Saving Cordillera mountains, empowering indigenous communities

 Maligcong Rice Terraces, Bontoc, Mountain Province (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

by Charissa Luci-Atienza , Manila Bulletin

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has launched two major research programs seeking to protect the mountains in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and ensure water security and climate resilience for indigenous communities in the region.

DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the two programs were launched by DOST-CAR to preserve the region’s mountains through innovative engineering solutions, and ensure enough, safe, and clean water supply in indigenous communities in CAR.

He said the first program calls for the establishment of a “Mountain Engineering Center” in the region. It is funded under the Science for Change Program (S4CP) Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER).

The DOST chief said “Program Boondock: A Mountain Engineering Center Towards Sustainable Infrastructure and Upland Water Security” is a collaborative effort of the DOST-CAR with the University of the Cordilleras (UC), Kalinga State University (KSU), Saint Louis University (SLU) and the Watershed and Water Resources Research, Development and Extension Center (WWRRDEC). WWRRDEC is one of the Research Centers of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB).

“The first program seeks to enhance the industrial competitiveness of the Cordilleras in the field of agriculture, tourism and mobility through mountain engineering solutions and promote social and human development through upland water security, and environmental sustainability,” he said.

De la Peña said the second program seeks to ensure water security and climate resilience for Cordillera’s mountain indigenous communities through technology-enhanced decision support tools.

It is funded under DOST’s National Research Council of the Philippines’s (NRCP) Grants-in-Aid ` (GIA) program and will be jointly implemented by DOST-CAR with the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) and University of the Cordilleras (UC) The initiative is expected “to bring about sufficient, clean and safe domestic water supply in mountain communities especially during the dry season,” de la Peña said.

“It will provide the necessary data and information to support decisions on water resources development for water supply that are more resilient to climate change and climate variability,” he said. “It also seeks to establish technology enhanced information and decision support system for the conservation and protection of the rivers and watersheds of the Cordilleras,” he added.

The involved LGUs in both programs are the provincial government units of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province; and municipal government units of Sallapadan, Abra; Itogon, Tuba, Tublay, and La Trinidad, Benguet; Baguio City; Banaue, Ifugao; Tabuk City, and Tinglayan, Kalinga; and Bontoc and Bauko, Mountain Province.

The research programs were launched on June 8.

Land With No Summer Months

By Dexter A. See 

NATONIN, Mountain Province —Rain poured daily for the past 24 years on this mountain town in the rugged Cordillera Region in the northern Philippines, children gave up praying “rain, rain go away” and elders look misty-eyed at lowland areas sweltering under the burning sun,  a senior town official said on Friday.

Mountain town. A panoramic view of rice terraces
in Natonin. DEXTER SEE

Mayor Matteo Chiyawan said the town never experienced summer season in more than two decades and the government could not build and put up  infrastructure projects such as roads and school buildings on the soft ground.
“No development because of the rain. I pity our people for being exposed to too much rain,” Chiyawan said.
Natonin, a fourth class municipality, nestles on the slopes of the Cordillera mountain ranges and have little level ground. The town is surrounded by jungles and rain forests.
The sun shines on the 12,000 Igorot population for about three hours at least four times a month. People earn a living from rice terraces farming, fishing for eels in the rivers, and hunting wild animals such boars and deers.
Chiyawan said too much water in the soil and threat of soil erosion make it difficult for workers to compact the land and implement government public works projects.

A waterfall in one of the rain
forests in the area. DEXTER SEE

He said it takes several hours travel from the provincial capital of Bontoc to Natonin over 74 kms of rough and muddy national highway that winds on the side of the mountain.
Agriculture production has suffered because farmers could not dry their palay and rotting grains became one of the major causes of heavy losses, Chiyawan said.
“The old generation performed rituals to stop the rain with a sequence of prayers together with several animals butchered, but the practice has stopped in the past several years,” Chiyawan said.
The rain forests contribute to the abundant rainfall in Natonin, making its rivers suitable for operation of mini-hydro power plants, which could offer employment opportunities to people in the area.
Gov. Leonard Mayaen said the provincial government has on stand-by heavy equipment for use of Natonin during landslides and soil erosion caused by water saturation on the road.
He said he was ready to respond to any calls for assistance from Natonin municipal officials have handled the situation well and “no problems have been brought to our attention.”
“I am proud of the resilience of the people of Natonin because they are able to survive the prevalence of too much rain and still pursue their own sources of livelihood like raising of heirloom rice, hunting wild animals and being involved in food processing and weaving,” Mayaen said.
Officials appealed on the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast-track concreting of the unpaved portion of the Natonin to Paracelis road to connect the town to Santiago City in Isabela and open new business opportunities for residents.

(C) 2014 Manila Standard