tungols in[vade] sagada (1st of 3 parts)

It's futile to chronicle, document, and recount the events that transpired so far during our trip to Sagada. I guess no matter how eloquently I try to describe it, my writings will never give justice to the experience of actually being there. But if only to share that awesome vacation with my Tungol cousins (and my brother), I'll do my best. So here goes the first of N parts.

The cast of clowns (the pre-departure photo, L-R): Tina, Katrina, JoAnn (my cousin who lives in Boston and went on a vacation to the Philippines), Rom (my brother), EJ, and yours truly (squatting).

Going to Sagada, we had to take the 6-hour bus trip to Baguio City, and from there rode another bus bound for Sagada, which took another 6 hours--for a total of 12 hours. (I'll probably include a map next time. My resources are limited here in Sagada right now, but good thing there's internet connection.) We were almost asleep through all of it, but it was still a grueling, ass-numbing ride. After Sagada, we planned on passing by Bontoc and visit Banaue--where the famous rice terraces were found--on the way back to Manila.

I'd say we were pretty prepared for the trip. Considering it was the first out-of-town trip that the cousins were embarking and also the first time that a lot of us would able to come, we held logistics meetings and had almost everything fairly ironed out: bus reservations, travel food, budget, accommodations, itinerary--the works. Katrina even asked a contact/friend of hers to get us a bus reservation for our Banaue-Manila trip.

After doing some last minute shopping, dinner at Oakwood, and pre-departure photo-ops, we set off to Sagada. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a cab that would take us to the bus terminal and we were running friggin' late. So we took the MRT instead with all our bags and stuff. It was grueling, if you ask me, carrying heavy loads and running to beat the time during rush hour; but by some stroke of luck, we actually made it to the bus station a few minutes before boarding. Whew! The gripping excitement, I thought, started instantly at the onset of the trip; hell, like we haven't even made it to Sagada yet!

I'd probably skip recounting our 12-hour bus ride. Besides, I was awake only at the start of the trip when JoAnn and I were having some serious discussion on a lot of stuff, at stop-overs, and instances when Rom took pictures of my cousins sleeping. Just a few observations though: the bus from Baguio to Sagada was jam-packed but I believe not all of them were tourists; plus, maybe most of the people preferred taking the other route via Banaue-Bontoc-Sagada, about 2 hours discount on travel time; a lot more road was cemented now unlike my first travel to Sagada in 2003 where it was mostly rough dirt road (meaning less bumps on the head... right, JoAnn?).

We arrived in Sagada by noon the following day, an hour earlier than scheduled. We immediately went scouting for a place to stay. Our preferences varied and were quite a handful; hence, resulting in our indecisiveness to pick one over two choices. After two hours, we finally decided to stay in Olahbinan, which was a few meters from the town center and had the basic amenities we required. We had to share one private bathroom though and smoking wasn't allowed inside the room (more to EJ's dismay). After a quick lunch, we registered at the municipal hall and made arrangements for the caving expedition for the next day plus dinner that night.


We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon by trekking to the hanging coffins found in Echo Valley, a tourist area that Sagada was famous for. The locals of Sagada, especially the old generations, did not practice burying their dead. They placed their dead inside caves or hung them along the side of cliffs. The hanging coffins, in particular, makes one wonder how they ended high up the cliff. It was unfortunate though that graffiti ruined some coffins that were probably centuries old. The trek going there was not as arduous even though we opted to follow a sketch map (a copy can be bought from souvenir shops at P10) and trust our instincts instead of getting a local guide to help us. We made it there eventually. I wonder if making that map accessible to tourists poses a disadvantage for their local tourist guide association since it lessens the revenues that they could've earned otherwise. Tourists who work on tight budgets or those who seek out an adventure won't have the same sentiments, of course.


If we had fun there, more fun ensued while we were indoors. After that sumptuous sinigang na baboy for dinner, which was a very delightful treat after coming from a long trip and a tiresome afternoon, we couldn't just sign off for the night without chugging a couple of Lights. We couldn't find chilled beer though; we thought maybe the cool climate of Sagada will compensate for it instead--and probably, warm beer was better if we wanted to counter the cold night breeze. Almost all of us had loaded two beers each but we were laughing after stories, and laughed even more as we recounted old stories. EJ, Rom, JoAnn, and I were probably snorting over a funny story while Katrina was taking videos at some points--the kind that was blackmail material. Tina prefered to listen and laugh in response. I was too drunk with two beers to even remember what I was talking about, but I could tell that those videos held my dignity in the balance (securing them from public consumption was of utmost priority, but hell, in my cousins' hands that's probably too late anyway).

[Photo credits: pre-departure (Rina Bernabe), inside the MRT (Rom De Alban), along the trail (Katrina Tungol), Echo Valley (Katrina Tungol), and hanging coffins (JoAnn Tungol)]

happy happy

[Photo credit: EJ and Don laughing out loud (Malu Tungol)]

venerating versions of v for vendetta

After seeing V for Vendetta, I immediately went searching for the graphic novel where the movie adaptation took its inspiration. I waited a few weeks before I got one since copies were out of stock and were nowhere to be found in major bookstores in Metro Manila, possibly due to the movie hype.

The film gripped my heart, reminding me yet again on my crusade for genuine reform in the Philippines. V for Vendetta, while fictitious, conveyed messages to me where the words came alive. It was speaking to me through analogies and ideals--of freedom that can never be yours unless you take it for yourself, of breaking out of complacency and the status quo, of experiencing bondage under totalitarian systems, of choices and of revolution, and of ideas that were bulletproof. Probably the reason why I applauded the movie so much apart from knowing the Wachowski brothers' (the brilliant writers/directors of the Matrix Trilogy) hand in its production.

I was almost taken aback, although I was amused at some point, by the barrage script early on in the movie when the character V introduced himself. Instantly, I thought, it was going to be difficult for me to appreciate the story if V were to keep on talking cryptically the way he did throughout the entire film. For those of you who are intrigued by V's introduction, I managed to sequester that portion. Read it and see if you can understand it in one pass:

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

Well, it was more difficult listening to it. Trust me. Blame it on the Wachowski brothers' screenplay for attempting to pull-off something similar to Neo and the Architect's mind-boggling dialogue (remember that scene from Matrix Reloaded?). But despite that brief heart-stopping spell, I'd say the movie was still worth it. I won't mind seeing it again, or getting my hands on a DVD.

So what about the graphic novel? Was it any good, or was it definitely better than the film adaptation? Usually, we'd post that formulaic question whenever a book--or in this case, a graphic novel--precedes or inspires its film adaptation. And most of the time, we'd end up liking the book better probably because we imagined it quite better in our head compared to how the movie portrayed it; or the movie simply didn't quite measure up to our expectations of following the book truthfully, more so if we adored or worshipped the book to begin with.

I've read several books even before I've seen their movie versions: Frank Herbert's "Dune," J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," L. Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield: Earth," or Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Identity," to name a few. More often I'd hate the film, although there were some that did a good job in rendering the books. I'd say Peter Jackson's work on Tolkien's masterpiece on Middle-Earth was superb.

But come to think of it, there's really a difficulty in making the book and its film adaptation perfectly similar and accurate to the detail; probably even close to impossible. And this is true especially for my favorite genres, science fiction and fantasy, where the readers are given a lot of room for imagination.

Anyway, back to the graphic novel.

It was good in its own right. Being a comic book enthusiast in my teen years, I noticed the nuances that the authors, Alan Moore and David Lloyd, incorporated in V for Vendetta: they took out captions, sound effects, and thought bubbles, which could have otherwise helped readers get to know character traits easily or interpret the action that was happening. Instead, they wanted to tell the story through the pictures and dialogue; they wanted to rely heavily on what the drawings told the readers, which to me portrayed depth in their characters and required mature readership, in a way.

Having seen the film first, I realized later on that some details from the book were completely revised in the film and some even utterly omitted. V's introduction in the film, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found in the book. It is said that the Wachowski's reputation of obediently adhering to original source materials are praiseworthy. I don't know what became of this one though.

For what it's worth, I honestly liked V for Vendetta in both film and graphic novel versions. In fairness to its creators, the changes in detail that the Wachowski's incorporated were not palatable and as accurate as it should've been. Although I do find it necessary for film productions to improve on storyline and screenplay as adaptable for the silver screen, especially for action films; or else, the movie's just bound to flop at the box office.

I guess, for movie adaptations, they can never be more original than the source material. While comparison is truly unavoidable, the idea is that audiences for books and for films are whole different lots. Engaging novel readers are distinctly different from pleasing moviegoers--and more so for those who are in between.

uncovering an antiquity

I was looking for some of my old college notes as references to finish some work earlier tonight. From the boxes of my past life, I found one of my other engineering notebooks and was amazed when I flipped through the pages. It was on dynamics of rigid bodies, which looked like this (see image on the left). It would've been like reading poetry five years ago. Now, it's all hieroglyphics to me. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. Keep it to yourself.

falling short

Up until its introduction to me, the Hazelnut Caramel Mocha has continued to be my favorite Starbucks drink. I first tasted this sensation at their Binondo branch such that at every store I visited lately I ordered for the same drink. At first sip, I'd expect an extremely rushing sweet flavor. But to my dismay, out of the other four branches I went to only their 6750 branch got the taste right. Argh! Don't they have a standard for the coffees they make?

kairos

Procrastination is the worst drug.
In its delightful abandon is instant gratification.
Your cares, you forget, yes?
Yet only for a moment.
Its potency is but temporal, fleeting.
Addiction to it is most woeful.

When confronted by urgency,
you realize in a seconds glance
how deep you've fallen--prey to its treachery.
'Tis a fine line between it and prudence.

Back to the drawing board, you must.
Out of languidness and stupor, you ought to awaken.
Will this mentat mind to function anew.
Get rid of this poison's numbing illusory escape
before any chance of reprisal is for naught.

maikling pasasalamat kay papa at mama

Naging masaya ako sa mga nakaraang dalawang araw ninyong pagbisita sa amin ni Rom. Sabagay, taon-taon naman nating gawain ito mula nung nanirahan kami dito sa Diliman--tuwing Mahal na Araw, Pasko, o tuwing may bakasyon.

Nagagalak lang ako at nagkasama tayo muli. Kasi bihira na tayo sama-sama kumain sa hapag-kainan lalo na noong nagsimula na akong pumasok sa pamantasan. Higit sampung taon na nga ang lumipas--isang dekada na, biro mo. Madalas nagkikita na lamang tayo kapag may ipagdiriwang na kaarawan o minsa'y kapag maisipan na sama-samang magtanghalian sa Makati.

Maligaya ako na ang sarap ng mga kwentuhan natin, puro tawanan. Kanina lang, tawa tayo nang tawa sa mga litrato na kinuha natin noong ipinagdiwang natin ang ika-dalawampu't siyam na annibersaryo ninyo bilang mag-asawa. Kasama pati natin sina Vyke at Rina noon. Nakakatuwa naman kasi ang mga kuha natin talaga. Napansin ko din 'pag nag-hihiritan at nag-aasaran kayo: si Mama, niloloko si Papa na kadalasa'y paulit-ulit na ang pagtatanong at pagkukwento--parang sirang plaka (kahit ako, sa totoo lang, nakukulitan na din na halong natatawa.); si Papa naman, hinihiritan si Mama na ang bagal kumilos at kinukutya ang sakit niyang mag-ipon ng mga supot at sari-saring bagay na wala naman halos kwenta. Pagkatapos mahiritan ng isa, napapakunot na lang ng ulo o di kaya'y napapailing. Pero hindi naman nauuwi sa alitan.

Hay naku! Nakaligtaan ko pala kayong pasalamatan kanina sa paglilinis ninyo sa bahay--yung mga kasangkapan, mga kwarto, mga sahig at kisame, pati na rin ang banyo. Sana'y huwag ninyong isipin na pasaway kami ng kapatid ko at wala kaming natutunan sa inyo lalo na sa pagpapanatili na malinis at maayos ang tirahan namin. Sana'y huwag ninyong isipin na parang hindi ganyan o walang kinahitnan ang pagpapalaki ninyo sa amin; sa totoo lang, wala kayong pagkukulang sa pagpapalaki sa amin ni Rom. Siguro aaminin namin na minsan kulang talaga ang oras namin maglinis ng bahay. Salamat din sa iyo Mama sa pagluto mo ng napakasarap na adobong baboy. Ngayon alam ko na ang sikreto sa pagluluto nun; at hayaan mo, sa susunod ako naman ang magluluto para sa inyo. Sa sarap ng luto ko makakalimutan ninyo panandalian ang pangalan ninyo.

Ibang galak talaga ang nararamdaman ko tuwing nakikita ko ang pamilya natin na nagsasalu-salo at nagkakasama ulit. Bagama't minsan-minsan lang.

Sa totoo lang, nami-miss ko na kayo. Habang nagpapaalam nga kami ni Rom sa inyo, habang pasakay na kayo ng bus pauwi, iniisip ko na ang pagkikita nating muli. Medyo naghintay pa nga ng ilang segundo ang bus, pero paki ko lang. Paki ko lang kung makita ng ibang tao na hinalikan ko ang mga magulang ko sa pisngi habang nagpapaalam.

Mahal na mahal ko kayo, Papa at Mama. Sa muli nating pagkikita.

[Photo credits: Papa and Mama during their 29th anniversary celebration (Rom De Alban)]

fine, fine time

I spent almost the whole day at Rina's house in Bulacan today. We weren't doing much really except sleep, eat, watch TV, and then sleep more, eat again, and watch TV--it was a vicious cycle but we had fun plainly because we were spending time together. Vacation wouldn't be over until after Easter Sunday.

Later this morning, we went out to their backyard where this huge indian mango tree was already bearing fruit. Its dense canopy extended even beyond their fence out into the adjacent vacant lot where the mangoes became free for everyone's picking, particularly small kids and neighbors. We were on for some mango picking ourselves, so we got their bamboo pole that was almost 7 meters in length with a net basket appended to one end where the fruits should fall in. But before getting on to the mangoes, for starters we picked several sampaloc or tamarind pods for the sinigang na baboy dish that her mom was preparing for lunch. Normally I'd cook this favorite dish of mine using an instant tamarind mix, but using original sampaloc still made it a delightful feast. I thought picking up the sampaloc and the mangoes from their trees wouldn't even make me break a sweat. Apparently, lifting the weight of the bamboo pole alone became a challenge later on apart from aiming the basket under the fruit. Once the mangoes were in the basket, it even became much heavier. We eventually got enough with Rina savoring her laughs at my expense because I was sweating as if I came from a gym workout. It was fun! Kinda like a city boy was in her farm girl's world.

Shortly after devouring sinigang for lunch that afternoon, Rina let me read a printed version of her old online journal entries, which unfortunately got deleted by the journal's host server by accident. Her entries dated way back to 2002 and 2003 at a time when we were still merely officemates. Funny her journal made mention of me a few times, referred to as "crush" and "one of her ice cream trio buddies" (since she basked herself and any reference of friends in anonymity). I couldn't help giggling, of course, and smiling too at those thoughts of our past lives a few years back before it became "us". We'd always ask each other, "Who would've thought?"--that we'd end up together. At the course of our first year, we came to a conclusion that everything about our relationship came about as a series of fortuitous events--and reading her journal entries was like riding a time machine that allowed me to look back and see that it was so. Note: I was completely oblivious about her crush on me until she disclosed it to me when we were already going out. Frankly, I didn't know... I was dense and had a girlfriend back then so I couldn't have known. :)

Then it was the turn of her mommy's biko--a concocted sticky mix made of rice and sugar--to treat us coupled with some banana shake. Geez, by now you're probably thinking maybe all we ever did today was eat, or if I understated our eating activity, hehe. Like I said earlier, it was a vicious cycle. We also watched reruns of the American Idol eliminations where the contestants were doing their rendition of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Queen. It was my first time watching the show, by the way. And for what it's worth, I'd vote for Chris who did a splendid version of the song "Innuendo."

I went back to Quezon City before the sun finally set, and as usual, Rina and I would always end up thinking we haven't had much time together yet. Our time together was brief, yeah. But we sure had a fine one.

I hope we could spend more time together
A few hours is better than never
If we could only make it longer
A whole day would be fine
A whole week would be fine
A whole month would be fine
A whole year would be fine
A decade would fine
A century would be fine
Fine, fine time...
Forever would be fine
-- "Fine Time," Eraserheads

[Image credits: "Never Ender", comes to you courtesy of Kurt Halsey Frederiksen]

hot off the press

They're finally out. Two articles, one I wrote and the other co-authored when I was still working with Haribon, are now in print. The first one, "Analyzing Mining as a Threat to Forests and Sustainable Development," came out in the proceedings of the national conference on Integrating Forest Conservation with Local Governance in the Philippines (Mhen, I can still vividly remember presenting this paper during the conference in Subic back in November 2004 like it was just last week). I've had the pleasure of co-authoring this paper with Rina Bernabe and Beechie de la Paz. Partly, I'd say this endeavor was where Rina and I started getting together... or soon after. The other article, "Spatial Analysis of Important Bird Areas in the Philippines: Gaps and Recommendations," was published in Sylvatrop, which I also presented at the Terrestrial Biodiversity Symposium of the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines last April 2005 in Tuguegarao.

Other than seeing these works published, I'd say that the overwhelming sense of accomplishment I feel right now is greatly because of the experience--what I learned and re-learned, the supportive people whom I worked with and had the same passion for the Philippine environment as I did, the hard work that was put in, the extended working hours, the consumed Coke and iced tea while writing, and all. It was all worth it. And so, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who helped make these happen. You could not fathom how grateful I am for all the support, perspective, dissenting opinion, encouragement that you've given me. You may or may not even realize how much you've contributed, but I am forever grateful.


P.S. There's another book coming out, Haribon's "Atlas of Community-based Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines," which will be launched this month. I contributed in producing the maps together with Jon Villasper and Paolo Campo. Unfortunately, Haribon decided to turn down an article on mining and biodiversity that Rina and I submitted for a monograph series last year. Other than the effort we put into concocting it, the information--which might no longer see the light of day--are all down the drain now. Too bad I don't know what's going to become of it. Sayang. Related posts when I was still toiling on the manuscripts can be found here and here.

paraisong pinaka

Just now, I read an article regarding the discovery of two new species in Camiguin Island in the Philippines: one is a bird, the Camiguin Hanging-parrot and the other a mammal, the Philippine forest mouse. I find it utterly amazing that while the forest habitats in the Philippines are continually being decimated day after day, new species previously unknown to the world are still being found. I would think that even now, alot more species are still in those forests waiting to be recognized and introduced to the world. Truly, the Philippine islands possess one of the richest biological diversity in this planet! As my friend and fellow conservationist, Philip Alviola, would say, "The Philippines boasts a showcase of superlatives." Unfortunately, while this country takes pride in its unique biological heritage, it is also considered as "the hottest of the hotspots," being the foremost nation with the highest number of threatened species on a per area basis--which is sad. This status alone warrants global conservation attention. I, myself, am involved in the environment sector working to ensure that my country's natural resources are conserved and sustainably managed--for its people, and by its people. My hope is that it is not too late to save the Philippines' remaining forest habitats and its rapidly vanishing treasures.

[Illustration by: Michael Skakuj, The Field Museum of Chicago]

halo-halo special anyone?

My recent weekend in Makati just ended with a blast. Rina and I just spent time together catching up on each other's stories for the past two weeks and doing one of the things we love doing: watching movies. We saw the movie version of the Broadway musical, Rent, which was good. I still prefer the rendition of the play by a Filipino cast which I saw in 1999 (review here). Another movie we saw was Ice Age 2; the opossums were really funny critters. (Rina: Thanks for a great weekend! Bitin pero I really had fun. Sa uulitin!)

Yesterday afternoon, the sun was radiating at full intensity. Summer has finally come and I was still nowhere near a beach. I had that slim opportunity to bask in the sun and splash in saltwater back in Polillo, but the workload was just too heavy to cramp it in and truly enjoy it. Anyway, Rina and I opted to get ourselves two bowls of Chowking's mad summer spectacular, the halo-halo special. That simple delight was so refreshing; it's practically in demand every summer.

For those who haven't tasted one or don't know what it is, a halo-halo is a popular refreshment in the Philippines where fruit bits and sweets topped with crushed ice, evaporated milk, and sugar are placed in a bowl and mixed (or in Tagalog, hinahalo) before it is consumed voraciously. Usually, it's placed in a container that comes in the shape of a parabola opening up and at 6 inches in height at the minimum. The varieties are probably too many to count as the ingredients you can put can vary from fruits like banana, langka (jackfruit), mais (corn), buko (coconut), and melon to other sweets like kaong, nangka, beans, ube, leche flan, sago, gulaman, yema, pinipig, and even ice cream. But crushed ice and milk are the mainstay ingredients (or in Tagalog, sahog), or else it's not halo-halo. Chowking boasts that their halo-halo has 15 different sahog. If I were able to choose, I'd take out the kaong and nangka and replace them with more beans, pinipig, or mais instead.

From the looks of the sahog sprinkled over Chowking's halo-halo, you could barely see the ice underneath. But normally, the sahog would be found stuffed on the bottom of the container while the crushed ice and milk (and sometimes leche flan, ube, and more sugar) comes on top. [Photo credit: Ricardo Macalino]

I was telling Rina that my Mama would make halo-halo for Rom and me back when we were still kids. Rom and I used to enjoy grating the ice and stuffing them over the sahog. I couldn't remember much of the sahog we'd usually put. But believe me, early on we mastered the art of mixing the halo-halo with a spoon without spilling it over the container. Last year, Gabe, Rom, Kuya Chito, me, and several of my uncles went to visit our relatives in our home town in Arayat, Pampanga. I recall we went to this snack or merienda joint near my Mama's and her brothers' old house to try their famed local halo-halo. To my surprise, the halo-halo had only yema (made of milk and caramel, I think) for sahog plus crushed ice and milk. The only difference was that the yema was more dense, mad sweet and creamy. Truly masarap! Right, Gabe? After that personal experience with Arayat's halo-halo, I vowed to never pass on a chance to taste it once more when I go back there.

Well, I'm not particularly promoting Chowking's halo-halo (although I have to admit it is exceptionally delicious) but for those who haven't tried eating one, you should absolutely have one especially if you're here in the Philippines. It's available throughout the year but it's much better and refreshing during the summer.

P.S. Comments to this post are most welcome. If possible, describe your own favorite version of the halo-halo.

some fieldnotes

It's good to be back. I came from an almost 2-week fieldwork in the Polillos. The following texts are some of my notes, thoughts, and observations which I wrote down during our team's work there.

03.26.2006. For the first time, I was left by the 10 AM ferry bound for Polillo. I could have still made it just in time for the last trip that morning but the boat was under repair, which prompted me either to stay in Real for the night or return to Quezon City and leave early tomorrow. I opted to stay in Real.

03.28.2006. The boat travel from the town of Burdeos to Brgy. Aluyon was brief. We arrived shortly before 8 AM early for the Participatory Rapid Appraisal. Unfortunately, we only started by 7 PM because of an unexpected wake of a community member that consequently delayed the activity. When enough people gathered inside the barangay hall, we began with an orientation of the project and of the 2-day PRA activity. Some of the community members (and even barangay kagawads) who came were already drunk, which created an sensitive and uneasy atmosphere. Judging from the discussions, internal political issues and conflict between the participants were beginning to surface, which had to postpone the PRA again for tomorrow. These were the realities that conservation/development workers had to face when working with communities.

03.30.2006. The PRA activities today in Brgy. Anibawan went as planned. Participation from the community was excellent: complete attendance from the barangay council, the barangay police, and even barangay health workers; each of them even came in their formal uniform which was impressive. The weather, however, was not cooperative though since it rained incessantly that day. The team also had its first assessment for the activities conducted the previous days. A heated argument ensued from Alex's comments on the PRA process, which may have been due to the lack of leveling of expectations between the team members on the objectives of the activity.

The PRA team (from left to right): Rommel, Don, Salve, Lisa, Leah, and Alex. We were on our way back to Burdeos from Brgy. Carlagan. The rest of the project team were due to arrive the week after.

03.31.2006. Fieldwork started early today. We traversed Anibawan River by boat and got off from a jump-off point close to Mt. Maputi. I was accompanied by 2 barangay kagawads and a local forest guide. The trek through the forests was long and arduous over muddy trails and creeks while the rain still poured hard incessantly. I slipped on some loose rocks which resulted in lengthy abrasions on both arms and an inexplicable pain in my left knee. The injury happened not even halfway through the entire trek and hindered me from proceeding on my normal pace. Come to think of it, Anibawan's terrain was even nowhere close to the degree of difficulty of some of my previous hikes in Mindoro or the Sierra Madre. But there I was, whimpering due to a mishap. But I'm glad I still made it back to the poblacion albeit scathed.

During the trek, the local guide led me to a yakal tree, which he soon revealed as the nesting site of a Philippine Cockatoo. The species is endemic to the whole Philippines and was once found all throughout the country. Unfortunately, the species is now critically endangered according to IUCN categories due to its massive hunting for trade and pet collection. Although I have not been so lucky to see one in the wild, I was fortunate enough to hear the resident cockatoo's call for the first time during our brief stay.

Later today, I tasted Anibawan's renowned local lambanog made from nipa, which was exceptionally good compared to other local versions I've tasted from other parts of the country. It made it to the top of my local wine list among the ranks of the tuba of Samar Island and the tapuey of the Cordilleras.

04.01.2006. It's Happy 1.1 anniversary! I was able to call and text Rina even with faint cellular signal here in Brgy. Carlagan. My left knee was feeling much better, although I should still have it checked when I return to Quezon City.

04.02.2006. I visited Brgy. Carlagan's remaining forest patches in Mt. Lumimpad and Mt. Baliw and made it back by noon. The forests in these two sites were not as extensive but their forests sat over karst topography. Apart from their thin topsoil and sharp rocky outcrops, limestone forests exhibit different species of trees and wildlife compared to other forest types in these islands. Anthropogenic disturbance in these forests particularly from illegal tree cutting, slash and burn agriculture, and land use conversion were evident. I'd still consider these forests as important local conservation areas for its biodiversity, although their size and the drastic change in landscape by surrounding coconut and banana plantations would have to be considered in the management plan.

04.03.2006. Rest day today. Rina texted and told me good news. She was going to Hong Kong on a business trip this Saturday and Sunday to meet with their company's potential client. Truly, blessings are coming her way. :)

04.04.2006. Our next stop was Brgy. Pamatdan of Polillo, Quezon. The site was recently included in the PRA largely due to the findings of the mapping survey I conducted last August 2005. The Macnit-Lumpag forest block sat across 4 barangays, which meant that 4 different stakeholders will eventually draft a consolidated management plan for the whole block and implement its provisions in concert. Each barangay had a piece of the whole pie; each of them had a part to play. For me, this proposed local conservation area in Macnit-Lumpag seemed to be one of the most exciting and challenging (although not promising) sites for management planning. My hope is that all of them would function in unison and take on the responsibility of restoring and protecting their common asset.

04.05.2006. Unlike the previous week, the 2nd day of the PRA workshop in Brgy. Pamatdan was not a busy and grueling day for me. Normally, I'd be conducting ground validation activities across the forest landscape during day two. Having finished the survey back in August 2005 gave me enough free time to observe how our team's community development specialists conducted the other PRA tools (i.e., SWOT Analysis, Venn Diagram) in assessing the situation of the community in terms of their readiness to implement a local conservation program. I facilitated the fishery livelihood matrix the other week for the first time in my 4 years in conservation work. The tool helped me gauge how much the community members valued their resources, their source of livelihood. It also aided the participants in realizing that the depleting trend in their income came as a direct effect of dwindling resources (in this case, fisheries). I wondered what the PRA results would look like spatially: socio-economic data interpreted through maps? Hmmm...

04.06.2006. Brgy. Atulayan was the last leg of our 2-week PRA activity and was also part of the Macnit-Lumpag forest block. I facilitated the community resource mapping activity that took all day due to the level of map detail drawn by the participants. Two of my teammates, Rommel and Momon helped me in facilitating as well. We eventually used the map to pinpoint areas that would be designated for forest restoration activities such as nursery establishment and tree planting. Tomorrow, I will be on my way to Real, Quezon to acquire data from the DENR-CENRO office on the Integrated Social Forestry projects in Polillo. Afterwards, I'll be off to Quezon City to meet Rina finally.


Apart from serving as a chronicle of activities, I wrote these down so I can share even just a glimpse of what I usually do during my fieldwork. A lot of my friends and even relatives often ask me: what is it that I really do for work? They hear that I travel a lot and get to go to places and remote areas they wouldn't even have imagined they'd visit themselves. Some of my uncles have tried to persuade me to get a job elsewhere where my profession could easily let me earn handsomely and reap benefits other than health care or insurance. Not that I don't earn enough for a living because I do. But believe me, although sometimes I amaze myself and wonder how and why I can go to those far-flung rural areas, it's not just the pay. It's the nature of the work and why I choose to do it.

Up to now, I still continue to work as an engineer applying my expertise in conservation and development work in the provinces of the Philippines. I found the environment as my cause. But the compelling reason that continually drives me to do what I do is my love for my own country, the desire to help my fellow Filipinos, and allow my country to benefit from the skills and talents I've developed. From the places I've been to and the communities I've worked with, I've seen the ill-condition of the Philippines and a prevailing decadent culture. I've wanted to do service for my country in whatever way I can so I can see her rise to the greatness she was destined for. And right now, I know I can help in the environment sector by planning and finding ways on how to manage her depleting natural resources. I do not claim to be a savior of sorts; just only one who so passionately wants to do something about the Philippines' ailing condition.

[Photo credits: The PRA team (Rene Peñamante), Philippine Cockatoo (A.Palumbarit, Oxford-UPLB team), forest area (Susan Walker, Oxford-UPLB team) , resource map (Don De Alban), community mapping (Don De Alban)]