By LAYAD EKID
www.nordis.net

(Layad Ekid is indisposed. Michael Umaming will take over the column for this week. — Editors)

When things turn awry, it pays to sit down and think of what used to be before we veer the other way.

This is what Sagada did when it convened a water summit last May 26 to 27, 2011. The awry thing is that water supply is dwindling and the town has no scheme to regulate the sharing of the precious resource.

In the words of Sagada Councilor Francis Kilongan, its kanya-kanya (each to his own).

What used to be was guided by the old Sagada value that water is a public domain. It was given by Kabunian for everyone to use. Inayan ay bukodam nan danom tay ayke ka kedeng is matago (its sacrilegious to monopolize water because you deny others’ right to life)? There was then no church and government to tell this to the people.

Water was not the primordial concern when the people of Sagada decided to plant trees. But it was the public and the future that were in their minds. Is gumawisan di ili ya ta esa wada datngan di ungong-a (for the good of the community and the future generation).

Today, with climate change and the relationship of trees and water becoming clear to everyone, Sagada is now talking of preserving and protecting the trees and the watershed.

The problem is the watersheds are being privatized – and seemingly even water.

Central Sagada’s Mt. Ampakaw; Eastern Sagada’s Kiltepan and Lamagan; Northern Sagada’s Maaney, Langsayan and Pilaw were just among those cited as having been tax declared by individuals. In Mt. Ampakaw, there are accordingly tax declarations as wide as twenty to forty hectares.

Participants to the summit suggest that the municipal government look into the tax declarations especially of wide track of lands. They recognize there are small parcels of batangan and saguday, but they look at the big declarations as the real threat.

Privatization of forest lands is accordingly one reason why people no longer come out to put off a forest fire. But public ownership of the watershed could still be revived through the land-use plan.

Jane Likigan, municipal planning and development officer said watershed areas should be delineated and imposed as such.

A resident said saguday and individual pine lots could be maintained in the watershed and enhanced with coffee or fruit trees but any structure should be prevented.

“The important thing is we protect the sources of water and assert that water is a communal resource,” he said.

Many bala-an (water source) are also threatened by the growing commercial gardening which is pesticides intensive. Participants suggested that at a certain distance from the bala-an, everything should be organic. No id kasin et inayan nan sabon ya menbu-o isnan bala-an, am-amed nan agas is umey isnan balaan (before, soap and washing of hands is not allowed in a watersource, what more with pesticides contaminating water sources). They said trees and grasses should be planted around the bala-an to serve as natural buffer against pesticides.

“Entako kuma gedan ap-apoyan nan bala-an (we should regularly perform the apoy for the watershed),” said one elder.

Many participants think the apoy will enhance the spiritual significance of a water source and will enhance respect to it. # nordis.net