Dr. Jayson Ibañez: Philippine Eagle conservationist

BY KEITH BACONGCO

  

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With a population of about 400 pairs left in the wild, the critically endangered Philippine Eagle needs utmost protection against deforestation, poaching, and other human activities that contribute to the loss of its habitat.

IBANEZ

Thanks to the dedicated people at the Philippine Eagle Foundation who are tirelessly for the conservation of the rare Philippine Eagle.

One of the most important figures in the eagle’s conservation efforts is Dr. Jayson Ibañez, research and conservation director, at the Davao-based Philippine Eagle Foundation.

For nearly 30 years now, Ibañez, who obtained a PhD degree at Charles Darwin University, has dedicated his career for the conservation of the Philippine Eagle.

The seasoned conservationist pioneered research on Philippine Eagle home range, survival, and habitat use through radio, satellite, and GPS/GSM telemetry.

Under his watch, his team studied 26 eagles with state-of-the-art telemetry technology that improved the scientific knowledge on Philippine Eagles.

Moreover, Ibañez also contributed to PEF’s “culture-based conservation” approach that engages marginalized Indigenous People communities in species and nature conservation programs.

“We realized that more than 80 percent of the eagle habitats of Mindanao are within the ancestral domain of the indigenous peoples,” Ibañez said. This made the indigenous communities the front liners in environmental protection.

Under the program, the PEF is conducting extensive education in indigenous communities as well as providing them with livelihood programs. 

Along with the PEF team, his conservation work has also contributed in protecting the watersheds to help strengthen natural defenses against environmental hazards and calamities.

His accomplishments in the field of conservation have earned him numerous awards and recognitions from local and international communities.

Among them are Bronze Award from the UK-based BP Conservation Program in 2004, Biodiversity Recognition Award from the government in 2015, and Second Place for the Yale International Society for Tropical Foresters (ISTF) Innovation Prize-Biodiversity Conservation edition in 2015.

Ibañez  was also a recipient of Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN-UK) conservation awards in 2015 and received a continuing grant award in 2017 which is also referred to as the Green Oscars that recognizes and supports conservationists from around the world who are making a difference through grassroots and science-based approaches.   

The most recent recognition was the Charles Darwin University Alumni Awards given last November.

Specialty coffee auction in Davao City set

BY KEITH BACONGCO

  

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DAVAO CITY – Coffee producers from the famed village of Balutakay at the foot of  Mount Apo in Bansalan, Davao del Sur will hold its first auction of specialty coffee here on January 20.

A FARMER sorts coffee cherries in Barangay Balutakay, Bansalan, Davao del Sur.  (Photo courtesy of MCN)  

Rhoda Ruth Pillerin, chief executive officer of the Model Cooperative Network, said the specialty coffee beans are from 18 producers from the Balutakay Coffee Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (Bacofa).

Pillerin added that the Arabica coffee green beans have been graded by Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) certified graders.

MCN is providing technical assistance to  support the coffee value  chain activities under its project Strengthening the Implementation of Regional and Local Peace and Development Agendas (SPADe) and Mindanao Peace and Development (MinPAD) RISE Program of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

It is also supported by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Pillerin added that only those graded 80 and above have been selected for auction.

Over 100 producers submitted their samples but only 18 made the cut.

The highest cupping score was earned by Cherry Gil Cabanday with 85.45 with cupping notes berries, cinnamon, and wine.

Unlike other coffee varieties, Arabica coffee is considered the superior coffee and sold at higher prices.

“This is the first time that Bacofa will hold an auction of their specialty coffee in the Philippine market,” she admitted. “We are also testing the water through this auction to see the response of the market.”

Pillerin added that most these producers also belong to winners circle of Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC).

Coffee producers in Bansalan have been consistent in the winners circle in PCQC since 2018.

As of January 12, several prospect buyers have signified their interest in the auction that will be held at Park Inn by Radisson Davao.

Under this project, Pillerin hopes to educate the public on the value of the specialty coffee from the Davao region.  

MCN assists the coffee producers in making sure that they are following top quality standards in processing their coffee beans, she added.

She urged local coffee shop owners, roasters, and even home brewers to patronize the local specialty coffee to further boost the income the local producers.

“Because when you are buying local specialty coffee from Bacofa, it could help in the expansion plans of the group,” Pillerin said.

PEF eyes 3 M trees near PH Eagle nesting sites under Project RegAIN

BY KEITH BACONGCO

  

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DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) aims to plant and nurture at least three million native tree species and fruit trees near Philippine Eagle nesting sites in three years under its Regenerative Agroforestry for Indigenous Well-Being and Nature or Project RegAIN.

THE Philippine Eagle Foundation aims to plant trees for Philippine Eagles under its Regenerative Agroforestry for Indigenous Well-Being and Nature or Project RegAIN. (Keith Bacongco)

Dr. Jayson Ibañez, PEF director for breeding and conservation, said the project hopes to regenerate 1,500 hectares of forests to bring back degraded ecosystems due to human activities. 

The project, he added, is not just for the benefit of the critically endangered Philippine Eagles but also for other animal species as well.

He explained that the regenerative agroforestry intends to restore what had been lost due to human encroachments and sustainable land uses.

“The project has five key outcomes: Improving soil health, enhancing water retention and quality, conserving biodiversity (including expanding Philippine Eagle habitats), promoting ecosystem health and resilience, and sequestering carbon,”  the PEF project briefer read.

It added that forest restoration is seen as a solution to address these issues and support sustainable development goals, combat biodiversity loss, and mitigate climate change impacts.

“The goal of the project is to restore key areas that are currently grasslands and brushlands in indigenous territories adjacent to Philippine eagle nesting sites using community-based afforestation and agroforestry. This initiative involves planting native trees and fruit trees in designated restoration areas.”

Many former forests, Ibañez added, have lost their quality of soil. Thus, the project, he said, intends to bring back quality of soil as well as restore lost biodiversity.

The native wildlings were collected by the partner indigenous communities and will be planted in the eagle nesting sites in reforestation sites in this city, Davao de Oro, North Cotabato, and Bukidnon.

Recently, PEF project partner Reduce, Reuse, Grow, Inc., visited the newly inaugurated central nursery for the project at the Philippine Eagle Center in Barangay Malagos this city.

Reduce, Reuse, Grow Inc. is a reforestation company that helps enterprise-level clients counteract their operation's environmental impact by planting a plant with each high-volume transaction made.

Among the tree species to be planted are banaba, bagtikan, bangkal, maluggay, narra, ous, pili, red lauan, white lauan, ulayan, and ylang-ylang. 

The project will incentivize the participation of at least 180 indigenous families and their communities, the PEF briefer said. “Additionally, agroforestry practices will contribute to food security, income generation, and cultural spaces for indigenous well-being."

Washington Post taps lady comics artist from Davao for investigative series drawings

BY KEITH BACONGCO

DAVAO CITY – Every comic artist dreams to get their work published on the pages of notable publications.

But for a 27-year-old Davaoeña comics artist, getting an email from one of the most respected newspapers in the world was the least she expected. 

REN Galeno shows her work for an anthology book ‘Ten Years to Save the World’ during the Philippine Book Festival at SMX Convention Center in Davao City. (Keith Bacongco)

“I didn't think it was real at first,” recalled Ren Galeno, adding that she was working when she received an email from Washington Post last February 24.

"I actually thought it was just a spam email," she told Manila Bulletin with a chuckle. Of course, I'm wishing for a big break but I did not expect this to happen this soon." 

Galeno was behind the evocative illustrations for the Washington Post’s “Searching for Maura,” an investigative series in an illustrated reporting form about the missing Filipino girl from Cordillera.

The story is about Maura, an 18-year-old Filipina who was taken to Saint Louis, Missouri for the World’s Fair in 1904.

"Maura fell ill and died, and records suggest a renowned Smithsonian anthropologist, Ales Hrdlicka, traveled to Saint Louis and took the cerebellum of her brain to study as part of his ‘racial brain collection,’” a part of the caption read. 

Galeno recalled that an editor of the Washington Post told her that they had read “I pray you're born with gills,” a short comic she made for Ten Years to Save the World book.

She added that she had online meeting with the editors and then with the other members of the team involved in the investigative story.

“I had sent a few drawings to see if my style was what they had envisioned, a few likeness studies and a location study. They responded positively to them, and we got to work as soon as the script was finalized.”

As part of the creative process, the team sent her pictures for references. 

Then she started working on the illustrations in April and eventually finished everything in June.

“They were incredible collaborators, I learned so much from this project. They were clear with their vision from the beginning,” she admitted.  “It was a great collaboration, and their passion for the investigation was infectious. It was my first time working with a writer and a team, and I'm really lucky I got to learn from them.”

The Searching for Maura was perhaps the first ever story of the Washington Post translated into Filipino.

Furthermore, Galeno admitted that, as a Filipino, there was a little bit of pressure when she was working on the drawings. "I felt the pressure and the responsibility to illustrate it accurately and with empathy."

Love for drawing

According to her father Ferdinand, her daughter started to scribble around two-years-old.

“I taught her how to draw by singing the nursery rhyme Small Circle Big Circle until it is formed into a teddy bear,” recalled Ferdinand, who runs a restaurant in this city.

Since then, he had already seen her daughter’s love for drawing.

Upon finishing high school, Ferdinand recounted that her daughter wanted to take up Fine Arts in college. “Since she was not yet 18-years-old, I encouraged her to take up architecture first because I believe that it’s a good foundation for drawing. And she agreed.”

After spending a year at Ateneo de Davao University, she moved to University of the Philippines-Mindanao here and took up Communication Arts for a year before moving to UP Diliman in Quezon City to take up Fine Arts.

"I've always loved to draw. I don't remember a time when I wasn't drawing. I knew I wanted to be some kind of artist, and for a while I thought that was a painter. After graduation I just returned to comics, the transition felt natural. I had always loved manga and comics, it felt like it made sense,” Galeno said.

Body of work

Prior to her collaboration with the Washington Post, Galeno’s biggest project was for the comic anthology “Ten Years to Save the World, ” a project supported by the British Council as part of a number of creative commissions in response to climate change and COP26.

She contributed the “I pray you're born with gills,” a sobering reflection on the anxiety of bringing children into a climate change world.

Currently, she is working on her first full graphic novel "Full of Grace," an official selection of the 2nd Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF) in September.

Moreover, she has also produced seven mini-comic books:  II (2019), Sta. Monica Falls (2020), Egg (2020), Romaragit (2020), Aiyeee (2020), Sa Wala (2021), Mga Palaka ng San Antonio (2022).

Another upcoming graphic novel, "Sa Wala," is set to be released this year.

She left an advise to aspiring artists.

“Be curious and open to everything! Observe the world around you, know your interests, and allow yourself to try new things,” said Galeno.

Kidapawan tourism office defends concrete slabs on Mount Apo trail

 BY KEITH BACONGCO

  

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DAVAO CITY – The Kidapawan City Tourism Office has defended the installation of concrete slabs on the existing damaged trail of Mount Apo, particularly that linking Lake Venado and the summit, after netizens criticized the city government’s effort to restore it for the safety of climbers.

Tourism officer Gillan Ray Lonzaga blamed the degradation of the trail to the influx of climbers as well as heavy rains.

“Aside from being damaged due to heavy rains, the trails have also widened to about three meters because of the influx of climbers going down to the Kidapawan side of Mount Apo,” she disclosed over the phone.

A CLIMBER navigates the muddy trail in Mount Apo. (Kidapawan Tourism Office)

The country's highest peak sits between the boundary of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.

Recently, pictures and videos of concrete slabs on the trail of Mount Apo made rounds on social media.  Some netizens slammed the city government, saying that the concrete steps, which are less than a meter long, are not the solution to the problem.

For some seasoned mountaineers, the solution is to let the mountain rest and let the trail recover by itself.

But the Kidapawan tourism officer said that since opening a new trail is not an option, the city government had no other means but to repair the existing damaged trail.

She disclosed that the installation of concrete steps have yet to be completed in five different portions of the trail. “In total, there are only about a hundred meters of trail that needs to be restored.”

The longest portion of the restored trail is about 30 meters only, Lonzaga added.

Environment advocate and former executive director of Mount Apo Foundation Inc. (IMAFI) Ermelo Libre commended the project as it could help ensure the safety of climbers.

However, Libre said that environmental and cultural architecture must be incorporated in project construction to reflect the spirit of the natural surrounding environment.  “And as an expression of the cultural tradition and aspirations of the indigenous community that was there before us.”

“Why not use natural materials like logs? Or anything that’s natural should be considered so that it will not destroy its natural beauty,” Libre, a lawyer and a known advocate for the conservation of Mount Apo Natural Park, told Manila Bulletin over the phone.

Lonzaga said that while logs may look good on the trail, its longevity must be considered given the conditions in the mountain.

She belied reports that the project did not undergo consultation among the indigenous peoples living in the foothills of the country’s highest peak. “The city government has informed the Lumad leaders in the areas because we understand that Mount Apo is a sacred place for them. They even held a ritual prior to the start of the project.”

Mount Apo is one of the most popular climbing destinations not just in the region but also in the country.

For years, the influx of mountaineers during the climbing season had eventually damaged the trail, particularly the lone path that links Lake Venado and the summit.

Lonzaga appealed to her fellow tourism officers in Davao del Sur towns to help them regulate the climbers going down to the Kidapawan side of the mountain.

She disclosed that the carrying capacity of the Kidapawan trail is only 50 climbers at a time and 30 from each trail in towns of Santa Cruz, Bansalan, and Digos City in Davao del Sur.

“When these climbers would go down to Kidapawan trail, this would exceed the carrying capacity on our side. We are hoping that the other LGUs would help us in regulating the climbers.” 

Davao del Sur town to boost onion farming

by Keith Bacongco

The local government of Magsaysay in Davao del Sur is planning to boost onion farming along with other high-value crops amid the rising price of the commodity.

FARMERS harvest onions in a remote barangay in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur. (Photo courtesy of MAO Magsaysay)

Municipal Agriculture Office chief Helen Caramptana told Manila Bulletin that the upland areas of Magsaysay are suitable for onion and other high-value crops. 

Over the weekend, pictures of a farmer harvesting onions from Magsaysay made rounds on social media and has prompted netizens to call on the government to support local onion farmers.

Caramptana revealed that onion farming is not new in Magsaysay, adding that some farmers in lowland areas have ventured into this crop sometime in 2010 or 2012.

“However, they did not succeed after the onions were hit by a fungal disease,” she recalled over the phone. “After the failed cropping, they did not plant again.”

A lone B’laan farmer continued to cultivate onions in a borrowed 200 square-meter lot in the hinterland barangay of Bacungan, the municipal agriculturist disclosed. “He is a very hardworking farmer, he persisted and now he’s earning from his produce.” 

Caramptana said the farmer was able to harvest almost 300 kilos of onions after three months.

She added that a buyer from North Cotabato has offered to buy all his onions for a wholesale price of P200 per kilo.

As the town’s climate and soil characteristic are suitable for onion farming and other high-value crops, Caramptana said the local government is encouraging farmers to engage into diversified farming.

Caramptana pointed out that growing onion is very tricky and requires a huge capital compared to other high-value crops.

She cited that the B’laan farmer who also grows ginger and tomatoes spent P10,000 for onion seeds to be planted on the lot. “These are the reasons why only a few farmers are willing to gamble on this crop.”

Amid of these challenges, Caramptana said at least 40 farmers have signified their intention to avail of the free seeds from the Department of Agriculture Regional Office-11 once these will be available next month. 

Ronnie Mahinay, project assistant of the High-Value Crops Development Program of the DA Regional Office-11, said the DA has been supporting onion farmers in towns of Magsaysay and Matanao, also in Davao del Sur.

“We are regularly providing seeds to our onion farmers. But their produce is just enough for the local market or within their municipalities only,” Mahinay bared.

He said the DA has allocated 20 kilos of onion seeds per farmer association. There are three farmer groups in Magsaysay and another in Matanao.

Onion farming is indeed very tricky, he said. “Kailangan bini-baby, very tricky. Last cropping season at least one-fourth hectare of onions were destroyed due to rains.”

Town in Cotabato hit by worst flooding in history

Published October 29, 2022, 1:48 PM

by Keith Bacongco

DAVAO CITY – The agricultural town of Pigcawayan, Cotabato has experienced the worst flooding in recent history, with 28 out of 40 barangays inundated, Mayor Juanito Agustin disclosed. 

RESIDENTS wade through a flooded road in Pigcawayan, Cotabato on Friday, Oct. 28. Pigcawayan has experienced the worst flooding in history due to severe tropical storm ‘Paeng.’ (Photo courtesy of Lerry Tan Cabalinan)

“It is the first time in the history of this town that we experienced this severe flooding. Because even town proper was also swamped by floodwaters, this has never happened before,” Agustin said.

Agustin added that floodwater was at least chest-deep in Poblacion 2 on Friday morning, Oct. 28.

He added that a portion of the Davao-Cotabato national highway in Barangay Manuangan was closed to traffic early Friday morning when floodwater rose to over six feet, making it impassable even for bigger trucks.

Thousands of motorists were stranded in Pigcawayan after the highway was closed to traffic. 

“In the past, when that portion of the highway is flooded, motorists could still pass. But this time, it was really deep and the current was very strong,” the mayor recalled in the vernacular.