By Stephen J Pedroza
Aside from the action-packed rodeo games and revelries, this year’s Manresa Days (August 20-23) celebration was also marred with a multi-sectoral commitment to address environmental concerns in Northern Mindanao through the “Payment for Ecological Services” (PES) program.
Different sectors, frontlined by Xavier Science Foundation (XSF), signed the PES Memorandum of Agreement on Aug 21 to push through with this environmental endeavor designed as a sustainable solution to reduce disaster risks in the region and to rehabilitate the denuded forests of Mt Kalatungan in Talakag, Bukidnon.
“The Talaandig tribe in Mt Kalatungan organized themselves and they committed to reforest 1600 hectares. In return, we will also do our part even in small ways like these signatures [to our environmental pledge] and to those who participated in the fun run, your presence here today is also important,” said Roel Ravanera, former dean of Xavier University – College of Agriculture (XUCA) and the current executive director of XSF.
XSF, a non-government organization (NGO) focusing on agricultural research and development also serves as the fund manager of the project.
The signatories of the said MOA were representatives from different cooperatives in NorMin (MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center, Oro Savings, Bukidnon Pharmaceutical Multipurpose Cooperative, First Community Cooperative - Community Outreach Foundation) and Miarayon–Lapok–Lirongan–Tinaytayan Talaandig Tribal Association (MILALITTTRA) chairman Datu Dungkoan “Rio” Besto.
Representatives from Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) also witnessed the signing.
PES is an environmental system intended to recuperate the forest resources in the upland areas where the headwater tributaries of CDO originate, while the communities of indigenous people (lumad) will be rewarded for acting as the “forest managers.”
“This is really a community engagement with our brothers and sisters in the indigenous people community in Mt Kalatungan. We will not allow another Typhoon Sendong to happen in Cagayan de Oro City and we will contribute in our own ways to make that a reality,” Ravanera continued.
Due to its altitude and topography, the mountain range within the ancestral domain of MILALITTTRA has been the source of most water coming down during the Sendong catastrophe that hit CDO in 2011.
Reforestation and agroforestry
This year, the PES program has been piloted together with MILALITTTRA, one of the 12 IP groups in the protected area of Mt Kalatungan.
As this project centers on the participation of the lumad community, Datu Rio has expressed his commitment to this project which he believes will help restore the integrity of their forests and generate additional income for their community.
“We live here [in Mt Kalatungan]. Our ancestors lived here. All our actions will affect the future generations. That is why we need to take care of our forest,” he said during the first wave of the project implementation on the third week of June.
For the inaugural year of PES in Mt Kalatungan, the project aims to reforest two hectares in Sitio Tinaytayan, San Miguel and to utilize one hectare in Barangay Lirongan for agroforestry, where the community has started to plant Arabica coffee.
The tree-planting activities kicked off on the last week of July, participated in by the MILALITTTRA community and the stakeholders from CDO.
Dedication to the environment
The MOA signing transpired after the “Green Run: A Run for Agriculture and the Environment” where the runners took part in the environmental pledge in line with the PES project.
The pledge reads: “We pledge to conserve and protect our environment, and build a long-lasting synergy among the communities of Northern Mindanao. We appreciate and proactively support the Payment for Ecological Services (PES) program for the inclusive development and sustainability of life.”
More than 400 people joined the said fun run from Manresa Complex to Rosevale and back to Manresa Farm.
On the other hand, the social marketing arm of the said environmental project, under the auspices of XU’s Research and Social Outreach (RSO), is set to launch the “Valuing Ecological Services Together” (VEST), an offshoot campaign aimed at engaging communities in the region to take part in this multi-sectoral undertaking.
Evans Yonson, a Development Communication professor at XU and VEST SocMar team leader said that a slew of activities have been prepared to encourage the communities to show their support and stewardship for Mother Earth.