Water over Troubled Forests
By Mark Saludes - Philippines, LiCAS News
“It should be 4 p.m. by now, right? The Kalaw sits there every day at four,” said Jesuit priest Fr. Pedro Walpole.
The Kalaw (a.ka. Philippine hornbill) perches every afternoon on one of the tallest trees holding the memory of what the forest used to look like near the cottage where Fr. Pedro spends most of his time.
The Jesuit priest is the Global Coordinator for EcoJesuit, Research Director for the Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change, and the Coordinator for the River Above Asia Oceania Ecclesial Network (RAOEN).
Fr. Pedro also runs the Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC), an Indigenous Peoples' school located in Bendum village, on the outskirts of Malaybalay City, in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon.
Bendum, part of the Upper Pulangi Watershed in the Pantaron Range, is home to the Indigenous Pulangiyen people, who regard the Kalaw as a symbol of forest health. Yet the trees in their ancestral land, where Fr. Pedro’s cottage stands, are young and recovering from severe depletion.
Destruction and displacement
During the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the 1970s, logging by companies with Timber License Agreements “began to overtake the forests” of Mindanao, including Bendum, Fr. Pedro said.
Historian Rudy Buhay Rodil noted that 164 logging companies, each holding 25-year concessions, deforested Mindanao’s commercial forests.
Mindanao had a total commercial forest area of approximately 3.92 million hectares, yet the combined concession area granted to these companies spanned an astonishing 5,029,340 hectares.
Fr. Pedro said that logging companies not only plundered the entire Pulangi Valley but also regulated communities and movements in the area.
Logging and the influx of migrants, who arrived as company laborers, “drastically reduced” Indigenous lands and displaced many Indigenous Pulangiyen families.
It also dried up the water that once freely flowed from the springs to the Pulangi River.
Recovery and regeneration
In 1992, Fr. Pedro was assigned to Zamboanguita, near Bendum, marking the start of his involvement with the Pulangiyen community. Over time, Fr. Pedro's relationship with the community deepened, and he initiated studies on forest hydrology - the study of the links between water and forests.
Through the Pulangiyen tribal council, the community raised funds to reclaim 1,662 hectares of ancestral lands from settlers. “The youth began reviving our forest,” said Pulangiyen youth leader Jason Menaling.
Data from the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources shows that the Philippines loses around 47,000 hectares of forest cover annually.
Currently, the country retains less than 24 percent of its original forest cover from the 1900s.
Based on the 2020 Land Cover Maps from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the Philippines has a forest cover of 7,226,394 hectares, with Mindanao comprising 32.36 percent or 2,338,723 hectares of that total.
Since 1993, the community has been regrowing the forest using assisted natural regeneration. This method combines planting with natural tree growth, facilitated by the community's traditional knowledge.
In over 30 years, the community has planted more than 15,000 trees, with around 70 percent surviving despite challenges like extreme weather and wildlife.
Another challenge is ensuring that everyone in the community fully understands the importance of the forest and feels a sense of responsibility for its protection.
Jeno emphasized that it is crucial for everyone, especially the youth, to understand why safeguarding the forest is essential.
Securing most vital resource
With the restoration of the forest's vibrancy in Bendum, there has also been a resurgence of the ceaseless flow of water originating from springs and flowing towards the homes.
For Jason, this is one of the most important reasons why the youth must lead in protecting the ancestral lands.
“We have our own water distribution system. The water from the spring, protected and nurtured by the forest, flows to taps in the households and communal tubs for public use,” he said.
In 1995, the village transitioned from using split bamboo to a more robust system by constructing a spring box to pipe water directly to the village.
This spring box requires root clearance every three months to maintain its function. A dedicated committee manages water distribution and the collection of maintenance fees for the pipes.
Now, the water system in Bendum serves 120 households, and the village is equipped with 25 private and communal tubs.
"We collect minimal fees for maintaining the pipes. Although the water is free, as it is a gift from the forest, we emphasize to our community the importance of having an efficient system to distribute this water to everyone,” said Jason.
Even during extended dry seasons, the community has not experienced a shortage of water. The Pulangiyen people attribute the abundant supply of spring water to the surrounding forest.
Residents use one of the communal tubs, where water comes from a spring box system that taps into the natural springs in Bendum, providing clean water for daily household tasks.
Indigenous wisdom at forefront of climate crisis battle
As the climate crisis intensifies, Indigenous communities are emerging as key players in protecting the planet and restoring lost ecosystems.
Despite this, Indigenous voices remain among the least heard. Fr. Pedro emphasized that the climate crisis is not only an environmental issue but also a matter of social justice, as Indigenous communities face marginalization and limited influence in policy discussions.
Globally, Indigenous knowledge offers sustainable resource management models, yet these voices are often sidelined by corporate interests or Western scientific approaches.
“Amplifying Indigenous wisdom is essential for both preserving their way of life and finding holistic solutions to the climate emergency,” Fr. Pedro said.
This article was originally published on https://www.licas.news/. All rights reserved. Unauthorized republication by third parties is not permitted.
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