Camiguin’s treasure, heritage
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Published in the Business Mirror, Novermber 30, 2015
THE Mount
Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument (MTHNM) in the province of
Camiguin in Northern Mindanao has recently joined the prestigious list
of Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs).
The 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean) unanimously approved the nomination of MTHNM
during its recent meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, said Environment Secretary
Ramon J.P. Paje, who broke the news ahead of the formal declaration and
awarding of certificate as an AHP.
The inclusion of MTHNM on the list of AHPs was made during
the 13th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment, which was
attended by environment ministers and their representatives, Paje said.
The recognition of the MTHNM has put the
entire island-province in the limelight, and the Philippines as host to
the most number of parks with “unique biodiversity and ecosystems,
wilderness and outstanding values.”
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| In Photo: Mount Hibok-Hibok, as seen from White Island: Image credit Wikipedia commons |
The MTHNM is the country’s eighth protected area (PA) that earned such recognition from Asean. According
to the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, which acts as secretariat of the
AHP, as of 2015, a total of 35 AHPs had been established so far. Brunei
Darussalam has one; Cambodia has two; Indonesia, three; Lao PDR, one;
Malaysia, three; Myanmar, seven; Singapore, two; Thailand, four; and
Vietnam, five.
The other AHPs from the Philippines are the Mount Apo Natural Park, Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Mount Malindang
Range Natural Park and Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary, all in
Mindanao; Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park in Occidental Mindoro; Mount
Makiling Forest Reserve in Laguna; and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
in Palawan.
Camigueño’s pride and honor
Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s (DENR) Biodiversity
Management Bureau said the prestigious title conferred on MTHNM is
well-deserved and should be considered as a source of Camigueños’ pride
and honor.
The island of Camiguin, about 1,316 kilometers from Manila, is covered with thick forest and is teeming with unique wildlife.
“The recognition highlights the effort of
the various stakeholders that kept the integrity of the island’s
ecosystems intact,” Lim added. As with other AHPs and other APs in the
Philippines, Lim said the need to maintain the prestigious title can
never be overemphasized. “It is really a big challenge both for the DENR, the local governments and the people of Camiguin,” she said.
The local government units (LGUs), she
said, should take the opportunity to showcase Camiguin’s treasures,
strengthen its environmental programs and promote ecotourism to boost
income both for the LGUs and benefit the people, while preserving the
integrity of the ecosystems within the MTHNM.
The government, through the DENR, she
said, is now even more committed to protecting Camiguin’s diverse
species of flora and fauna, and their natural habitats. Through the
declaration, the Asean member-states agreed to manage these AHPs to
maintain ecological processes and life-support systems; preserve genetic
diversity; ensure sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems;
and maintain wilderness that have scenic, cultural, educational,
research, recreational and tourism values.
Natural monument
The MTHNM is one of 240 PAs in the
country. It was proclaimed as a natural monument on March 9, 2004,
through Presidential Proclamation 570 signed by then-President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. A draft bill for the PA is set for submission to the
House of Representatives. Natural monuments are areas set aside for
protection. It can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern or
geological feature, such as a cave. In MTHNM’s case, it is volcano—two
volcanoes.
The name MTHNM was derived from the names of two
mountains: Mount Timpoong, which has an elevation of 1,525 meters above
sea level, and Mount Hibok-Hibok, an active volcano with an elevation of
1,200 meters above sea level.
The MTHNM covers a total of 3,739.14 hectares in four
municipalities in Camiguin, namely, Mambajao, Catarman, Mahinog and
Sagay, and the 25 barangays of the island.
The water supplying the people on the island comes from
watersheds protected by the healthy forest covers within the MTHNM. It
is, to many, a source of food, as well.
The MTHNM is run and managed by the Protected Areas
Management Board (PAMB), which is comprised of 43 active members from
LGUs from the provincial, municipal down to barangay and
non-governmental organizations, academe, religious sector, people’s
organizations and indigenous peoples.
Home to endemic wildlife
While there is little known about the
island’s biodiversity, a group of scientists commissioned to conduct a
research in the MTHNM in 2012 discovered a number of endemic species on
the island, particularly the Camiguin Hawk Owl (Ninox leventis).
Other endemic species that live on the island are the Camiguin Hanging Parrot (Loriculus camiguinsis), Yellowish Bulbul (Ixos everetti catarmanensis) and the Golden yellow White-eye (Zosterops nigrorum catarmanensis). The forest is also inhabited by unique species of rodents, such as the Camiguin Forest Mouse (Apomys camiguinensis) and the Camiguin Rat (Bullimos gamay).
Scientists also found a unique frog in the forest, called Camiguin narrow-mouthed frog (Oreophyne rana).
Like most forests, the MTHNM’s vast forest is also host to a number of
plants that have medicinal value. These include the Kalingag (Cinnamomum mercadoi) and the Duguan (Myristica philippinensis). Many areas within the MTHNM remain unexplored but, nevertheless, offer would-be explorers awesome new adventure in the wild.
Exciting development, bigger challenge
Yvonne Mey, a forest technician at the
DENR Camiguin, said the declaration of the MTHNM is an exciting new
development for the DENR and the people on Camiguin island. “This is a big challenge for us to further give protection to the MTHNM,” she said.
The local governments and the people in Camiguin are one
with the DENR in protecting the province’s most cherished treasure, the
environment, Mey said.
Mey, who also acts as a technical staff
of the PAMB of the MTHNM, said as early as October, the much-awaited
decision of the Asean in its bid to declare the MTHNM as a heritage park
is sending a strong message to enhance the protection and further
advance biodiversity conservation effort vis-à-vis the challenges
brought about by destructive human activities.
“There are still many problems that need to be solved,”
she said. These include hunting within the MTHNM and the indiscriminate
cutting of trees for fuel. The Camiguin Provincial Task Force on Illegal
Logging, nevertheless, is on its toes against the illegal activity.
Forest guards
However, Mey said, the DENR, the PAMB and LGUs, together
with the people of Camiguin, are exerting their efforts to keep the
integrity of the island’s vast forest intact.
She said the entire MTHNM is protected by
the people, supportive of the four forest rangers and 50 “Barangay
Bantay Lasang,” or barangay forest guard, volunteers who conduct regular
monitoring within the park, a tourist destination. Each of the 25
barangays on the island, she said, assigns two forest-guard volunteers
to make sure that no illegal activities take place that will destroy the
beauty of the MTHNM.
Low budget, big ecotourism potential
Even before it was declared an Asean
Heritage Park, Mey said the PAMB has continuously conducted information,
education and communication campaign, in partnership with various
institutions, to increase the awareness and consciousness of the people
of the importance of maintaining a healthy ecology within the park; it,
being a potential source of ecotourism jobs that can help boost the
province’s economic development. The island, she said, is frequented by
an average of 400 tourists every year, especially during summer.
Despite the low budget it receives annually, the MTHNM has a huge ecotourism potential. Bird
watchers, campers, mountain trekkers and nature trippers are among
those who frequent the MTHNM. Among the areas frequently visited are the
Timpoong Volcano, Hibok-Hibok Volcano and crater lake; the
bird-watching site in Sitio Itum, Barangay Baylao in the town of
Mambajao; Tres Marias Hills; Tuasan Falls, Binangawan Falls; and the
Hibok-Hibok Aron Crater Lake.
With the MTHNM’s new title as an AHP,
coupled with a good marketing strategy and promotion, there is an
expected increase in tourist arrivals. The park is still being developed
for sustainable ecotourism with the help of the LGUs to boost revenues
generated from ecotourism fees collected from visitors.
Last year a budget of P7.8 million has
been allocated for various development projects and capacity-building
activities by the government. The maintenance of the MTHNM is funded
partly by its share from the entrance fee collected from visitors. In
2014 its share in entrance fee was only P350,000. To
boost its ecotourism potential, the DENR, the PAMB and other
development partners continuously conduct tree-planting activities.
The PAMB took the lead in reforesting the
island’s most treasured park in March on the occasion of the MTHNM’s
11th anniversary as a natural monument. Portions of the MTHNM’s are also
sites of the government’s National Greening Program to enhance its
forest cover.
As part of infrastructure development
within the MTHNM, the construction of the visitor’s center, entrance to
and eco-trail leading to a botanical garden; a pavilion; restrooms; and
cottages for visitors are ongoing. It also has a butterfly garden.
The PAMB is conducting capability
training for tour guides, which includes search-and-rescue operations.
For livelihood, a training on product promotion for organized local
people to enhance their knowledge on the basics of food handling and
preparations, organic farming, cutflower production and caring, and
handling of butterflies was recently conducted. With the MTHNM having
been declared a heritage park, Camiguin should be on the travelers’ list
of places to visit in Mindanao.
