Turning our Mountains Green Indigenously

Mt Pulag National Park

The mountains are the storehouse of the many varieties of plants that had been feeding every creature since then. It is home to many species of trees that store water feeding the streams and rivers. It is the source of fresh water that supplies farms for irrigation and potable water for many communities. The mountains like the Cordillera Range are also vital watershed to lowland habitats.

Globally, the mountains are known as the water reservoir for human consumption, weather makers for most of the world, source of biological diversity, spiritual or sacred places and recreation sites.

Locally, the mountains are the source of food, medicinal plants, minerals, timber, fuel wood, hydro electricity and labor. It is the sanctuary of plants and animals, used as farmlands, pasture lands, resorts, tourism, sports and recreation areas, hunting and many more. But one thing sure important to a mountain in this planet is its role in storing the most precious element in life, the fresh water.

But when the mountain forest is unsustainably cut, cleared for commercial farming, mining, dams, the normal flow of water will cause floods, erosion and landslides. Water springs will dry up and its biodiversity will be greatly affected.         

To date, people living in the mountains around the world are experiencing deforestation because of extractive land use or industries such as mining, logging, nontraditional farming and grazing. Overpopulation is also culprit to its landscape instability.  The loss of our forest cover contributes to the massive release of greenhouse gases that exacerbates global warming.

During our high school and college days up to the time of our employment, we had numerous tree planting sessions. Government agencies were engrossed to tree planting programs but these programs were wasted since there was no maintenance system for the trees planted. Coordination to the community or to the concerned environmental custodians was ignored.  The planted trees if not taken cared until they are self sufficient are futile since they are exposed to natural nuisance such as forest fires, animals, uncontrolled weeds, improper planting techniques, unseasonal planting and extreme weather events.

But for most of the reforestation projects, its failure is due to conflicting government policies. The projects cannot be fully implemented due to systemic graft and corruption. The best approach is to encourage community participation and strengthen the indigenous forest management system.

A self-initiated resource management is also appropriate for conservation. This refers to initiatives done outside the conventional “project-type” of intervention or with very little interference from external agencies.  The concerned community or the IPs, mostly initiates them using their rich indigenous knowledge, to cope with the changing environment.  In the Cordillera’s, there are indigenous forest management practices such as the keyowan of Ibalois or Kaewan to the Kankane-eys of Benguet Province,  muyong of the Ifugaos, tayan of Bontoc or batangan to Sagada in Mt. Province, and pirahwa of Tulgao and Tinglayan in Kalinga. Traditional management practices have also been documented among the Maranaos of Lanoa del Sur.  These include their indigenous protection and management of common property resources such as land, forest and water bodies, and native fishing practices using their traditional fishing equipments.  Similarly, the Matigsalogs of Bukidnon, Cotabato, and Davao are known to practice environmentally-friendly resource management practices such as those involved in upland farming, hunting and trapping, and inland fishing activities (ILO, 1998).

Documentation of self-initiated resource management practices has revealed their positive impacts to human lives and natural resource conservation.  Among the cited impacts of these practices are in-depth understanding of intricate way of life, contribution to sustainable survival, contribution to cultural preservation and ethnic groups, and biodiversity conservation (ILO, 1998).  However, while some of their dynamic nature maybe continuously modified for the better, most are in the process of disappearance (if not already disappeared) because of the strong forces of modernization.

The adoption, institutionalization, and operationalization of these indigenous forest management systems could be a remarkable contribution of the indigenous people to the climate change. ( )

Critical areas for our concerned agencies to weather...

Making Festivals Meaningful For Our Environs

In the Phl, there are numerous festivals being celebrated. In the Cordilleras, the festival excitement also took its share. In the City of Baguio, the Panagbenga festival made its account as one of the best festivals in the region. Like in the lowlands, the month of February to March begins the festivities.

In the Cordilleras, there are many festivals that are worth to visit or observe which are rich in culture and tradition. Among these festivals are the La Trinidad’s Strawberry Festival in the Province of Benguet, the Etag Festival of Sagada and Am-among Festival of Bontoc in Mt. Province, the Imbayah Festival of Banaue and Gotad Ad Kiangan in Ifugao, the Ullalim Festival of Tabuk City in Kalinga, the Say-am Festival in Apayao, the Arya Abra and Dapil Festival in Abra and many more.

Most of these festivals are designed to promote the supposed unique features of a certain place to include its history, culture, people, products, and tourist destinations. It’s an official tool of encouraging the residents to celebrate as one and feel proud of their beloved hometowns.

The fiesta is part and bundle of Filipino culture. Through good times and bad times, the fiesta must go on. Each city and barrio has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the country. But the major and most elaborate festival of all is Christmas, a season celebrated with all the display and show the fun-loving Filipino can handle.

Moreover, a festival is a celebration which covets to invite visitors to celebrate with the residents while learning the culture, appreciating the local products, understanding the people, and discovering the environmental gifts of the host locality. It’s a special gathering which underscores the leadership prowess of the officials in rallying sense of unity and oneness to their constituents. It is a distinctive event showcasing the unique practices of a certain place serving as their collective trademark or social identity; an event for everyone regardless of social status, educational attainment, political affiliation, profession, life belief, and economic standing.

Societal essence is the key of holding a festival which must be appreciative to the residents and put sense of interest to the visitors. It’s not only a special event for the few and elite or for the officials but must be for all. It should aim to put more weight to the promotion of the place and not the politicians in advancing their personal and political interests. Most of all, for one to become distinct and with substance, no festivals shall be commercialized to maintain its ingenuity and real essence for cultural promotion shall never be mixed with business endeavors. 

It should be understood that while we aim for economic gain and prosperity, this aspect should never be the primary or ultimate purpose of any festival as to maintain its essence as a showcasing tool of a certain place. Organizing festival only for economic pleasure is a short term plan and more often than not, spearheaded by politicians whose legacy in life is how to get another political term after three fruitless years.

Festival organizers should look for program focal persons who are inclined, fully aware, developed interest and appreciative with the essence of what they are promoting. The act of promoting shall always be with passion and shall be coming from the heart sealed with commitment and sterling sincerity as not to devalue the real spirit of the special event. Organizers and program focal persons should be open to suggestions with the aim of further refining the conduct of such festivity. 

They should understand that the festival is for the community and not merely for them. They should treat the people as potent service partners and not merely costumers or “financial instruments.” It is hoped that the entire above mentioned premise had been carefully observed and carried in the promotion and conduct of our cordillera festivals to include our very own, Panagbenga or Adivay.  

Of course there are the pseudo-festivals, in their harmless and their sinister forms like the traditional feasts contaminated by commercialism; artificial holidays created in the interest of merchandisers; holidays by coercion, decreed by dictators the world over; festivals as military demonstrations; holidays empty of significance. And lastly we are given the apocalyptic vision of a nihilistic world which would seek its release not in festivities but in destruction.

 

But to make our festivals significant, it should be translated and practiced in a way that will wake up and take firm actions on the problems confronting    our communities on disposing waste efficiently, preventing pollution, re-greening our mountains, providing adequate water and electric supply, protecting our vegetable and flower farms, saving our Pine trees and forests including bodies of water, and arresting criminality. ( )   

 

Thanks, Come Again...