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Bendum: In The Heart of Mindanao (RESEARCHED BY: FRANCIS BRAVO AND ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/noartistknown/bendum-in-the-heart-of-mindanao-full-documentary/h-264/asset/8610367

TITLE: Bendum: In The Heart of Mindanao

AUTHOR: E. Anthony Collins

DATE PUBLISHED: 2001

KEY CONTENT: The documentary tackles the struggles of the Mindanaoan Bendum tribe due to decades of commercialized logging and deforestation. Aside from the cultural struggles the tribe faces, the mass deforestation also causes further destruction of the natural environment, negatively affecting the people, wildlife, and the like. This crisis similarly happens in Mount Apo, where indigenous tribes and biodiversity suffer from the negative consequences brought by deforestation.

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The WATERWORLD in the PHILIPPINES (RESEARCHED BY: ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://youtu.be/7JYu3zc9SYM?si=tPL35VBTPTdttVs2

TITLE: The WATERWORLD in the PHILIPPINES

AUTHOR: SEFTV

DATE PUBLISHED: March 8, 2023

KEY CONTENT: Deforestation driven by widespread logging in Agusan del Sur has resulted in significant flooding in the Agusan Marsh, which has affected both human and wildlife populations by causing a substantial loss of biodiversity. This alarming situation draws attention to possible similarities with Mount Apo, where ongoing deforestation may result in catastrophic flooding, which causes biodiversity loss.

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WHICH PROVINCE IN THE PHILIPPINES HAS THE HIGHEST DEFORESTATION RATE AND CARBON EMISSION (RESEARCHED BY: ELLA CALONIA)

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URL: https://eric-salas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/region2.png

TITLE: WHICH PROVINCE IN THE PHILIPPINES HAS THE HIGHEST DEFORESTATION RATE AND CARBON EMISSION

AUTHOR: Eric Ariel L. Salas

DATE PUBLISHED: December 8, 2015

KEY CONTENT: Mappings of the Philippines' forest coverage were created using satellite imaging that shows which province has the highest rate of deforestation and carbon emissions. The statistics suggest that deforestation occurs in the Mount Apo region because it is present in Davao del Sur, one of the provinces that encompasses Mount Apo.

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Fire razes Mt. Apo's campsite near its peak (RESEARCHED BY: FRANCIS BRAVO)

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URL: https://www.facebook.com/TVPatrolSouthernMindanao/posts/1062600283797800

TITLE: Fire razes Mt. Apo's campsite near its peak

AUTHOR: TV Patrol Southern Mindanao (Facebook page)

DATE PUBLISHED: March 27, 2016

KEY CONTENT: A devastating forest fire along the Digos-Kapatagan trail of Mt. Apo has resulted in hundreds of hectares of forest and grassland deforestation. This widespread habitat loss threatens numerous species in Mount Apo, jeopardizing their well-being and potentially causing biodiversity loss.

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Fire started at the peak of Mt. Apo (RESEARCHED BY: ELLA CALONIA)

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URL: https://mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/03/fire-started-at-the-peak-of-mt-apo/#gsc.tab=0

TITLE: Fire started at the peak of Mt. Apo

AUTHOR: Carolyn O. Arguillas

DATE PUBLISHED: March 28, 2016

KEY CONTENT: A grassfire developed into a forest fire on Mount Apo, resulting in the loss of forest cover. Consequently, it affects the mountains' biodiversity by destroying flora and fauna habitats.

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KAPATAGAN, Digos City, Davao del Sur (MindaNews / 28 March) - The still raging forest fire in the country's highest peak, Mt. Apo, started as a grassfire at

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MinDa pushes for creation of Mt. Apo wildlife center (RESEARCHED BY: KEAN EROY)

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URL: https://pia.gov.ph/news/2024/02/22/minda-pushes-for-creation-of-mt-apo-wildlife-center

TITLE: MinDa pushes for creation of Mt. Apo wildlife center

AUTHOR: Rudolph Ian Alama

DATE PUBLISHED: February 22, 2024

KEY CONTENT: Mount Apo National Park is home to numerous endangered and endemic animals. However, the destruction of the mountain continues to occur, endangering its wildlife. Thus, a Mt. Apo Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (MAWRCC) is being pushed for by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) to aid in preserving and protecting the national park's wildlife biodiversity.

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MinDA pushes for creation of Mt. Apo wildlife center

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"A bill has been filed by Congressman Rudy Gadiongan of North Cotabato, particularly on the aspect of ensuing conservation of Mt. Apo wildlife, because over the years, kulang na kulang in terms of very specific concerted efforts to protect what is there," Montenegro said during the press conference held on Feb.

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Illegal logging endangers south Philippines (RESEARCHED BY: ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://youtu.be/zeaE-8rlXGY?feature=shared

TITLE: Illegal logging endangers south Philippines

AUTHOR: Al Jazeera English

DATE PUBLISHED: January 22, 2012

KEY CONTENT: In Mindanao, illegal logging intensifies natural disasters, causing flash floods that carry mud and log debris, resulting in the loss of human and wildlife lives. Similar risks are posed by deforestation at Mount Apo, which endangers species and leads to biodiversity loss.

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Illegal logging endangers south Philippines

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Philippines landslide: Death toll rises to 68 in Davao de Oro (RESEARCHED BY: WESS TAVITA)

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URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68274588

TITLE: Philippines landslide: Death toll rises to 68 in Davao de Oro

AUTHOR: Flora Drury

DATE PUBLISHED: February 12, 2024

KEY CONTENT: Mass deforestation magnified landslides and floodings in the mountains of Davao de Oro, claiming the lives of people and flora and fauna. Likewise, extensive deforestation brought on by illegal logging in Mount Apo may intensify landslides and flooding, killing both people and wildlife and ultimately leading to biodiversity loss.

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The landslide tore through the village of Masara in the southern Philippines

At least 68 people are now known to have died after a landslide swept through a goldmining village in the Philippines almost a week ago.

Officials say there are still 51 people missing following Tuesday's disaster in Davao de Oro province, but rescue workers admit there is little hope of finding any more survivors.

A three-year-old girl was the last person pulled alive from the mud.

Her rescue - after more than 60 hours buried - was described as "a miracle".

Edward Macapili, a disaster agency official of the Davao de Oro province, said at the time it have given "hope to the rescuers".

But on Monday, those hopes appeared to have faded.

"It is almost a week after the incident and... we are assuming that no one is alive there," Mr Macapili told AFP news agency. "There is already a foul smell in the area now so there's a need to fast-track the retrieval."

The landslide struck Tuesday night, destroying 55 homes and engulfing three buses and a jeepney - a type of minibus - waiting to pick up workers from the gold mine. Lea Anora, a unit member of the Management of the Dead and the Missing (MDM), told ABS-CBN News that the death toll so far included 42 residents and 26 mining employees.

More than 30 people were injured.

Landslides are a frequent hazard across much of the Philippines because of the mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall, and widespread deforestation from mining and illegal logging.

Heavy monsoon rains have pounded parts of Mindanao on and off for weeks, causing landslides and flooding that have forced tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters.

The area has also been hit by a series of earthquakes, including on Saturday when rescuers were forced to pause their operations due to a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.

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Philippines landslide: Death toll rises to 68 in Davao de Oro

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Rescue workers have abandoned hope of finding any more survivors following last week's disaster.

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Reforest Mt. Apo (RESEARCHED BY: ELLA CALONIA)

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URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10156142901137640&set=pcb.10156142902012640

TITLE: Reforest Mt. Apo

AUTHOR: UP Mountaineers

DATE PUBLISHED: February 20, 2018

KEY CONTENT: UP Mountaineers encouraged the public to join a reforestation program to help Mount Apo recover from the deforestation caused by a fire in 2016.

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Illegal mining at illegal logging sa Mt. Apo protected area, nadiskubre (RESEARCHED BY: ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://youtu.be/K-2Ep_XNiwA?feature=shared

TITLE: Illegal mining at illegal logging sa Mt. Apo protected area, nadiskubre

AUTHOR: Eagle News

DATE PUBLISHED: December 10, 2020

KEY CONTENT: Illegal logging was detected in the Mount Apo protected area, Magpet, South Cotabato. Mount Apo's wildlife habitat is destroyed by illegal logging, endangering various species and resulting in biodiversity loss.

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Illegal mining at illegal logging sa Mt. Apo protected area, nadiskubre

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UPLB Centennial Professorial Chair Lecture of Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang (RESEARCHED BY: ELLA CALONIA)

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URL: https://www.facebook.com/UPLBCFNR/videos/1505600256585421/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

TITLE: UPLB Centennial Professorial Chair Lecture of Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang

AUTHOR: UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources

DATE PUBLISHED: November 10, 2022

KEY CONTENT: The lecture discussed the critical role that Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) plays as a tactical countermeasure to the rampant deforestation in the Philippines, specifically in Bukidnon. It elaborated on the significance, implementation tactics, and numerous aspects of FLR, offering a thorough grasp of its importance in tackling deforestation in Mindanao, including Mount Apo.

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UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources

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UPLB Centennial Professorial Chair Lecture of Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang | UPLB Centennial Professorial Chair Lecture of Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang

Forest and Landscape Restoration Dynamics in the Grasslands of Bukidnon,... | By UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources | Facebook

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UPLB Centennial Professorial Chair Lecture of Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang

Forest and Landscape Restoration Dynamics in the Grasslands of Bukidnon,...

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Biodiversity in Selected Mountain Ecosystems of Mindanao for Conservation and Sustainable Development (RESEARCHED BY: KEAN EROY)

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URL: https://ispweb.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/biodiversity-in-selected-mountain-ecosystems-of-mindanao-for-conservation-and-sustainable-development/

TITLE: Biodiversity in Selected Mountain Ecosystems of Mindanao for Conservation and Sustainable Development

AUTHOR: SERD Personnel Editor

DATE PUBLISHED: March 30, 2022

KEY CONTENT: A DOST-funded study to update, evaluate, and track the biodiversity of the local flora and fauna in Mindanao's four (4) mountain ecosystems, including Mount Apo. The results gained will help in the preservation of biodiversity in said mountains.

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Biodiversity - Industry Strategic Science and Technology Plans (ISPs) Platform

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Industry Strategic Science and Technology Plans (ISPs) Platform

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Plundering Paradise: The Struggle for the Environment in the Philippines (RESEARCHED BY: KEAN EROY AND ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://www.google.com.ph/books/edition/Plundering_Paradise/dKn42X9GjOkC?hl=en&gbpv=0

TITLE: Plundering Paradise: The Struggle for the Environment in the Philippines

AUTHOR: Robin Broad and John Cavanagh

DATE PUBLISHED: November 15, 2023

KEY CONTENT: The book examines the lives of Filipinos living in rainforests whose livelihoods are disappearing due to deforestation and other similar natural resource depletion. It reveals how unethical government actions, such as widespread logging, have detrimental effects on the environment, politics, and society—most notably biodiversity loss. Similarly, deforestation in Mount Apo due to tourism, logging, and agricultural expansion causes similar issues, such as biodiversity loss.

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This gripping portrait of environmental politics chronicles the devastating destruction of the Philippine countryside and reveals how ordinary men and women are fighting back. Traveling through a land of lush rainforests, the authors have recorded the experiences of the people whose livelihoods are disappearing along with their country's natural resources. The result is an inspiring, informative account of how peasants, fishers, and other laborers have united to halt the plunder and to improve their lives.

These people do not debate global warming-they know that their very lives depend on the land and oceans, so they block logging trucks, protest open-pit mining, and replant trees. In a country where nearly two-thirds of the children are impoverished, the reclaiming of natural resources is offering young people hope for a future. Plundering Paradise is essential reading for anyone interested in development, the global environment, and political life in the Third World.

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This gripping portrait of environmental politics chronicles the devastating destruction of the Philippine countryside and reveals how ordinary men and women are fighting back. Traveling through a land of lush rainforests, the authors have recorded the experiences of the people whose livelihoods are disappearing along with their country's natural resources.

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2022 Highlights of Accomplishments: MAFI Moving Forward (RESEARCHED BY: WESS TAVITA)

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14) NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION OR ACADEMIC INSTITUTION ARTICLE

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14) NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION OR ACADEMIC INSTITUTION ARTICLE

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URL: http://mafi.org.ph/publication/2022-highlights-of-accomplishments-mafi-moving-forward/

TITLE: 2022 Highlights of Accomplishments: MAFI Moving Forward

AUTHOR: Mount Apo Foundation, Inc. (MAFI)

DATE PUBLISHED: No date indicated on the Website

KEY CONTENT: This article centers on the "Posokaddoy: Empowering Indigenous Communities Toward Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Landscapes in Central Pantaron Range" program of the Mount Apo Foundation, Incorporation (MAFI). The Central Pantaron Range includes key biodiversity areas such as Mt. Apo Natural Park. MAFI seeks to address the environmental problem in Mount Apo and the surrounding areas by promoting regenerative development strategies, including biodiversity preservation and forest restoration.

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The operations of Mount Apo Foundation in 2022 turned out to be a fruitful one after experiencing the challenges of COVID-19 in prior years. In the midst of the decreasing support from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) given through the Environmental Tribal Welfare Trust Fund (ETWF) due to the variable production of the Mt. Apo Geothermal Project, as well as the increasing demand for community service, MAFI endeavored to intensify its resource mobilization program as it continued its three programs, with narrowed scales and targets on scholarship, community and environment and cultural heritage activities.

Resource Mobilization Program

Starting 2019, ensuing the institutional program review and strategic planning processes in 2018, the foundation has been prompted to take bolder steps in raising additional funds from external sources in addition to EDC's ETWTF in order to support the three programs more sustainably.

August 2022 marked a milestone for MAFI as it luckily received a grant, among 13 civil society organizations in the Philippines, amounting to Php15,998,592.00 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its managing organization, the Gerry Roxas Foundation. Under the Investing in Sustainability and Partnerships for Inclusive Growth and Regenerative Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Project, MAFI's three-year project is entitled, "Posokaddoy: Empowering Indigenous Communities Toward Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Landscapes in Central Pantaron Range". The geographical scope of the Central Pantaron Range are the two key biodiversity areas (KBAs), namely, Mt. Apo Natural Park consisting of the municipalities of Magpet and Makilala and the city of Kidapawan, and Mt. Mahuson in the municipality of Arakan, all in North Cotabato.

Posokaddoy, a Manobo term for "unity" or "unification", aims to promote regenerative development within the Mt. Apo and Mt. Mahuson KBAs by empowering various IP groups within their respective ancestral domains. It intends to replicate the best practices of forest restoration, biodiversity conservation, watershed management and IP empowerment done by MAFI and EDC with the Cotabato Tribal Consultative Council for Development, Inc. (CTCCDI). Specifically, the project embarks on four strategic approaches, namely: 1) cultural empowerment, 2) forest restoration and biodiversity conservation, 3) biodiversity-friendly and culture-based livelihood/social enterprises, and 4) IEC/advocacy support.The Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IPs) that will benefit from the project are the following CADTs:

1. MADADMA (Manobo Apao Descendants of the Ancestral Domain of Mt. Apo), Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City;

2. 4 Bs (Barangays Buhay, Batasan, Buenavida and Biangan), Municipality of Makilala;

3. MAGPICA-DIMMA (Magpet Pusaka Impon Conservation Association-Don Panaca, Imamaling, Manobo, Manobisa, Amabel), Municipality of Magpet; and,

4. TICADMO (Tinonanon Council of Elders Ancestral Domain Management Office), Barangay Libertad and Ganatan, Municipality of Arakan

The co-implementing partners of the Posokaddoy project are the EDC-Mt. Apo Corporate Relations Department as the private sector partner, and the CTCCDI, an IP organization based in Kidapawan City. The former provides technical assistance, while the latter assists in cultural/community interventions.

Educational Development Program

As MAFI's flagship program for almost three decades now, EDP continues to provide scholarships to both Senior High School (SHS) and Collegiate poor but deserving students from the IP's (80%) and non-IP upland dwellers (20%).

For SY 2021-2022, MAFI maintained 22 scholars (10 SHS, 12 collegiate). The foundation is also proud to have high passing rate for its scholar-alumni who took their respective licensure examinations where 14 out of 15 licensure examinees (or 93%) made it to their respective examinations. Breakdown in terms of courses/type of examinations is as follows: 86% (12 scholars) passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET); 8.3% (1 scholar) made it to the Criminologist Licensure Examination (CLE) while another 8.3% (1 scholar) hurdled the Fire Officer Examination (FOE).

MAFI's support is also extended for the strengthening of the scholars, alumni and parents' organizations. For 2022, the following activities were undertaken:

Community and Environment Program

For almost three decades now, MAFI has been committed to help protect the environment in the Mt. Apo Natural Park and to ensure the engagement of the community in doing sustainable environmental initiatives. Through its environmental advocacy, direct on-the-ground implementation and partnerships with the government agencies, LGUs, CSOs and other stakeholders, major accomplishments during the year are as follows:

1. Continuing participation in various meetings and activities of Mt. Apo PAMB and sub-PAMB North Cotabato;

2. MAFI provided inputs on fund sourcing and financial management during the drafting and revision of the MANP Operational Plan for 2023;

3. Continuing participation in the activities of the Provincial Environmental Management Council, Provincial Mines Regulatory Board of North Cotabato and the Culture and Arts Committee in the City of Kidapawan;

4. MAFI also actively participated in the drafting of the Cotabato Provincial Environmental Code as member of the Technical Working Group;

5. In collaboration with EDC-MANP, MAFI maintained and monitored the existing MAFI reforestation sites in Ma-ag area and Lake Venado; and,

6. As part and parcel of MAFI's resource mobilization initiatives, MAFI received a support fund amounting to Php178,500 from the Inter-cultural Organization Network for Solidarity and Peace (ICON-SP) and a MOA
was signed among partners like MAFI, ICON-SP, DENR, and the Barangay LGU of Kinarum, Magpet for the 2-strip planting and maintenance of the reforestation site using native and indigenous tree species in the Strict Protection Zone of the MANP; and,

7. The established SPZ 2-strip planting started and contracted out to a People's Organization

Cultural Heritage Program

In its commitment to empower, strengthen and provide support to the tribal communities in the area of responsibility, MAFI has provided the following assistance in 2022:

1. Governance - a) Medical and health assistance; b) review and updating of the constitution and by-laws (CBL) of the CTCCDI; c) conduct of General Assembly and Election of BOT, induction of officers, and approval of the CBL; d) election of new CTCCDI Chairman; and, e) conduct of four (4) regular meetings;

2. Other IP Support - Material and financial assistance for other IP groups; and,

3. EDC-MAFI Partnership - School of Indigenous Knowledge (SIK) coordination and visitation in Barangay Bongolanon, Magpet to observe the cultural classes of the children and youth with culture bearers as para-teachers

With the approval and implementation of the Posokaddoy Project funded by the USAID through GRF for the Central Pantaron Range, cultural empowerment activities became an integral part of the Cultural Heritage Program in 2022 and in the next three years. Two of these are the establishment and maintenance of School of Indigenous Knowledge (IKS) in the four (4) CADT areas within Mt. Apo Natural Park and Mt. Mahuson and the formulation and/or review of the Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) of the tribes.

Institutional and Governance Activities

In its continuing effort to sustain good governance, MAFI has finally found its way to conduct its Annual General Membership Meeting face-to-face on August 25, 2022 after it was postponed for two years at the height of COVID-19 pandemic. Some 60 members of the GA excitedly came, interacted with colleagues, and listened to the two-year institutional reports and updates of the foundation. New members of the Board of Trustees were elected, while new members of the General Assembly were accepted. More importantly, to learn the status and performance of MAFI as well as to make operational decisions and approvals, regular BOT meetings were conducted during the year. In terms of human resource complement, three project-based staff were hired to assist in implementing the USAID/GRF-funded project while three regular employees decided to move to another job ventures.

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2022 Highlights of Accomplishments: MAFI Moving Forward

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Mt. Apo Natural Park - Cotabato (RESEARCHED BY: KEAN EROY)

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8) PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE OR PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

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8) PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE OR PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

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URL: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/eYvjZyQE6doX5tsY/?mibextid=KsPBc6

TITLE: Mt. Apo Natural Park - Cotabato

AUTHOR: DENR Soccsksargen

DATE PUBLISHED: April 7, 2021

KEY CONTENT: The DENR and its partner local government units and stakeholders remind the public that Mount Apo is a crucial biodiversity site, home to most endemic and endangered wildlife. Thus, they invite the public to help respect, protect, and conserve Mount Apo to help prevent biodiversity loss.

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ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference Highlights Sustainability and Innovations (RESEARCHED BY: WESS TAVITA)

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URL: https://theaseanmagazine.asean.org/article/asean-heritage-parks-conference-highlights-sustainability-and-innovations/

TITLE: ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference Highlights Sustainability and Innovations

AUTHOR: Novia D. Rulistia and The ASEAN Editorial Team

DATE PUBLISHED: May 22, 2020

KEY CONTENT: The magazine delves into ASEAN's sustainable development plans to protect and conserve ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP). Mount Apo, an AHP, is struggling with biodiversity loss brought on by illegal logging and extensive deforestation. In response, the ASEAN plans to launch initiatives to safeguard Mount Apo's diverse ecosystems, flora, and fauna.

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ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference Highlights Sustainability and Innovations | The ASEAN

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ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are Southeast Asia’s natural treasures. To date, there are 49 AHPs, each embodying the rich and diverse species and ecosystems of the ASEAN region.

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Species richness of trees in disturbed habitats within a protected area and its implications for conservation: The case of Mt. Apo Natural Park, Mindanao Island, Philippines (RESEARCHED BY: WESS TAVITA)

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URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334260069_Species_richness_of_trees_in_disturbed_habitats_within_a_protected_area_and_its_implications_for_conservation_The_case_of_Mt_Apo_Natural_Park_Mindanao_Island_Philippines

TITLE: Species richness of trees in disturbed habitats within a protected area and its implications for conservation: The case of Mt. Apo Natural Park, Mindanao Island, Philippines

AUTHOR: Benedict Zapanta, Marion Achondo, Aaron Raganas, Fritzie Camino, Aileen Delima, Junaldo Mantiquilla, Rocerto Puentespina JR., Florence Salvaña

DATE PUBLISHED: July 2019

KEY CONTENT: The study in Mt. Apo National Park, Philippines, identified 139 tree species within disturbed habitats affected by deforestation. These tree species include endemic and threatened species such as Lindera apoensis. The study emphasizes the significance of extending conservation efforts to protect these species and restore the park's disturbed (deforested) areas.

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www.researchgate.net needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

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On the Road in the Philippines: A Look at Mass Deforestation (RESEARCHED BY: ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://capsweb.org/blog/road-philippines-look-mass-deforestation/

TITLE: On the Road in the Philippines: A Look at Mass Deforestation

AUTHOR: Les Blenkhorn

DATE PUBLISHED: February 27, 2017

KEY CONTENT: Mass deforestation in Mindanao mountain forests leads to the loss of the Philippine eagle, crocodile, cockatoo, and other animals living in those forests. Mass deforestation in Mount Apo also faces biodiversity loss as it is home to most endemic and endangered flora and fauna.

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Checkpoint for illegal logging in the Phillipines

Traveling in Mindanao at the bottom of the Philippines this month, I decided to take a shortcut through the mountains to the west coast of the island where I heard there was good scuba diving. The road was in terrible shape due to massive landslides that came with typhoon rains weeks earlier. The raging, muddy rivers from the storm had killed several and displaced thousands in coastal cities.

As I traveled the shortcut, I was shocked to see that what should have been dense tropical forest had been stripped to the last match stick. Along the road was an army of the poorest of the poor with machetes splitting what little wood was left into kindling to sell to people in the cities for cooking.

Logging truck

The only untouched forest was in the absolutely most inaccessible places on mountain sides that were straight up and down. But this was no deterrent to the gang of men I came upon at a bend in the road who were lowering logs off a cliffside onto a truck.

I came upon more of these trucks, already loaded; they were parked on the side of the road, seemingly broken down. When I came to a small town where the steep mountains turned into a river plain I learned why the trucks weren't moving. There was a checkpoint for illegal logging. The trucks had to wait for the enforcement officers to go home for the day, or pay them off in the cover of darkness.

When I arrived at my hotel, I read about dozens of critically endangered species here in Mindanao due to the deforestation. From the Philippine eagle, crocodile and cockatoo to everything and anything else that lived in these forests, biodiversity has been devastated. Thinking about so much loss kept me up all night. Every inch of the flat land in Mindanao was long ago converted to grow rice and bananas. Now they are working on every last piece of forest, even if a mountain goat couldn't get to it.

Long ago denuded slopes

Severe erosion

I've met some of the nicest and friendliest people in the Philippines. But how can the collective intelligence of the country allow this massive deforestation to continue? I learned when there is talk of reforestation, it doesn't mean restoring the natural tropical forest. It's more akin to planting a few trees in an orchard-type grid, something I saw a little of also.

And, oh, those landslides? Environmentalists in the Philippines were blaming them on the deforestation ... ya think? I also read where a Filipino Senator said that the deforestation had nothing to do with it. This gives some insight into how hopeless this situation may be - when the people "at the top" can deny there's a problem.

It's disheartening, particularly thinking of how little people in the United States know of the extent of devastation here and throughout the world. Yet, when the massive populations of poor people in countries such as the Philippines reach a crisis point, where do they head? Often to the perceived "lifeboat of the world," the U.S.

With 7.4 billion people on the planet, many seeking safe harbor, the U.S. no longer can meet the need. People need to stay where they are and fix their own problems. Allowing the poor to come to the U.S. or the rich who have made their money by stripping bare the forests of Mindanao, Mexico or Malaysia isn't going to solve a thing. It remains way past time for a moratorium on immigration.

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On the Road in the Philippines: A Look at Mass Deforestation - CAPS

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Checkpoint for illegal logging in the Phillipines Traveling in Mindanao at the bottom of the Philippines this month, I decided to take a shortcut through the mountains to the west coast of the island where I heard there was good scuba diving. The road was in terrible shape due to massive landslides that came with...

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RAVANERA: A POEM FOR MINDANAO: LET A THOUSAND COOPS BLOOM | CDA (RESEARCHED BY: ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://cda.gov.ph/updates/ravanera-a-poem-for-mindanao-let-a-thousand-coops-bloom/

TITLE: RAVANERA: A POEM FOR MINDANAO: LET A THOUSAND COOPS BLOOM

AUTHOR: Orlando R. Ravanera

DATE PUBLISHED: April 2, 2020

KEY CONTENT: The poem emphasizes how important it is for everyone to work together to protect Mindanao's ecosystem in the face of several crises, such as deforestation and biodiversity loss. It stresses Filipinos' shared duty to recognize and stop the environmental degradation that threatens Mindanao. Similarly, the poem emphasizes our responsibility to preserve Mount Apo by calling for acknowledgment and coordinated actions to halt deforestation and biodiversity loss on the mountain.

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Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro

ORLANDO R. RAVANERA

Kim's Dream

March 17, 2020

IN EXPRESSING opinion, it is always done in prose. This time for a change, let me do it in poetry as the outpourings of words do not just come from the mind but direct from the heart. This gives more credence to that adage in the Little Prince that "it is only through the heart that one can see clearly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."

That supreme force in the Universe called love beacons all of us in the cooperative movement to exemplify the spirit of oneness irrespective of color, creed or class as we are all in fact, the sons and daughters of Mindanao.

It now behooves upon us to shed-off our apathy, unlike that frog that was boiled-up to death because it cannot detect temperature changes. You know that experiment in Biology 101? It runs something like this.

You take a frog and put it in a pot of cold water. Put the pot on a stove and turn it on to start boiling. As the water in the pot gradually heats up, you tell the frog to jump, to save itself, but the frog, if it can talk, will just ask, "What is it that you are talking about? Nothing is wrong, I'm okay." So, it will just sit there until it is boiled up to death.

In the past, we are just like that frog in many ways. We lost our forest and mega-diversity, we acted as if nothing was wrong. We lost our seas and rivers and all of our ecological integrity, we just didn't mind. As poverty worsens and oppressive systems and structures are turning-on the heat, we seem not to care to democratize wealth and power.

Today, we cannot afford to lose even that most essential value in life, peace and unity, otherwise, we will lose everything. We now take heed of the many sufferings visited upon our people and we now declare that enough is enough, even through this simple poem:
Oh Mindanao, where ecological wealth abounds! So rich in fisheries, agriculture, forests and mines, Where beauties do not end at the shorelines, But in the Mindanawons' courageous hearts and minds. There, in the land of the brave and the free, Amidst nature bounties lies hunger and poverty; Why a few with so much to enjoy? Yet the many with too little or nothing at all! Each shapes the Mindanao we hold dear, Behooving upon us to shed-off apathy and fear. Now listen to the cries of the multitude, Hear what they agonize in their solitude: "Oh, give me food, be it burnt or stale, It kills the fire in my stomach, In exchange, take whatever you like, I could surrender my freedom or life for food, With little food, I can start the day before sunrise. I can shake out the knotted hair of the stormy sea. Love, sadness, thought, I set at nothing. I will give all for food." Empowerment of the poor & the oppressed the solution, Let us dismantle structures of social exclusion, To put the people in the mainstream of progress, Let us wage coop revolution for social justice & peace. SHALOM, let us embrace one another in the spirit of oneness, A million coop voices to illuminate darkness, For we are all waves of one sea and leaves of one tree, We now must unite, otherwise we all fall in demise.

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RAVANERA: A POEM FOR MINDANAO: LET A THOUSAND COOPS BLOOM

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Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro ORLANDO R. RAVANERA Kim's Dream March 17, 2020 IN EXPRESSING opinion, it is always done in prose. This time for a change, let me do it in poetry as the outpourings of words do not just come from the mind but direct from the heart.

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Beyond the Trail: A Day in the Life of a Forest Ranger (RESEARCHED BY ANTHEA VERALLO)

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URL: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-34th9-12b9788

TITLE: Beyond the Trail: A Day in the Life of a Forest Ranger

AUTHOR: Gubatbp.

DATE PUBLISHED: September 8, 2022

KEY CONTENT: A forest ranger discusses a mountain's social and environmental integrity risks. His worries highlight the more significant problem of inadequate forest protection for the mountains of the Philippines, such as Mount Apo, resulting from the nation's ongoing environmental defense crisis. Lack of forest protection often results in mass deforestation, causing biodiversity loss.

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Free Podcast hosting and Monetizing Platform | Podbean

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Rampant Deforestation in Mount Apo Leads to Biodiversity Loss