Stories

Tanza, a little town in Cavite, now faces a drastic depletion of fish stocks. Fish catch has declined continuously and is likely to fall further. The culprit is the climate breakdown, affecting the town’s fisheries industry. Most of all, the crisis targets the income and livelihood of both small fisherfolks and fish sellers. For Arceli…

The risks imposed on garbage collectors are seemingly increasing, yet another problem emerged on solid waste management due to the pandemic: improper disposal of biomedical wastes.  Environmental frontliners continue to battle with their lives as signages were posted in streets saying: “Ilagay sa tamang tapunan ang ginamit mong facemask,” following the growing problem on how…

If there is one good thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the positive impact the limited movement of people for at least a year has given the environment: A chance to breathe, to recharge, and to heal. In the Apo Reef Natural Park in Occidental Mindoro, for example, the number of…

At the age of 21, Kalibasib, the last captive-bred Philippine tamaraw, died in the afternoon of October 10, 2020. Kali, as he was nicknamed, was under the care of Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) at the Tamaraw Gene Pool Farm located at Manoot, Rizal in the province of Occidental Mindoro.  The tamaraw, or Bubalus mindorensis, is…

Deedee often goes to the community market in Barangay San Cristobal to buy produce for the week. On her way home, her mouth waters upon smelling the appetizing cooked food wafting beyond her subdivision’s gates. However, her appetite is ruined by the stench of the creek nearby. Not only was her appetite ruined,  but her…

Locally called Lampasut by Tagbanuas; Lumba-lumba by Tagalogs and Visayans, this unusual-looking dolphin got its name from the Ayeyarwady River (also called Irrawaddy River) in Myanmar. First identified by Sir Richard Owen in 1866, Irrawaddy dolphins usually travel in pods of six or fewer, but can group together up to 25 individuals when they fish…

Due to increasing temperature, typhoons have frequented Luzon in the recent years and have affected areas near Laguna De Bay. This has caused an increase in the water level. The effects of climate change go beyond heavy rainfall. It can also damage ecosystems that service livelihood and human-wellbeing. Typhoons have been frequenting Luzon in recent…

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, Philippines – Back in March 2018, Renal Advincula and his family faced a huge tragedy due to El Niño at their farm in Barangay Claudio Salgado, Sitio Pandan, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. El Niño is a climate pattern caused by the interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere. The rise of oceanic temperature commonly…

The Subic Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) was classified as a Global Key Biodiversity Area (Global KBA) in the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas developed by the Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership last 2020. As a Global KBA, it is considered as one of the most ecologically important places…

According to Climate Central, an organization of leading scientists and journalists, rising sea levels could displace 300 million by 2050. Filipinos living in the lowlands and coastal areas including Zambales are included in this number. Before this can ever happen, community leaders are taking two steps ahead to promote ways of living that can sustain…