Guarding Mt. Porras in Sibalom, Antique
(Last of two parts)
Community Project
Forest Guard Head Rudy Sandoy takes a rest atop
what could be a boulder of jasper along Mau-it
river before a trek to Mt. Porras.Jo M. Clemente
Until six years ago nothing of biodiversity made sense to the forest guards of Mt Porras. Residents living by the edge of the mountain as well as outsiders lavished on its bounty.--logs, rattan, native orchids, honey, wild pigs, edible birds nests, even birds.
"Maraming namumutol ng kahoy noon saka naghuhunting. at nangunguha ng rattan at yung pugad ng Balinsasayaw (Swift) na binebenta ng P1,200 isang kilo," says Rudy Sandoy, chair of the Asosasyon Kang Kabanglidan Katauhang Kang Imparayan (AKKIM, "Association of the People in the slopes of Imparayan"). "Hindi naman masaway, yung iba may permit daw. Pero noon yun, iba na ngayon," he said.
AKKIM is one of the organizations that grew from a community project here undertaken by Haribon and its local partner, the Antique Human Development Program (AHDP). Called the "Community Based Biodiversity Conservation and Protection Project," it is supported by the UNDP, the local government unit of Sibalom, DENR and the San Jose Rural Water Works. According to Ramon Llavan AHDP project officer, major components of the project include watershed rehabilitation and strengthening bantay gubat and community based groups.
Sandoy says as all members of the AKKIM are also forest guard volunteers, they have decided to adopt the same organization as core organization for their forest guarding. Thus, it is likely that each AKKIM member had undergone various trainings that cut across a variety of concerns all of which directed to the conservation and preservation of the SNP. These include tour guiding, ecotourism workshop, basic search and rescue training, gender sensitivity seminar, basic para-legal training and the latest ,advance para legal course.
As forest guarding is purely voluntary, Llavan says the AHDP recognizes the need of the community to sustain itself while protecting the SNP. LLavan says the economic needs of the guards is addressed through agricultural support and ecotourism endeavors. This though he said should be done in harmony with conservation thus the AHDP introduced a farming technology adapted to the contour of the area called SALT or Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) which the residents here had adopted. Technical support is also extended in the community's ecotourism endeavors especially with the influx of tourists coming to SNP to see the Raflesia.
Part of the project and what Sando's group is also guarding is a five- hectare watershed reforestation undertaken by the San Jose Rural Waterworks as its commitment to the biodiversity partnership at the SNP. Taking cue from the results of Haribon's technical report that a previous reforestation project that introduced exotic tree species to the area 50 years ago had disturbed instead of helped sustain SNP's natural balance, the SJRW took to planting indigenous species. According to SJRW Systems supervisor Cedric Encarnacion, they gathered seedlings from the higher reaches of Mt Porras and built a nursery of indigenous species. "This is what we used to reforest the watershed area," he said. The SJRW also erected a watchtower that is now helping the forest guards in their work.
Guarding Mt. Porras
So, how does one guard a mountain like Mt Porras?
For the forest guards of Imparayan, it's all body, mind and spirit. The stamina to climb Mt Porras every so often as they take turns in patrolling the area. The knowledge stocked in their minds from their para-legal trainings and the spirit to do so. This is what empowers them. They have no guns, no cellphones, not even handheld radios to communicate with--only the will to save SNP. Having lived all their lives in the area, they saw what Mt Porras was like in its time of bounty-- when fishes still abound its rivers and its trees bear much for food and fuel.
That this community of forest guards had been empowered is expressed during their training. They took time to attend the second phase of their para-legal course tending to their farms very early in the morning so they can be back at 9:00 am for it.
They grapple with such terms as "Motion to Squash (quash)," but they laugh it off content that they understood what it means and what it entails to them when those they apprehend violating forest laws files such motion before the courts.
"Knowing the laws and how the justice system works provides the other end to a more effective forest guarding," says Alfonso Combong III, the guard's para-legal trainor. "Marami na silang alam but trainings like this enhances what they already know as it pinpoints the specifics such as what to do after apprehending a violator, what data is needed in documenting such, how the complaint is crafted, who signs it, where to file it and what to expect afterwards." he said.
Still, there are the loopholes. Sandoy says there are many entry and exit points to the forest besides their village thus making monitoring more difficult. To address this, the most they can do he said is to patrol the area in various directions so as to catch violators at the same time develop a main trail to contain legitimate tourists. Sandoy said they sought the assistance of the Provincial Government of Antique to provide them funds for making the main trail and they were able to complete the steps in two weeks. View decks along Rafflesia's growth areas were also set up.
Sandoy says they also do a periodic inventory of what they are guarding. "Sinusukat at binibilang namin halimbawa ang raflesia," he said.
All told, the forest guards of Imparayan are happy to stand guard to their side of the Mountain. They say that while much remains to be done they are glad to note that further devastation of Mt Porras had been contained. As Sandoy so describes, "nakakita na ulit kami ng bakas ng baboy damo dati wala na at andyan na ulit yung mga pugad ng Balinsasayaw." Still, they are wishful that soon, there would be more active volunteers in other parts of the SNP who'd be willing to stand guard and plug the holes.