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EVENTS

UNDER A WOVEN CANOPY
Jomike Tejido’s 3rd solo exhibit, Under A Woven Canopy, is a window to dreamy forests and abstract Philippine animals painted on pandanus mats or banig. Tejido has pioneered his signature acrylic on banig to offer a refreshing, yet distinctly modern Filipino painting style.  read more...

NEWS

DENR pinakikilos vs minahan sa Zambales

STATEMENT: Investment Defense Force swarming over mineral-rich areas

Tubbataha Dreams

Atienza orders review of Aurora logging firm operations

Marine sanctuaries as eco-museums’ proposal pushed

Cordillera elders renew pact vs mine firms

Crocodile attack prompts calls to curb mangrove bark trade

Permits of Nihao, other miners, cancelled

Mayor fears disappearance of dolphins in Tañon Strait

FEATURES

Cagwait Celebrates Earth Day
by Marifel Moyano and Droi Duenas
Haribon Foundation
Photos by: Coco Kitche and Droi Duenas
From Manila Times, Green Revolution, April 27, 2008

Earth Day is an internationally celebrated yet still a relatively new concept in distant provinces in the Philippines. Cagwait is a province in Surigao del Sur, and to reach it requires a flight to Butuan and a painstaking eight-hour bus ride through unpaved rough roads. However, as I looked out in the distance from the bus’ window, the scenic backdrop of mountains seemingly blanketed with thick forests offered me a sense of serenity. The calmness, however, soon dissipates as soon as I caught sight of passing large logging trucks, filled with timber. It could have come from a production site, or straight from the forests. Regardless, for a tree, that was once alive, it cannot distinguish between an illegal logger’s saw blades from that of a licensed one. For it, life had simply ceased and with its death is the loss of home to all other life forms that depended on it. And of course, inevitably, the loss of each tree in our natural forest is a continuing threat to our survival as human beings.read more...


A Keen Experience in Sta. Marta
by by Florante I. Rebite
Haribon Foundation
From Haring Ibon Issue 33, January-March 2008

When I first arrived in Sitio Sta. Martha in Palauig, Zambales, the Project Manager of the European Commission-funded GOLDEN Forests Project advised me that I just observe the daily routine of its residents, the Aetas. The usual approach of a Community Organizer is to attempt a conversation with everyone in the community whenever the opportunity arises.

However, I did find it a little challenging to integrate with the elders because most of them seldom speak Tagalog like the younger residents. As night time came, I was wondering if my host family shared the same anticipation I felt in regards to having a complete stranger sleep with them. In order for me to get to know my host family better, even if seemingly not the technical or traditional way to gather background information, I asked the father if he would like to have a drink with me. In response, he asked me how many bottles of beer I could drink. As we started, other male Aetas came and joined us. We talked about nearly everything under the sun, and contrary to the perception that Indigenous Peoples (IPs) are conservative, I was shocked to find they were more than open to talk about a various issues including sex! However, I knew that the coming days would allow me to explore much deeper issues about how the indigenous culture has copied with the changing face of the environment.read more...
 
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