cash prize of PhP 2,000 and a certificate Primo E. Esleyer Award for Best USA Departmental Paper Photo Credits: www.daylife.com, www.flickr.com, www.pinoycenter.com, www. phil.usaid.gov, www. zamboangajournal.com, www. medco.gov.ph, www. aaiphil.blogspot.com, www. news. bbc.co.uk, www. mindanao.com

February 13, 2010 President’s Conference Room, University of San Agustin Submit or mail five (5) copies of magazine and/or newspaper published within June 2009 to January 2010 on or before January 15, 2010 to USA Publications, 2nd Level, Alumni Hall, University of San Agustin, Brgy. San Agustin, Gen. Luna St., 5000 Iloilo City, Philippines.

For further inquiry, please contact the USA Publications at 337 48 42 to 44 (local 189) or 09283222181/09052623060. The USA Publications has its Editorial Office at 2nd Flr., Alumni Building, University of San Agustin, Gen. Luna St., 5000 Iloilo City.