‘Pista ng Kalikasan’ programs to establish mangrove forests in Palawan

A province- wide mangrove tree planting activity is held annually in different municipalities of Palawan to celebrate Pista ng Kalikasan with the main goal to establish mangrove forests and help alleviate global warming.

Pista ng Kalikasan

The Pista ng Kalikasan is celebrated since 1994 through the Provincial Ordinance No. 1296-13, also called as the “Environmental Code of Palawan”.

During its 25^th anniversary last 2019, the Provincial Government of Palawan through the Provincial Government and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) led by Atty. Noel Aquino together with the Local Government Units (LGU), Non- Government Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) held Pista ng Kalikasan at Barangay Aboabo, Sofronio Espanola, Palawan. 

PGENRO head Atty. Noel Aquino said that the program is done every year at different municipalities of Palawan to help care for the environment and, particularly in mangrove forests of the province.  Five hundred participants including students from different schools, barangay officials, municipal officials and other stakeholders of the program participated in the mangrove forest rehabilitation by planting 1,500 mangrove propagules in a about two-hectare shoreline of Barangay Aboabo. 

Mangrove impact in the community

According to a resident living for almost 31 years in the barangay, the shoreline used to have a healthy mangrove forest but people cut it down for many reasons, “pinaputol ng may-ari ng lupa, kasi gagawan ng fishpond, tapos ang iba naman ginagawang panggatong at pang-gawa ng bahay”, (land title owners decided to cut it down to build fishponds, others use it for firewood and build houses) the resident said. 

She said that it was easier for people to cut the mangroves down because they lack knowledge about its importance to the marine life and the environment, “hindi kasi nila alam ang ibang benipisyo ng bakhaw sa dagat, ang alam lang nila ay ay pwede mapakinabangan ang kahoy nito,” (Because they don’t know the other benefits of mangroves in the sea, all they know is that its wood can be used) she added. 

“Mangroves help in risk reduction programs”, Atty. Aquino said, “if we have a healthy mangrove forest, coastal areas and shorelines are safe from the risk of soil erosion.” He also stated that it could help the livelihood of the residents since it will be a habitat to different marine life such as crabs, shrimp, fish and seashells. 

It’s almost two years since the last celebration of Pista ng Kalikasan in the province. Myrna U. Marquez, Barangay Captain of Aboabo said that it was the barangay’s privilege to host and program. She supports the goal of the project, to establish and rehabilitate mangrove forest to help alleviate the global warming, “para ‘rin naman po ‘yan sa ating kapaligiran at magbebenipisyo rin ang mga tao dito,” (this is also for our environment and people will also benefit from it) she said. 

Cpt. Marquez also checked the progress of the mangrove propagules planted in the shoreline. She said that only 500 of the mangrove propagules have survived and the remaining 2/3 of it died. “Madalas talagang mangyari ‘yan kahit saang mangrove planting activity ako magpunta, hindi talaga nabubuhay lahat” (It happens often even in other mangrove planting activity I attend to, not all of the propagules will live). 

She stated different reasons why mangrove propagules planted in the shoreline did not survive, “karamihan kasi ng mga dumalo ay mga mag-aaral, kaya minsan hindi maganda ang pagkakatanim, tapos yung ibang similya ng bakhaw ay hindi pa nasa tamang gulang kaya hindi nabubuhay. Nadadaanan din kasi ng mga tao ang tinaniman kaya naapakan ang mga ito. Ang isa pang dahilan ay kapag malakas ang hangin, nahahampas ng alon ang mga ito kaya natutumba at nabubunot ang mga itinanim na punlang bakhaw.” Most of the attendees are students, so sometimes it is not properly planted, then the other mangrove seeds are not yet of the right age so they do not survive. People also pass by on the area so they step on it. Another reason is that when the wind is strong, the waves hit the plants, so the planted mangrove seedlings are uprooted. 

This year, Pista ng Kalikasan will celebrate its 27^th anniversary. Atty. Aquino said that before 2021 ends, there will be another mangrove tree planting activity that will be held in Barangay Aboabo since the majority of the propagules planted in the year 2019 died. Atty. Aquino and Bgy. Cpt. Marquez agreed to pursue the activity in these pandemic times even if it would take two days, as long as minimum public health standards are strictly observed. 

The activity plans to have limited participants from the partner company of Pista ng Kalikasan, Citinickel Mining Corporation, which will also sponsor the mangrove propagules to be planted. 

To prevent the things that happened in 2019, Bgy. Cpt. Marquez plans to fence the mangrove plantation area, so that people passing by will not step into the propagules. She also said that participants must be responsible enough to properly plant the mangrove propagules. The LGU of Barangay Aboabo led by Bgy. Cpt. Myrna Marquez wants to maintain the mangrove forest in their shorelin,“kapag lumaki na ang mga mangroves, ime-maintain na ‘yon at pagbabawalan ang mga tao doon, para talagang hindi na ito maputol ng mga tao ulit,” (once the mangroves grow, they will be maintained and people will be restricted there, so that people will never cut them down again) Marquez said.

This article was written by Criza Mae Toledo from Palawan as a final requirement of AYEJ.org and the US Embassy’s “Green Beat Islas: An Online Environmental Journalism Training.“

Featured photo from PIO Palawan