Agoho and Bulusan Volcano

"The mountain agoho (Casuarina rumphiana), which is known to have a very limited distribution in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, inhabits this protected area," reads part of the assessment report re BVNP of the team of Errol Gatumbato a noted environmentalist in the Philippines.  By protected area, this refers to  BVNP, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park located in the composite mountains of Bulusan Volcano (above and below photos). 
Some of these trees found its way in the lower areas of Bulusan comprising the residential areas. I have seen one big agoho at the churchyard and several at the cottage  grounds of Dancalan beach where this photo was taken.  The dangling leaves that fringe the upper  frame of the above photo are from an old agoho tree standing beside the open cottages in Dancalan beach. The electric wires along the road  run across the photo from this vantage point.

Bulusan Volcano (composite mountains) as it appears on a cloudless day, May 26, 2013.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Veronica Gallanosa: Bulusan's woman eco warrior

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

                                                    Maya Angelou, African American Poet

Veronica is a name of a Santa in Bulusan's Kamahalan (Holy Week). She is the female saint who was there in the most difficult times of Jesus' Passion. Santa Veronica is one of my favorite santas.

In Bulusan, a present day Veronica is in our midst. I don't know her a lot and she does not know me either except for the short professional profiles in the web sites of AGAP, Inc, PRESERVE and LinkIn. But the hundreds of photos depicting her involvement in the various activities of AGAP and PRESERVE kept on recurring. Her images at work in the field as I browse the sites were so remarkable and impressive to be taken for granted. Indeed, a hero is always present in our midst. All we have to do is to 'see'.

In the original caption for this photo, Veronica says: "Ready for the Ascent". So true. The communities she serves are mostly upland villages of Bulusan town.

She lives also in the peripheral communities at the foot of Bulusan Volcano. She hails from the village of Sapngan and is presently residing in Barangay Mabuhay in the Poblacion. With options open to professionals like her, she opted to stay in our hometown to devote her professional life in the service of Bulusan's youth as one of the teachers at the Bulusan National High School. A mother of three kids. A mother who loves mother nature.

As if this is not enough. She volunteered to AGAP, Inc and rose to the ranks of VP for Research and Education. Of course, this VP label is just that, a label. What I'm more interested at are these extraordinary works she has done so far in the real field. In the mountains and forest of Bulusan particularly.

The photos as you will see tell a story of a woman with a passion and persistence in her goal for achieving a healthy environment for us and the future Bulusanons. In silence, I can only gaze at the photos in admiration and realize that passion in the environment knows no gender.

She is a woman with an extraordinary big heart.

She deserves to be called a female warrior. An eco warrior in the league of Philip.

A hero, too!  A (s)hero!

In the celebration of the International Women's Day this coming March 8, Veronica  is my hero!

Happy International Women's Day, Veronica!

With Philip G. Bartilet, the indefatigable co eco-warrior during the 2008 Saringaya Awards.

post script quote:

"Every society needs heroes. And every society has them. The reason we don't often see them is because we don't bother to look.

"There are two kinds of heroes. Heroes who shine in the face of great adversity, who perform an amazing feat in a difficult situation. And heroes who live among us, who do their work unceremoniously, unnoticed by many of us, but who make a difference in the lives of others.

Heroes are selfless people who perform extraordinary acts. The mark of heroes is not necessarily the result of their action, but what they are willing to do for others and for their chosen cause. Even if they fail, their determination lives on for others to follow. The glory lies not in the achievement, but in the sacrifice."

― Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Photographs borrowed from PRESERVE and AGAP-Bulusan, Inc sites.

text by Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Philip G. Bartilet: Bulusan's Modern Eco Warrior

"There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were  in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous."

-Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Philip today as he appears in his FB profile. 

During the early PRESERVE years with a fellow forest steward.

On location at Aguingay Lake serving as guide to trekkers.

Briefing student visitors at the park (BVNP, 2012).

Philip with the young Mayor, Myk Guysayko in the 2012 Mount Bulusan trek souvenir shot in Lake Aguingay. Shows that linkages and collaborative work are important in the success of any environmental project.

More than 10,000 photographs (in related web sites) documenting the activities of Philip G. Bartilet, AGAP and the LGU of Bulusan are enough to make me gaze in awe of this remarkable transformation of Bulusan town's ecotourism journey from a mere emerging tourist destination to Sorsogon's second top tourist generator. Bulusan now is experiencing a spike in tourist arrivals both local and foreign. Enough to silence the skeptics.

As if these were not enough, Philip is very much into his PRESERVE, the letters of which explain in capsule  its very mission of preserving the natural attributes of the ecologically blessed municipality specifically its remaining primary forest, the last rainforest in the province located in Mount Bulusan. Not to mention that AGAP, Philip's group is an awardee for  exemplary works in the field of environment conservation in Bulusan (2008). Environmental activities such as establishing of nurseries for native trees notably pili,  planting these tree seedlings and monitoring the status of the planted trees in various areas of Mt Bulusan, educating upland communities and residents of forest about the relationship and importance of forest to people were just few of his group's documented multifarious environmental tasks for the last several years.The trees planted probably number in the hundreds of thousands already. Got to asked him the stats next time.

Philip representing AGAP-Bulusan , 2008 award for commendable environmental works.

Definitely not a flash in the pan personality. All of these achievements were done (and still continuing) homegrown with Bulusanons. Philip is a permanent resident of Bulusan town, a father of five adorable kids and loving husband to Angel. In fact, Philip is my neighbor who lives just a block away from my own residence in  Poblacion Central. One and half years ago, being a newly returned Bulusan native, I was a regular customer at their internet shop whenever I work on my intermittent writing job.

Philip is locally based. He is not operating in an urban location doing the activities of his NGO from a plush office. Philip is a hands-on environmental advocate who lives his passion daily. His choice was to live in this town where other professionals have gone overseas for greener pastures. He remained. He treks Mount Bulusan almost daily and most probably he is most familiar with the features of the flora and fauna of  Mt. Bulusan more than anybody else. I once asked him about the local name of a cloud rat, a wildlife resident of Mt Bulusan that looks like a cuddly toy rather than a rat and he answered me with 'bugkon' with the right accent of o and e. Sounding like a schwa sound to me. I am sure I can ask him for more about the numerous fern varieties that thrive in the volcanic environs of Mt Bulusan. But I have to wait for I can see that he is very much occupied for the last several months from eco trail run to organizing the climbs in Mt Bulusan.

Organized Mount Bulusan climb of 2012 patronized even by locals. Photo of  badge shows Barangay Central's representative.

The thousands of photos only show the lighter side of Philip's job. The sweat and hardships in stewarding thousands of hectares of rainforest with patches of geographically unique ecosystem of BVNP were mostly not captured in photographs. The never ending tasks of an overseer doing also the backbreaking job of a forest ranger while doing the organizing and the administering of a locally based NGO are far from the seemingly exciting and glamorous job that the thousands of photos may show. The weather can be harsh sometimes, and he sure needs a lot of stamina for this kind of work. One of his photos however showed me a glimpse of the true nature of his work with the caption: "the road less traveled."

With GMA 7's Drew Arellano, celebrity visitor at the park (2012 BVNP).

With Pinoy mountaineer's celebrity mountain climber, Rica Peralejo (June 2012 Mt Bulusan trek).

Philip is not the hillbilly type. Far from that. The gorgeous photo will attest (which in person he really is). The extra savvy  is needed of course in this age of social media where projection is a plus. Visitors to the park (BVNP) where he is the resident Park Manager include celebrities (GMA 7s  Drew Arellano, Rica Peralejo were visitors last year) and several TV networks covering the recently upgraded Bulusan Lake features.

But the real battle that will put Philip in the arena is The Big Geothermal Question which we from Bulusan consider an utter abomination, if and when it will be pushed atop our mountain where we depend all our water needs from drinking to growing our crops.

My confidence will not waver though. I believe that  for as long as there are persons like Philip living in the midst of Bulusan, I can sleep soundly in my bohemian styled room with these thoughts: That the pure mountain spring drinking waters from our tap, filtered by the rainforest of Mount Bulusan will remain flowing, untainted in perpetuity. That I can bath with the freshest Mount Bulusan crystal waters. I can frolic in the gushing waters of Bayugin falls. I can float in the soda waters of Masacrot. I can coax the healing powers of Mapaso. I can endlessly visit the enchanted spring of Bugas. I can dance in the fairyland of Bulusan ferngullies and so much more.

Steward of the Lake and its surroundings. (Bulusan Lake, undated photo).

At Bayugin Falls, one of the many natural water wonders of  Mount Bulusan.

Philip G. Bartilet embodies the face of Bulusan's fight for Saving Mount Bulusan. Modern. Organized. Consistent.Vigilant. Intelligent. Surely, any business company will have difficulty in mounting their Geothermal dreams in Bulusan.

I, for one is following Philip--our very own eco warrior. One of Bulusan town's coolest dudes in My List.

Philip in one of his endless treks to the mountain of  Bulusan. The  road of an eco warrior is a road less traveled.

Photographs borrowed from AGAP and Philip G. Bartilet
text by Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon Philippines.

Abbreviations
BVNP-Bulusan Volcano Natural Park
AGAP-Bulusan,  Aggrupation of Advocates for Environmental Protection
LGU-Bulusan, Local Government Unit
P – Participative community based organizing, linkaging, and mainstreaming;

R – Restoration, protection, and maintenance of identified and targeted conservation sites;

E – Eco-friendly ventures and livelihood promotion;

S – Support for additional provisions for poverty alleviation mechanisms;

E – Education and Information Campaigns; and

R – Research and databanking of relevant ecological and socio-economic data; to

V – Vitalize our

E –Ecosystems of Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP) 

Pili Diversity in One frame

Few meters away from the border of Bulusan Volcano Natural Park are diverse pili trees (three kinds of pili in this photo alone) noticeably all volunteer growths i.e. planted by wild animals. The photo above looks ordinary in these areas. Canopies of  Canarium ovatum (pili) could be sighted inside and around the BVNP borders corroborating the fact of what was  recorded in the definitive Pili monograph by Roberto E. Coronel, the eminent fruit scientist that Mount Bulusan is probably the center of genetic diversity of Pili.

Prolific Pili tree at the background is the elite kind of pili found in Mount Bulusan.

Zoom in the framed photograph and you will see that the background pili tree (compared with the foreground pili tree) is filled with fruits still green and thus blends with the leaves unnoticed. This kind of prolific pili tree fruiter is the elite variety of pili prized by horticulturists.

I seized the opportunity to ask from the farm owner for a handful of ripe pili nuts (fruits are colored black when ripe) for my potted nursery.

Photo: Taken at the BVNP border by  Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Vignettes of Bulusan Rainforest

Leaves line each giant frond.

Tendril like young shoots of giant ferns in Bulusan  rainforest.

A furry bow to everyone who passes by.

 Giant fern leaves form patterns against the sky.

Feather like leaves of giant ferns in Bulusan Volcano Natural Park

Like seducing fingers the young tendrils of giant ferns swirl there and curl here on top of  feather like crown of leaves in different grades of fineness. It provide a soft contrast to the endless entangling of vines in trees and bushes that spread like an amazon wilderness in the vast greenery of Bulusan rainforest. Its edges frame the park's pathway like emerald vignettes.



Photographs by Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP), Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Acoustic Ecology: The Sound of the Forest

There is a space and time in the zone of the twilight when the last rays of the sun are slowly engulfed by the crawling darkness in the forest when the sound is most intense. It is as if you can feel the collective 'raging against the dying of the light'. It is the sound of the collective sounds of insects from cicada to crickets, bats and some birds species and maybe some nocturnal creatures welcoming the dark. This magical hour is familiar in the rainforest of Mount Bulusan. It is referred to as the 'dusk chorus' in acoustic ecology.

Acoustic ecology is a branch of study for this seemingly unknown aspect of the forest. It is an  area that deals with sound as it relates to the lives of the wildlife living on it:

One specific study is this: insects.oeb.harvard.edu/farrell_lab/undegrads/bseah/lit_review.pdf

It underscores the function of sound as stated at the start of the introduction:

Animals communicate by producing and receiving signals of various kinds, one of them
being sound. A wide variety of animals produce sounds – birds, mammals, amphibians,
arthropods, and even fish. These calls serve various functions, which are mostly
intraspecific: (1) advertisement calls – for males to attract females over long distances,
aids in localization, also involved sometimes in male-male aggression and competition,
(2) aggressive signals – specifically for aggression between competing advertisers, (3)
release calls – especially among anurans, produced by unresponsive individuals when
they are clasped by a male for mating, (4) courtship calls – sometimes also produced by

females, act over a shorter range, produced just prior to mating, (5) distress calls – also
called handling calls, when grasped by predators. (cf. Gerhardt and Huber p.12)


Animals produce acoustic signals for various purposes. Their calls are presumably subject to natural selection. Acoustic ecology is the study of the selective pressures that act upon the calls that animals make.

Thus, to my mind, to alter the acoustic ecology of a pristine area like Mount Bulusan rainforest with the planned introduction of industrial activities of a Geothermal power plant (with noise levels from their industrial operations reaching higher than the decibel range of urban noises) is tantamount to environmental invasion worse than introducing an invasive species of flora and fauna. Its impact to the wildlife residents of the forest is disastrous considering that almost all of these creatures are dependent on sounds for their survival from mating calls to the caring of their youngs.

Note:
For actual sounds of a South East Asian forest in the above mentioned study, this link:  insects.oeb.harvard.edu/farrell_lab/endergrads/bseah_aepf_sounds.html provides a sound gallery (in mp3 format) ranging from sounds of insects such as cicadas and mammals such as bats. The time of the sound recordings differs to get a feel of the actual sound settings. The dawn and dusk chorus for example when the intensity of the sound  of the forest is most pronounced is noted by the study.


Photographs by Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP), Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Bulusan Lake unknown fact

Bulusan Lake though the toast of the recent eco-tourism promotions of the province, second only to Donsol is virtually unstudied according to a Rapid Assessment Report conducted by an NGO. The flora and fauna around it are also understudied the report added. The endemism of the place is high though at more than 40% as cited in the report.

The report by Errol Gatumbato in his personal blog reads:

Together with four other hired specialists of the Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies, we conducted a rapid site assessment to this protected area commissioned by the Foundation for the Philippine Environment. The assessment involved the physical, biological, social, cultural, economics, and governance conditions of the BVNP.

The remaining forest of the BVNP is hosting to numerous species of flora and fauna while the freshwater ecosystem is hardly studied*

Our study showed that the forest in this protected area is an important habitat of numerous endemic species of plants, such as the Forestia philippinensis, Pinanga insignis, Areca camarinensis, Mussaenda phillipica and two newly discovered species, Schefflina bulusanicum and Pronephrium bulusanicum.  Rare and threatened species can also be found in BVNP, such as the Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys), the ground orchid (Phojus tankervillea), and Tindalo (Afzelia rhomboidea).  The mountain agoho (Casuarina rumphiana), which is known to have a very limited distribution in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, inhabits this protected area.
Similarly, the fauna features of the BVNP are showing high species endemism, estimated at 43% of all the species surveyed during the RSA.  Four of these species are known as high conservation priorities because they are already classified as threatened species, like the Golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatos), the Southern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingii), the Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis) and the Luzon Tarictic hornbill (Penelopides manillae).

Errol's complete story:

Bulusan Park, the “little Switzerland” of Bicol « Errol Abada Gatumbato

errolgatumbato.wordpress.com/.../bulusan-park-the-little-switz.