sarihay 3rd issue

7/28/2019 Sarihay 3rd Issue

1/16

ue No. 3 Series of 2013 February 2013 - June 2013

INSIDE!MARIBOJOC REVISITED

KNOWLEDGE SHARINGSCALED UP

LAKE MAINIT MERITSCONSERVATION SUPPORT

EMPOWEREDCOMMUNITIESSAFEGUARD MT. BULUSANVOLCANO NATURAL PARK

UNDERSTANDING LIFE INTHE PHILIPPINE REEF

VOICE OF VULNERABLE TRIBEHEARD

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIESGREENINGTHE FORESTS INABRA

FPE SPORTS AN UPDATEDLOGO

TRIBUNIMALS


2/16

EDITORIAL BOARD

Nestor R. CarboneraCHAIRPERSON AND

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Godofredo T. Villapando Jr.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Fernando M. RamirezLUZON REGIONAL UNIT MANAGER

Myrissa L. TabaoVISAYAS REGIONAL UNIT MANAGER

Armando C. PacudanMINDANAO REGIONAL UNIT MANAGER

Liza M. VidaOIC, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT UNIT

Jay Carmela C. CiriacoFINANCE UNIT MANAGER

MANAGING EDITOR

Mary Ann B. Leones

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION UNITMANAGER

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Pilar B. SaldajenoINFORMATION OFFICER

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

DIRECTOR

Earl Paulo Diaz

CONTRIBUTORS

Armando C. PacudanEdel S. Garingan

Dominic S. AgsawayFernando M. Ramirez

Florence C. BaulaMaria Felda S. DomingoMarjorie A. Marasigan

Mark Anthony L. BagsitMyrissa L. Tabao

ABOUT THE COVER PHOTO

ABOUT SARIHAY

Sarihayis a bi-annual newsletter o the Foundation or the Philippine

Environment (FPE). The word Sarihaywas coined rom samut saring

buhay to describe the diversity o lie or biodiversity.

In its continuing eort to promote biodiversity conservation and

sustainable development, FPE shares through Sarihay someproject updates as well as strategies, experiences and lessons o

practitioners, partners and networks o the Foundation.

Email your request or newsletter subscription, inquiries, or article

contributions at [email protected]. An online version o Sarihay is also

available at www.pe.ph.

Copyright 2013 Foundation or the Philippine Environment.

All rights reserved.

Swimming and sheltering through the corals in Caramoan,

Camarines Sur are a small group o ve-line cardinal sh. They

inhabit coastal lagoon and ree fats to a depth o about 40m or more.

This underwater shot was taken by the Diliman Science Research

Foundation (DSRF) or the FPE-supported project entitled Need toQuantiy and Understand Ree Biodiversity in the Philippines or the

Benet o Filipinos.

}

}


3/16

3

Ater 16 years, the Foundation or the Philippine

Environment (FPE) has returned to Maribojoc Bay!

Last April 3, 2013, a new project was orged through a

partnership agreement signing between FPE and the

Participatory Research Organization o Communities

and Education towards Struggle or Sel-Reliance or

PROCESS-Bohol, Inc., a non-government organization

based in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. This project entitled

Re-assessment o Community-Managed Mangrove

Forest Ecosystems in Maribojoc Bay has the purposes

o (1) reassessing the current biophysical resources andconduct social and services mapping o the Maribojoc

Bay covering the municipalities o Cortes and Maribojoc

MARIBOJOCREVISITED

Myrissa L. Tabao, FPE Visayas Regional Unit Manager

on southwestern Bohol and comparing this with 1997

baseline data; (2) establishing a local research and

monitoring team and institutionalizing a multisectoral

community-based monitoring system or the mangroves;

and (3) producing a 5-year climate resilient management

plan or Maribojoc Bay.

Maribojoc Bay is the biggest bay in Bohol province

covering an area o 145 km2. In a 2005 study conducted

by JBJ Consulting, Inc., it was determined that its 573-ha

coral ree and 84-ha mangrove orest respectively provides

PhP 43.1 million and PhP 33.7 million worth o benetsannually to the surrounding municipalities.

Summer cool-down. Children frolicking

in the waters of Maribojoc Bay in

Barangay San Vicente, Maribojoc.

(Photo by FPE-VRU)


4/16

Back in 1997, PROCESS-Bohol received a grant rom

FPE to conduct a baseline study o Maribojoc Bay. The

study, which was conducted by

the Silliman University Marine

Laboratory, ound the Bay to have

one o the richest mangroves in

the Philippines with 25 species

in 13 amilies. Various endemic

species o plants and animals

were also listed. This baseline

inormation became the basis orvarious conservation programs

in the Bay that eventually led

to its management by the local

governments o Maribojoc-Cortes-

Tagbi laran City-Panglao-Dauis (MACOTAPADA) through

the Maribojoc Bay Executive Management Oce.

A simple signing ceremony with the community was

held along the mangrove-ringed shore o Barangay San

Vicente, Maribojoc. This was witnessed by the respective

presidents and members o three Peoples Organizations

who will be the local partners or this project, namely: the

San Vicente Mangroves Association (SAVIMA), Dipatlong

Mangrove Planters Association (DIMAPA), and Upper de

la Paz Biodiversity Conservation Association (UBCA). It is

worthy to mention that SAVIMA was organized during the

rst FPE project with PROCESS-Bohol back in 1997 and

has never wavered in restoring lush mangrove orests in themunicipality o Maribojoc.

Indeed, FPE is now seeing the results o its work even as it

continues to oster partnerships and support communities

or the environment in southwestern Bohol.

On hand for the signing were (right and left): Ms. Emilia Roslinda,

Executive Director and Mr. Mario Limocon, Director for

Operations and Project Supervisor of PROCESS-Bohol, and

Myrissa Lepiten-Tabao(center)and Raymunda Debuayan(standing,second row, rst from right) from the Visayas Regional Unit of FPE.

}Maribojoc Bay

has one of the

richest mangroves

in the Philippines

with 25 species in13 families.}


5/16

5

KNOWLEDGESHARING SCALED UP

Maria Felda S. Domingo, National Coordinator, USAID-FPE Up-Scaling Project

In support o this years Earth Day celebration, with the theme Earth Day Everyday, Everywhere, or Everyone, FPE

launched the second batch o its KALIKASAN (Kaalamang Likas Yaman: Knowledge o Natural Resources) BiodiversityConservation and Sustainable Development Knowledge Series eaturing the case studies o eight partners under

the USAID-FPE Up-Scaling Forest Restoration Eorts in Key Biodiversity Areas Project. These cases showcase best

practices on orest restoration o FPE partners rom Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

This activity, which orms part o the Knowledge Management component o the USAID-FPE Upscaling Project, was

held on April 17, 2013 at the UP Institute or Small-Scale Industries, Diliman, Quezon City. Nearly 100 participants

graced the event rom government agencies (DENR and DOT), USAID sub-grantees, FPE civil society partners,

business sector and the media.

With cases that revolve around convergence and partnership building as well as encouraging peoples organizations and

communities participation in orest restoration, the partners shared valuable learnings, strategies and recommendations

worth replicating in other conservation sites.

Here are some insights rom our partners about the case studies:

Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development As They See

It: Community-based Conservation with the Manobo-Tinananon of

Arakan, North Cotabato

The indigenous planning framework or village-wide planning approach

attempts to look at how indigenous peoples see their world: not

a material thing to be consumed, but a sacred place for spirits that

regulate use of natural resources. - Jayson Ibaez

Research and Conservation Director

Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. (PEFI)

Convergence Building Towards Sustainable Management of

Watersheds: Case Study of Panigan-Tamugan and Talomo-Lipadas

Watersheds in Davao City

The case underscores the importance of sustaining the engagement

of policy makers so they could take part in the implementation of the

initiative.

- Mary Ann Fuertes

Executive Director

Interface Development Initiatives, Inc. (IDIS)

Pagsugod sa Pagbulig Para sa Lasang: Encouraging Participation of

Peoples Organizations in Forest Resource Management

If there is no sustainable livelihood, park occupants will go back again

to unsustainable livelihood or forest extraction.

- Reynic Alo

Executive Director

Multi-sectoral Alliance for Development (MUAD)-Negros


6/16

The 4Cs Cycle Model: Making Partnerships in Biodiversity

Conservation Work in Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed Forest Reserve

In all levels of implementation, the involvement of the local people is

important so they feel an ownership of the project.

- Roseo Depra

Executive Director

Negros Economic Development Foundation (NEDF)

Rebirthing Philippine Forests: Best Practices and Lessons in 22

Years of VSUs Rainforestation Implementation

Memorandum of agreements and partnership with various organizations

played an important role in promoting rainforestation on a wider scale.

- Ma. Juliet Ceniza

Director

National Coconut Research Center Visayas/Visayas State University

Phases of Stewardship in Cebus Terrestrial KBAs: The Case of

Tabunan, Alcoy and Dalaguete

Forest wardens must transition to stewards by providing them with

livelihood support and training; and by instilling them the value that

forest stewardship is a responsibility and a privilege rather than a mere

job.

- Estela Rodriguez

Executive Director

Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (CBCFI)

The Banahaw-San Cristobal Social Fence: Linking Organized

Communities in Quezon and Laguna

Ang social fence ay mahaba at masalimuot na paglalakbay, maraming

issues ang kailangang tugunan. Building a social fence begins when

stakeholders realize they need to have a common vision for the

protection of the park.

- Eugenio Roxas

Executive DirectorLuntiang Alyansa Para sa Bundok Banahaw (LABB)

Scaling-up Local Conservation Initiatives: Stories to Tell from Polillo

Islands

One of our many lessons in Polillio: conservation actions should not be

driven by funding availability, but by a conservation agenda.

- Errol Gatumbato

Technical Consultant/Case Study Writer

Polillo Islands Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PIBCFI)


7/16

7

M

t. Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP) is a

signicant protected area under the National

Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS). It is

an active volcano and one o the last intact orests in the

Bicol Region. Mt. Bulusans earliest recorded eruption was

in 1852, ollowed by several others until 1916, emitting

mud and ashes that caused landslides. The volcano

rested or almost 50 years rom 1933, then it erupted

again in 1983 and in 2006. In 2007, small ash emissions

and lahar fow have been constantly monitored.

The Park is also known or its hot and cold springs,

geothermal elds, and a small crater lake Bulusan silently

shimmering in the midst o a thick dipterocarp orest that

teems with vines, wild orchids and threatened giant erns.BVNP is an important watershed that supplies water

or Sorsogon. It is home to some near-threatened and

vulnerable birds such as the Luzon-bleeding heart

pigeon (Gallicolumba luzonica) and the Philippine Hawk-

Eagle (Spizaetus philippinensis); and two Bulusan-

endemic fora an aquatic plant, Schefera bulusanicum

and a ern, Prenephrium bulusanicum. The most recent

resource and socio-economic assessment o the park

validated the presence o a small Rafesia species.

The greatest threat to BVNP aside rom natural calamities

is the perception that the orest is a communal property.

EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES

SAFEGUARDMT. BULUSAN VOLCANONATURAL PARK

Fernando M. Ramirez, FPE Luzon Regional Unit Manager

LOCATION

Province: Sorsogon

Municipalities: Casiguran, Irosin, Bulusan,

Juban,

Barcelona

Barangays: Inlagadian, Mabini, Monbon, Mapaso,

Cogon, San Roque, San Francisco, San Jose, San

Isidro, Puting Sapa

Area: 3,600 hectares

ECOSYSTEMS

Sub-montane Forest and Lake Ecosystem

CONSERVATION STATUS

(PBCPP) Bulusan National Park - Very High

(VH); Current Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)

Mt. Bulusan scarred

by several eruptions.


8/16

This means unregulated resource extract ion wil l

continue to pose risks or the park.

In 1996, Lingap para sa Kalusugan ng Sambayanan

(LIKAS, Inc.) started an FPE-unded Community-

based Resource Management Project (CBRMP) in

BVNP. Initially 10 barangays were covered by the

project; out o these, 9 barangays in 5 municipalities

surrounding the park were successully organized

into a strong ederation o upland armers and orest

stakeholders called Pederasyon ng Nagkakaisang

Samahan ng Bundok Bulusan or PNAGSAMA. In

2002, ater a turnover ceremony involving LIKAS,

as well as the Department o Environment and

Natural Resources (DENR)-Region V, provincial

ederation members and local government unit

(LGU) representatives, PNAGSAMA accepted the

challenge o managing the BVNP conservation

project.

The ederat ion had organized the other surrounding

barangays and developed second-liner leaders to

sustain biodiversity conservation activities. Thus,

more PO ormations emerged such as AGAP-

Bulusan and others.

Bulusan lake, part of the BVNP, as

pristine as ever, since the FPE CBRMP

project started in mid 1990s.

Patrolling and biodiversity

monitoring in BVNP.


9/16

9

While there were deputation issues with the DENR,other protection activities such as patrolling and

biodiversity monitoring system (BMS) were continued,

park violators were apprehended and court cases were

iled accordingly. A total o 10 years o intervention

was completed with an investment o about PhP12

million rom FPE, excluding the counterpart unds

rom LIKAS, PNAGSAMA and the DENR.

Up to this day, the ederation is still actively involved

in orest monitoring and patrolling, and advocacy

initiatives such as lobbying or the congressional

enactment o the BVNP protected area bill.

PNAGSAMA remains a potent PO ederation operating

FPE project investment

goes a long way

PNAGSAMA has become a strongcommunity organization bound

by a common goal of protecting

BVNP.

The federation now participates in

park strategic planning, decision

making and management.

PNAGSAMA has been

acknowledged widely by different

sectors, further encouraging

the Federation to sustain park

protection.

During the last year of the project

implementation, Likas and the

federation tested a systematic

phase out mechanism and led

a protected area bill for BVNP

and several local resolutions/

ordinances to effectively manage

the park.Partners Forumat Shangrila.

PNAGSAMA Strategic

Planning, 2006.

}

}

around BVNP. Nurtured by LIKAS, they have become

a strong partner in the management o the park.

PNAGSAMA has relentlessly pushed or the passage

o the protected area bill despite inaction rom the

previous and the present government administrations.

Now aced with yet another huge challenge -- the

geothermal plant application in Irosin and the perennial

volcanic hazards o pyroclastic and lava lows, ashall

and lahar -- the empowered communities and POs

will again step up their eorts; but, they strongly eel

government agencies concerned must really live upto their mandate o protecting the precious Bulusan.


10/16

From a distance, they look like a group o young

people having an exciting summer adventure or a

sweet voyage to a remote island in Northern Samar.

They are traversing the calm morning waves through a

relatively large shing vessel that oers enough space

or their baggage, ood crates and diving paraphernalia.

The group scans a perect spot in the ocean. Ater the

anchor was set in its most steady location, they beginthe real order o the day -- to determine the condition

o lie and ecosystem beneath the ocean.

One by one, the ve-person research team dives into

the water; that is the starting point o one o the most

extensive researches on the state o the Philippine

ree biodiversity. The team, as part o their study, will

provide realistic recommendations on ocean resources

management, especially on the ree and sheries

current conditions and threats.

The research on Phil ippine ree biodiversity wasconceptualized by the Diliman Science Research

UNDERSTANDINGLIFE IN THEPHILIPPINE

REEF

Foundation (DSRF) with Jonathan Anticamara,

associate proessor in the University o the Philippines

Institute o Biology as the lead researcher or the

project. They recognized the need to assess more sites

as a viable contribution to science and conservation

action on Philippine ree biodiversity. And so in 2012,

DSRF submitted a proposal to FPE on the said ree

study. FPE supported this project that will cover 14representative sites in the country including Palawan,

Tawi-tawi and Northern Samar.

Jonathan, with his research associate Justine Ramos,

partners with an academic institution that can work

with them in specic representative sites. They

coordinate with the local government agencies such

as the Municipal Environmental and Natural Resources

Oce (MENRO) and the Bureau o Fisheries, and

secure the inormed consent rom the municipal mayor.

When all prerequisites had been completed and those

who will join the actual eld survey in the ree havebeen oriented, the group then banters the waves and

Edel S. Garingan, FPE Project Officer

A researcher in action.

(Photo by DSRF)


11/16

1

plunges themselves into a couple eet under the ocean.

Cabadiangan Experience

On the second week o April 2013, the group conducted

the eld survey in two municipalities in Northern Samar,

their th site since they started the research last March

2013. The rst site they visited in Samar was the coral

ree area o Cabadiangan in an old town o Laoang.

With the big shing boat provided by the local governmentunit, the team o Jonathan, Justin and two other research

associates, Kevin and Daisy, including Saula Gabona, an

associate proessor in the University o Eastern Philippines

(UEP) plus two local sheries technicians, navigated the

sea very smoothly. For about three hours, they were

surging under the water, taking pictures o corals, shes

and other lieorms.

Unortunately, many sections o the Cabadiangan ree

have vast coral rubbles demonstrating the site had been

blasted by dynamite. Moreover, the team did not notice

any big shes inhabiting the ree; they only saw sh

species o about 30 cm long.

With the shes criss-crossing, circling and swimming

around them, the dive became extremely exciting.

However even certied proessional divers cannot

always trust the waves. At a certain point in the dive

in Cabadiangan, Jonathan had to cut short the survey

because the current gained so much strength that made

the dive dangerously risky.

Lemon damselsh (DSRF)

Clarks anemone sh (DSRF)

The underwater scene (DSRF)


12/16

The good shot

Unlike in Laoang, the team ound more sh and coral

species in Barangay Barobaybay in Lavesares, which is a

Marine Protected Area (MPA). Jonathan is very delighted

to discover that many coral species and coral ree shes

ound in other sites in the country are actually present in

this MPA. Among the sh species are anemone, lemon

sh, chevron, damsel and beaked lesh. The team also

saw a school o striped catsh willully wandering on the

coral ree and that is exactly what they would like to

see, a thriving ree ecosystem!

Although, some patches o the ree were blasted in

the past by dynamite, there are, however, existing

mechanisms that will ensure threats, such as this, are

being addressed.

Crown of thorns

Although dierent in many ways, the sites in Laoang and

Lavesares share one common weakness: the presence

o crown o thorns -- species o starsh that are eatingthe corals to death. Jonathan recommended to LGUs to

periodically strip o these starshes rom the ree as they

can really kill a lot o corals.

More life to discover

Ater each survey, the team relaxes a bit in a nearby

community, under the shade o a tree, inside a local

house or just by the bay sharing stories with the locals.

They munch home-cooked meals or sip coee to warm

their bodies. Then the team cleans up their diving gear

and research equipment. Although tired, they happily

head back to Manila thinking about rest or the weekend.Just a ew days ater that, they will be diving again to

understand lie and ecosystem balance in a place still

largely unknown and unexplored.

Tomato Anemonesh (DSRF)

Bleaked lesh (DSRF)

The researchers in Lavasares.

Striped catsh (DSRF)


13/16

13

Why conserve biodiversity in Lake Mainit?

Lake Mainit, a wetland ecosystem, bisects

the two provinces o Agusan del Norte and

Surigao del Norte in the Caraga region. Considered as

the ourth largest reshwater lake in the Philippines, and

Mindanaos second, Lake Mainit is the deepest lake with

a maximum depth o 223 meters. It has an area o 17,340

hectares, an altitude o 27 meters above sea level and a

shoreline o about 62.10 km.

Lake Mainit supports an important shery, which is a

major source o livelihood o communities surrounding

the lake. The economy o the municipalities around

Lake Mainit is also heavily dependent on the agricultural

production around the perimeter o the lake.

Biodiversity and watershed importance

Lake Mainit is categorized in the Philippine Biodiversity

Conservation Priority-Setting Program (PBCPP) as very

high in biodiversity value. Likewise, Conservation

International, Haribon Foundation and the Department

o Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), among

others, have considered Lake Mainit to be a candidate

key biodiversity area (KBA), making it a priority or

conservation and management. In act, it belongs to

the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor (EMBC),

composed o eight KBAs. Being part o the watershed

areas (87,072 has.), it is also proposed by the DENR to

become a protected area under the National Integrated

Protected Areas System Act (RA 7586).

Lake Mainit is a habitat o rich fora and auna includingmigratory and non-migratory species most prominent

species are pedianga (Glossogobius giurus), buguan

Armando C. Pacudan, FPE Mindanao Regional Unit Manager

LAKE MAINITMERITSCONSERVATIONSUPPORT

Major strategies of theLake Mainit Year 3 BCSD Program

Ecosystem-based Management. Establishment

of additional areas for rainforestation and additional

community-managed protected area/sh sanctuary;

reactivation of Barangay Fishery Aquatic Resource

Management Council (BFARMC); adoption

of barangay sanctuary shery ordinance; and,

rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing sh

sanctuaries.

Organizational Development and Tribal

Empowerment. Continuous coaching and

mentoring to POs; and, creation of PO federation.

Socio-Economic Enhancement. Through

complementation with other donors, there willbe small capital infusion/micronance assistance;

livelihood projects; and training on community-based

ecotourism.

Linkaging and Networking. The project will

strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders in the

area.

Research and Information Management.There

will be sh catch monitoring using biodiversity

monitoring and evaluation (BIOME) system, and

production of IEC materials.

}

}


14/16

(Hypselelotris agilis) and other rare sh species like

puyo or climbing perch and gabot. Its orest lands are

dominated by secondary growth with indigenous species

like Batuan (Garcina garciae), rattan (Calamus merrillii),

palm (Caryota rumphiana philippinensis). Narra, yakal,

red and white lauan, balete, bugawak and molave can

also be ound in the orest.

Presence of mineral resources and indigenous

people

The Caraga region, the so-called mining capital o the

Philippines, also boasts o rich mineral resources like

gold, limestone, marble, copper, silver and coal that sit

within the Lake Mainit environs. Owing to this richness,

mining explorations and operations abound in the vicinity

o Lake Mainit. Mining, being an extractive activity, is

considered a major threat to biodiversity.

Most importantly, the uplands o Lake Mainit are home to

the Mamanwa tribe, a diminishing and/or nearly vanishing

indigenous peoples (IP) group in the Caraga region.

What strategies will be employed in the current

project?

Considering the biodiversity importance and socio-

cultural signicance o Lake Mainit, FPE approved

the Year 3 Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and

Sustainable Development (BCSD) program o Green

Mindanao Association, Inc. The current years site-

ocused intervention o FPE continues to respond to

some environmental and social issues and challenges

conronting the Lake Mainit ecosystems; hence, the

project employs advocacy on mining, promotes IP

empowerment and enhances tribal governance.

The main objective o the program is to strengthen and

sustain the conservation gains o previous interventions,

as well as to bridge some gaps in the rst two years o

program implementation. Following the road map based

on the ve-year strategic plan or the site, the projects

year 3 aims to scale up and consolidate BCSD eorts


15/16

15

Expected outcomes of Year 3BCSD Program

Empowered IPs and PO organizations as

indicated by increased representation in

the council and consideration in projects

environmental impact assessments;

Fostered partnerships among

stakeholders who will sustain what havebeen started by the assisting NGOs;

POs/IPOs have promoted environment

friendly economic activities;

Addressed immediate socio-economic

needs of communities;

Promoted PO self-reliance;

Increased number of BCSD advocates;

Drew nancial, technical and material

resources from the other organizations to

sustain conservation initiatives/ advocacy;

Baseline data gathered;

Measured immediate impact of

established sh sanctuaries; and,

Increased awareness of the community

on lake protection.

among partner non-government organizations (NGO)

and people organization (PO), emphasizing NGO-POmanagement, or deeper hand-holding and empowerment

process o the PO partners.

Green Mindanao Association, Inc. works with and

nurtures eight POs located in selected barangays

surrounding the lake and administratively under the

jurisdiction o our lake-shore municipalit ies o Jabonga

and Kitcharao in the province o Agusan del Norte

and Alegria; and Mainit in the province o Surigao del

Norte. Green Mindanao also collaborates with the local

government units (LGUs), the Lake Mainit Development

All iance, the academe, government l ine agencies, donoragencies and other stakeholders in the area.

}

}


16/16

TIPON is among the 14 CSO partners of FPE

that have successfully signed a MOA with their

respective PENRO and CENRO pursuant to the

NGP partnership among FPE, DENR and PTFCF

aiming to raise one million seedlings in 2012 for

3,475 hectares of forestland nationwide.

For 2013, around 68 CSOs were endorsed to the DENR

for NGP with expected seedling production of more

than two million.

TIPON (Tipon ti Umili para iti Panagsalwad ti

Nakaparswaan, Inc.) is an Indigenous Peoples

Organization (IPO) partner o FPE engaged

in the National Greening Program (NGP) in Tubo,

Abra. TIPON is also a partner under the EU-Fundeso

Mainstreaming Indigenous Peoples Participation in

Environmental Governance (MIPPEG) project. The IPO

remarkably mobilized nine o its ten barangays in the

seedlings production or NGP, establishing 28 nurseries

all over the municipality. More than 600,000 seedlings

o endemic orest tree species and ruit-bearing tree

species were produced by the organization and now

ready or planting.

Despite the unavorable rainy season or seed

collection and tree planting activities in June 2013 plus

the pressure o having to complete the project within

six months or by December, and other organizations

opting to procure seedlings rom other provinces and

nearby municipalities, TIPON is determined to raise

INDIGENOUSCOMMUNITIES

GREENINGTHE FORESTS

IN ABRAMarjorie A. Marasigan, FPE NGP Coordinator

and plant their own seedlings in their ancestral domain.

They believe that by doing this, they can cult ivate

environmental stewardship in the community, protect

the natural resources or the younger generation and

provide more than just additional source o income or

the indigenous people. While TIPON has continuing

discourse with the Provincial Environment and Natural

Resources Oce (PENRO) o Abra and the Community

Environment and Natural Resources Oce (CENRO)

o Bangued concerning the NGP, the support o the

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)

and the local government unit o Tubo had boosted

cooperation among the organizations involved.

Recently, TIPON represented by its chairman Mariano

Dangatan signed a memorandum o agreement (MOA)

with PENRO and CENRO or site preparation to

eventually commence their tree planting in June 2013in 1,295 hectares o ancestral land or about 70 percent

o the NGP target o CENRO-Bangued.

MOA signing (from left NCIP representative Elsa Dioayan, PENRO Er-

nesto Aton, TIPON president Mariano Dangatan, and TIPON member

Anthony Ladawan.)

Nursery located at Brgy. Tiempo, Tubo, Abra.

}

}

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