STORY OF AN ISLAND

by Chen Reyes-Mencias

Featured in Nordis June 22, 2008

 Six four and two are the numbers to watch out for.  Not because you will win  in the lottery , but because you may win in the game of life.  Outdoor education  has always been proven to be an excellent strategy  to improve  life effectiveness domains of people who engage in recreational activities.  An island in the municipality of Sta. Ana, Cagayan is  fast becoming a place  where people learn how to be better human beings.  

            Less than  200 meters from the water’s edge  sits the last km. marker and it reads 642.  Visitors often stop to have their pictures taken here once they learn that this is how far they are from Manila.  This number became the inspiration of an innovative program designed to introduce visitors to the unified interpretation of Palaui Island Protected Landscape and Seascape.  Six Activities For Two Days is the name of the program and indeed participants engage themselves in  six activities that uses the natural environment for learning.  I had been privileged to be given the task of putting together the Unified Interpretation of Palaui Island, woven within six  outdoor activities.  But  in order to test the program’s effectivity I needed some subjects.

The workings of nature

            Eleven elementary school teachers from the town of Sta. Ana signed  up to be the first recipient of the program.  They may be “guinea pigs”  but they were open to a new way of thinking and doing.  Their first lesson were the seven environmental principles- Nature knows best, All life forms are important,  Everything changes,  Everything must go somewhere, Everything is connected to everything else, Ours if a finite earth and The earth is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s creation.  All these seven principles explain the workings of nature and help people understand natural phenomenon.

Aquanaut

            An introduction to the marine environment came next as the participants learned about  corals and how they are damaged by human activities. The issue of reef trash was tackled  through an actual coastal clean-up that was further enhanced by an analysis of  the possible sources of trash.  Punta Verde is the only community in Palaui and it is starting to become the receipient of trash from mainland Luzon.  Currents and waves push plastics, tin cans, discarded clothing and all sorts of garbage onto their shores.

            “It is not even our trash, and yet we have to deal with it,”   says Joni Gagote, a farmer who has lived on the island all his life.  He noticed that as more progress occurred on the mainland, with it came more garbage.  Reef trash is a global concern and the Philippines becomes a repository of trash from as far as Taiwan, Hongkong and even Vietnam.  In the same token, our trash ends up  on the shores of our neighboring countries.

 To further deepen their understanding of the issue, facilitators taught the teacher’s how to use a mask and snorkel.  Floating on the surface like an aquanaut  gave them a front row seat on one of the most prolific ecosystems in the planet.  Amid expressions of anxiety and occasional screams, these land creatures were able to handle themselves quite well in the water.  Fear was replaced with appreciation, ignorance with knowledge.

            “Ibang-iba pala pag tunay na! (The real thing look so much different)”  remarks Beverly Timosa who started out so much afraid of the water, but ended up craving for more.

            Palaui has extensive seagrass meadows and it is evident by the piles of dead seagrass that are washed ashore.  One teacher wondered if they can be turned into baskets and some other crafts.  It was clear to me that even on the first day the participants were already HOT  (higher order thinkers).  I teased them and said that they are truly hot and ready to embrace a new way of looking at the world.  Higher order thinking skills are often associated with outdoor education.  Being in the natural environment, people are engaged with the realities of the world and come face to face with real issues and concerns.  Higher order thinking requires a person to be more analytical and reflective.  Outdoor education indeed moves people to act.

Eco-historical trail

            The second day was welcomed with great anticipation since they knew that they will be hiking the eco-historical trail.  This seven km. trail passes through different ecossytems – a mangrove forest, inter-tidal zone, grassland, agricultural area and a forest.  A mangrove transplantation activity was the first agenda of the day and  it opened up the teacher’s  understanding of the role of the mangrove in the protection of the country’s coastline against erosion and even possible  tsunami.  While walking along the coastline,  stories about  river deltas,  shore bird adaptations,  the loss of beach forests,  the resilience of the bonsai trees and the dependence of the local people on the rising and ebbing of the tide for food  were woven into one continous strand.  While resting under the shade of a huge narra tree right at the boundary of a grassland,  the story of succession came to life.   

            The importance of birds, insects and mammals in dispersing seeds that eventually grow into new trees  underscored  the need to  prevent further destruction of the 70 % remaining forest cover of the island. The forest is the habitat of animals and it is the only source of seeds.  The intricate relationship of the animal and plant life of Palaui keeps the ecosystem in balance.   Kaingin is the number one cause of destruction of habitat  and the root cause is oftentimes poverty.  As farms become less productive due to the continued use of chemical fertilizers,  there is a need to expand agricultural areas and the only option is to burn the forest. 

            A possible solution was brought out during  an informal discussion.  Organic or natural farming may actually bring back the health of the soil and increase productivity.  In an island like Palaui going organic may be the only hope in securing food supply and protecting the remaining forest. The walk through the forest further enhanced the participants appreciation of their new found knowledge.

            “Buti na lang sumama ako.  Kahit mahirap maglakad ng malayo sulit naman,”  says Jeyk Agbayani, a grade 1 teacher who  was like a sponge as he kept enthusiastically absorbing  new information. 

Cape Hardship

The eco-historical trail ends at  the northern tip of the island in a cove called Cape Engaño.  It is hugged by a stretch of  steeply sloping beach of crushed corals.  Lined with sturdy beach forest trees,  this cove  has been the venue of the  Aquathlon organized by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority for two years in a row. 

            On the northern tip is a hill on which a centuries-old lighthouse still stands.  Although now in ruins, plans for its restoration is in the pipeline.  A climb to the top  of the hill was challenging but  accorded every one a magnificent  360 degree view of the landscape and seascape.  The weather was so clear that even Mt. Didicas  near the horizon and two rugged rock formations called Dilayag  may be seen.  Faro de Cabo Engaño is the northernmost Spanish lighthouse in the country.  It was built in 1887 but was only completed in 1892.

            Being the story teller that I am the interpretation went beyond history and architecture.  I told them of the hardships of the  lighthouse keepers and their families when they lived within the complex  in order to man  this navigational beacon.  Lighthouse keepers are unsung heroes and they have sacrificed most of their lives in order to protect the light and consequently the lives of seafarers who rely on the lighthouses for safe passage. 

New way of seeing

            Hungry and tired, we went back to Punta Verde by boat.  During a meal of adobo, pakbet, and sinigang na isda, the participants all expressed their deep appreciation for having been chosen for the training.  They commit to echo to their students and co-teachers the knowledge they have learned in the two days that they spent  on the island. 

            “We will take the learning back with us.  We feel that we had been given new sets of glasses to see the world,” they said almost in unison.

            As we bid  farewell to Mang Joni and the other residents of the island we took one last look at the wide expanse of forest of  Palaui.   Perhaps all of us had one thought.  Many years from now Palaui will be the same, preserved, cared for and filled to the brim with lessons and wisdom. 

Let me know what you think.  The Palaui Six for Two program is now a regular tour  of the people of Palaui.  Support community-based tourism initiatives.  They help address poverty and empower poor communities to care for the environment.  Send me an email at wildexpeditions@yahoo.com.

Read: "Time Warped in Palaui" by Cyrene Reyes

 Map of Palaui Eco-Historical Trail