PRESIDENT AQUINO’S call to promote a greener Philippines through the rehabilitation of its dwindling forest cover has not been lost to the Lumads of Sarangani province.
Datu Edmund D. Pangilan, Sarangani provincial tribal chieftain, sent a letter to the Bentley House International Corp (BHIC) requesting for a project in his area covering 74,000 hectares of ancestral lands of the B’laan and Tagakaulo tribes where he intends to employ thousands of his poor fellow-tribe-speople.
The BHIC is partnering with Belgium-based WeForest.org, Thailand-based Terra Genesis and New York-based Jimi Hendrix Foundation to raise an initial P150 million to bring back the pristine forests of Sarangani by means of permaculture.
Permaculture, the rehabilitation approach that will be employed in the project, is aimed at encouraging the return of birds, animals and insects by providing ecosystem services which set the stage for the natural regeneration of truly diverse and healthy forests.
One of the objectives of this project is to work with Sarangani’s B’laan and Tagakaulo tribes to help them replant their native lands, said Jonathon Bentley Stevens, founder and president of Bentley House International Corp. (BHIC).
Part of their project in Sarangani would be to reintroduce dozens of species of native bamboo, rattan and some varieties of fruit-bearing trees. Vegetables and rubber will also be cultivated in order to generate income for the native groups in the next six years.
The project involves planting five million endemic/indigenous trees within three thousand hectares identified in Malungon that will benefit at least 10,000 local residents in several villages of the municipality.
Malungon was once one of the richest forests in the world, but today illegal deforestation has paved the way for its natural resources to become very vulnerable to degradation.
Stevens said the trees will generate an ongoing substantial income for the B’laan and Tagakaulo tribes as well as other non-tribal people thriving in the Sarangani area. He added that the project is set to begin next week to fasttrack the government’s drive to cover 1.5 million hectares with newly planted seedlings.
“This is part of President Aquino’s call for a greener country,” Stevens said.
BHIC has been present in Mindanao since 1996 and has been engaged in reforestation and agri-ventures under four Presidents since the Ramos administration. It has completed thousands of hectares of reforestation – planting millions of trees using private funds.
“This is not another empty pledge. We have already received funds from WeForest and the Jimi Hendrix Foundation,” said Stevens, who was baptized Datu Matatao ug Mabuligon (Chief who brings knowledge and assistance) to the Manobo Tribe. [Lorie Ann A. Cascaro]
“Creating and supporting opportunities for local people to recreate a balanced environment that support them in a myriad of ways is the objective of WeForest globally so it is an honor to become part of this wonderful project in Sarangani,” said Christian Shearer, president of Tarra Genesis International.
Stevens said they will also set up a website where weekly updates and look down features will enable the public to use the zoom-in feature on the website to see the project area, and also view the photo gallery of the project as it unfolds and read the monthly accomplishment reports of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the project.
