Feast of the forest A SPIRITED SOUL (The Philippine Star)

I was trekking up the watershed of Brgy. Irawan surrounded by the influence of the lunar eclipse. The eclipse was giving out energies, which brought out the subconscious and the collective unconscious yearnings of the time. It rained the night before and it made the red forest soil muddy while the slight drizzle continued to hound us into the dawn. Around me, the citizens of Puerto Princesa were happily taking to heart the annual massive tree planting event. I was in the midst of the Pista Y Ang Kagueban, an annual event held during the last Saturday of June where more than 50,000 people participate in.

Free rides were given to those who needed a ride up the watershed. Private companies willingly closed shop for the morning to allow employees to participate in the annual event that was spearheaded by a man with vision.

The story of Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn is common knowledge. Bad boy enters politics in 2002 for the first time in a place he didn’t even grow up in. Bad boy turns around to transform first himself to follow an inner vision as he looked at a corrupted, polluted, dirty, poverty ridden backwater of a place. What his story, alongside that of Puerto Princesa’s, the capital of the island of Palawan, has shown is the rise of the successful, progressive, visionary local leader with the passion and dedication towards the protection of the environment alongside countryside development.

I saw the well-loved Mayor somewhere along the crowd as I was trekking up. Previously, an environmental lawyer friend was narrating how hands-on the Mayor is as he went along with him and, with the Bishop, went off to “destroy” some fish farms illegally set up amongst the mangroves. Now with this tree planting event on its 20th year, Hagedorn was leading everyone to plant trees in an area of six hectares for the last time in this specific watershed. Next year, they would begin again in another area. Two million hardwood and indigenous trees have been planted and forest rangers continue to be vigilant in making sure the trees continue to grow.

As is common in LGU events, entertainment was part and parcel of this day: Batac and Tagbanwa katutubo dances, pop music, local talents, young TV celebrities singing for all their young talents could muster, Miss Philippines-Earth beauties strutting around in shorts, speeches of politicians. But what set this whole local LGU event apart was the direction that the LGU was making a stand for. A continued stand to an urgent issue of our times: the environment. People around were saying this year was different as many things came together: the annual tree planting festival, the oath-taking of the city government officials in the forest which was quite symbolic for an LGU committed to the continued support of the environment. Also present were Supreme Court justices who were not only there to administer the oath of office for the city officials, but were also part of the first multi-sectoral meeting and training for the Writ of the Environment. This Writ covers the rules of procedure for environmental cases. Thirdly, the event was a celebration also for World Environment Month; and finally Vice President Jejomar Binay graced the event as Makati City (of which Binay was mayor of) is the sister city and best practices are shared between the two.

The tree planting idea was actually started in the ‘80s by then Mayor Fedilberto Oliveros but Hagedorn raised it to a level of a festival, an advocacy around, which all the local citizenry could rally for and participate in. This Pista Y Ang Kagueban is only one of the many programs he has launched and championed that has made Puerto Princesa’s success gain international recognition as an eco-tourism destination place, while making the locals embody provincial and cultural pride. Of course it helps that Puerto Princesa is home to a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the St. Paul’s Subterranean River and National Park. This is the official nominee of the Philippines and a finalist to the search for the new Seven Wonders of Nature.

By Jeannie E. Javelosa