By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
www.nordis.net

It is summer. And it is at its height. Even in Baguio City, known for its cool weather, is at its hottest. As it is holy week and with a long vacation, adventurers and climbers are exploring to visit Mount Pulag, Mount Kalawitan, Mount Amuyao, Mount Ugo, other mountains in the region.

With the scorching weather, it is good to know the condition of the forests cover in the country. And the easiest way is through the internet. The present total forest cover in the country is 7,162,000 hectares or 24 percent of the total national land area of 115,830 square miles (300,000 sq. Kms.). Reports show that the forest loss since the 1990s is 3,412,000 hectares.

But the forest loss did not only start in 1990 but earlier. Reportedly, forest loss was on its height just after World War II where timber was saleable overseas.

In the Cordillera, the climate was very cold. I remember our younger days, we felt the coldest temperatures when we travel via the Halsema Highway where we needed thick jackets to warm ourselves. That area was once covered with very thick forests. But with the advent of large scale logging – yes legal logging through the state issued Timber License Agreement, the thick forests in that area was substantially reduced, particularly after World War II. The timber from the Cordillera were exported to Japan for its rebuilding. The logging company, and the state, gained much from the profits from the sale of the forest resources there. But not the people, who are now burdened to suffer the effects of logging in that area. I never heard of the company’s social responsibility to plant trees as a consequence of their logging in that area.

Of course, the vegetable garden expansions, kaingin and small logging had contributed to deforestation in that area. But the effects – environmental or else – was not as substantial compared to the large scale logging.

Back to the issue on forest cover, experts proved that deforestation is actually traced from the conduit state and corporate interests exploitation of the natural resources, particularly large scale logging and mining. The state-blessed large scale resource utilization turned our forest cover way below the ideal 40 percent cover in order to have a balanced ecology. In fact our forest is among the most endangered and critical condition worldwide, pointed out environmental experts. They added that with the present condition of our forests, the Philippines’ forest cover should be 54 percent of the land area in order to be ecologically sound and to sustain its ecosystems. And in order to help in addressing the problem on climate change, we need to adopt measures to salvage our remaining forests. We must push the government to adopt a moratorium on large scale logging and mining.

Indigenous and environmental organizations nationwide launched systematic campaigns for environmental conservation. They should be lauded for being in the forefront of this inter-generational issue of environmental conservation. They had been raising the effects of large scale mining on environmental degradation. The Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP) said that 84 percent or 880,653 hectares of land from the MGB recorded mining interests of 1,046,349 hectares are found in the indigenous peoples’ ancestral domains. Such mine interests threaten these areas where forests have been maintained through their (indigenous peoples) resource use management system – scientifically proven to be sustainable.

In the Cordillera, villages in the mining communities have witnessed the culprit on environmental destruction that is large scale mining. They are at the forefront of the anti-mining campaigns to share their experiences as new mining applications covers 60 percent or 1,111,995.4351 hectares of the region’s total land area of 1,829,370 hectares. IPs proved that mining companies raked profits from their resources and left their communities destroyed. Such experiences heightened their opposition to large scale mining. And as we also witnessed the effect of deteriorating forests cover and mining such as floods, the siltation in major rivers and dams, reduced rainfall, depleted water sources, pollutions, and extinction of species, we need to learn from the indigenous peoples – the real stewards of Mother Earth. # nordis.net

By MARY LOU O. MARIGZA
www.nordis.net

This Sunday we will travel to Lacub for Cordillera Day 2011. It is with great anticipation that I join the throng to Lacub to commemorate the struggles of the Cordillera people of the past and the present and to the promises of the future.

It was twenty-four years ago when I first stepped on Lacub soil. I was with a group of human rights and health workers who joined Atty. Benesa for a fact-finding and medical-relief mission to the town. A nun from Manila who worked with the Task Force Detainees joined our group and we teased her no end on her first experience to ride a horse in the Cordillera mountains at that. She had to deprive somebody from the town of supplies from Bangued since the horse was supposed to carry the goods purchased from the capital, and the horse had to make another trip the next day to ferry the goods left at the junction where the jeeps stopped.

This was the mode of transportation then. And the mode of delivery was via DZPA and the jeeps and the horses. The relatives in Bangued would purchase the goods, send it through the driver or a relative to be met by relatives with the horses in Lacub. How many horses to be sent ga sumabath depended on the volume of goods purchased. So if the public service at DZPA called for three horses, you can be sure the agaw-awag has a store in the barrio. Awan pay ti cellphone idi. DZPA provided a lot of these public service calls and nobody missed listening ta baka adda bilin dagiti taga-Bangued ken tagasurong. If one did not hear the public service, the neighbors are sure to tell them of the message. DZPA had proven to be the most reliable messenger in Abra.

The jeeps I remember only travelled once a week from Bangued to the town but not to the sentro itself as there were no roads reaching the sentro then. I heard jeeps now can reach the sentro during summer. The trails we trekked were cool since pine trees and the bush provided a canopy for the hikers. And we were carrying medicines and our stuff for the medical mission spearheaded by Chestcore – yes, the same Chestcore that is now being harrassed and receiving death threats!

Also with the group was a young doctor who was working for the provincial hospital whose first time it was to reach Lacub, which he described as between earth and heaven. He was invited by Atty. Benesa and Mayor Vic Barona. He had his share of load of medicines but he joined the banter with the sister who was so cool in her horse.

I also remember Cooper Resabal of Malaya was with us in this trip. Cooper gamely carried his cameras since he was afraid the horses might drop or damage them if they slipped on the road. Hindi pa DSLR noon, may film pa ang mga camera. On the jeep to Lacub, a young priest who was newly assigned to Lacub rode with us and he must have been so amused at our naivety but admired our daring. Of course, he trekked ahead since we were so slow walking. He offered the use of the clinic of the parish for the medical mission and the use of the medicines for the people. There was no government clinic in Lacub then. It was only the parish that had a clinic and that had the means to bring very sick people for treatment to Bangued. That young priest is now the president of Divine Word College in Laoag City, Fr. Boboy Jimenez. Thank you again Father for the help you extended to our group.

We slept late since we had to meet for the tasking of the group in as much as we were to be divided into medical-relief and documentation teams. Cooper was on his own for he had to interview the people for his paper. I remember Atty Benesa sleeping late because the elders wanted to talk to him about problems in the area. Some of us were already snoring but the old folks were still talking over hot cups of mountain coffee. Part of their stories were tales of their struggle against the Marcos project of logging Abra pines for Cellophil Resources Corporation.

We stayed three days only because there was an announcement on the radio the next day after we arrived that a storm was coming. They had to call again for the horses to ferry us back so we can go faster down to the junction for the jeep ride. The doctors and the nurses had to work overtime for there were a lot of people who came for treatment. Some of the documentors had to help them later since they needed help with registration and putting medicines and prescriptions so the people will not forget how many times they have to take their medicines.

I cannot now remember what was the most prevalent sickness then. What I remember vividly is one old man who was sick and had to be carried on a hammock so he can get treatment. One of the young nurses of Chestcore could not help but cry at the lack of medical care for the interior municipalities then. I also remember how our group had to move to the school since the parish clinic became too small for the people who badly needed the care of health workers. One of the nurses had to conduct a dialogue with the mothers on the proper care and nutrition for babies, a task we did not anticipate we had to do when we planned the mission. But the Chestcore nurses ably accomplished the additional work.

Now, for the trek down on horseback. I am used to horses having ridden several of the Wright park variety. But I have never ridden a horse on wet and slippery mountain slopes. Our nun companion complained that her buttocks was still sore but we could not do anything for the rain was now pouring with the entry of the storm on the Phil area of responsibility. The poor horses slipped, slid and slid and we had to hold on for dear life with rain covering our bodies and eyes, which was a blessing since we could not see the ‘rangkish on the side. All I can see are the skid marks of the horses’ hoofs. But those horses were real mountain hardy ones. Not one horse dropped. They got us all safe and sound to the jeep. The jeepney ride was also dangerous since the roads have also become slippery. There were water spouts all around. The government doctor said he will treat us all to ice-drop if we reach Bangued. He marvelled at the sister as she said this was not even a dangerous mission. She had been to more difficult ones in more difficult circumstances.

Of course, we had our ice-drop and we had more – blisters all around and pain all over the body for trying to brake with the horses. Atty Benesa and Atty Astudillo (brave human rights lawyers of Abra) and their families treated us to a sumptous dinner in Atty Benesa’s house. Nobody wanted to take a bath as soon as we reached the staff house of the Task Force Detainees in Bangued. All we wanted was to sleep the pain away and dream of the nice place in the mountain sky with sturdy, warm and loving people who welcomed us as their own.

The trip to Lacub this year would make this Cordillera Day for me more memorable. Would I still see the plentiful and sweet-smelling pine trees? Is the road now more friendly to travellers? Do they now have a health center and a full-time nurse if not a doctor? Is the school where we held the medical mission now bigger? What would happen if the foreign capitalist mining companies would exploit the area? Will the people again fight like they struggled against the logging of Cellophil? Will it happen again? # nordis.net

By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO
www.nordis.net

He was a board of trustee of the Philippine Press Institute when I first met Jose L. Pavia in one of PPI’s writers workshop. In a conversation over a meal, my curiousity got the better of me, I wondered if he was related to the now late Dr. Pavia who was then married to a relative in Baguio. He laughed and said yes, they were cousins and he went on to tell his story of growing-up in Baguio where he went to high school at the Saint Louis Boys High School, and going home to Ambuklao where his father worked as an engineer. He left when he had to go to college in Manila then later settled to raise his family and get into media work.

The next twenty years, he worked on his advocacies for the skills development of the community based media under the PPI. He would stand up for press freedom, and lobbied for policies to protect the independence of the Philippine press, and even the Asian press. We would cross paths for a warm hello, and updates in this chosen field of work. Now, he had to move-up to take his seat by the Great Editor. We will miss his mentorship but never forget the lessons he passed us in his lifetime.
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It surprised me that Baguio was crowded on Palm Sunday. The bumper to bumper traffic and the market was packed with tiger grass broom toting, noisy and large plastic bag lugging shoppers. I thought the Holy Week crowd of tourists would arrive only by Maundy Thursday. Well, they made it earlier, good for them. I hope the water supply would be enough until they leave on Easter.

While in other places, the Holy Week usually finds the crowd in the churches and penitence retreat temples, in Baguio they are all over the parks, markets, hotels, restaurants, shrines and even the malls. Local business and entrepreneur traditionally prepare for this annual crowd. Even the local media organization (Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club) chooses and hosts the annual Lucky Summer Visitor this time of the year. Presidents of the land and their family since the colonial American governor generals usually spend the Holy Week here. Baguio people usually keep close to their homes to avoid jostling or being jostled in the city’s business district.

Around this time, the Sengeg ni Ibadoy have their annual reunion. That means, so there goes our fasting from meat if we do or did fast as Igorots from afag, as we celebrate our ancestors and renew ties with our clans.

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We were informed that all 10 of our La Trinidad honorables had to post bail, Tuesday, to keep out of jail for a case of graft and corruption filed against them by one of Baguio’s journalists. Horrorable? LT Mayor Greg must have been worried his council would go on forced leave. He just must have checked to make sure he would not be left without a council to serve the fast growing town.

My kids already found out rabbits do not lay Easter eggs so the Easter egg hunt in the family compound has remained cancelled since they realized they’re grown, Happy Easter! # nordis.net