Last August 19 – 21, 2023, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungod conducted ocular visits across multiple communities in Laguna, Bulacan, and Quezon provinces to explore the possibilities of working together with UPD NSTP units for the purpose of serving relevant partner communities through volunteer initiatives.
The third day took place on August 21, Monday, with the Mt. Banahaw Environmental Group in Mt. Banahaw, Dolores, Quezon.
Upon arrival at the residence of Mrs. Alice Lontok, the Pahinungod team, together with NSTP coordinators Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Aldwin Galapon, Ms. Joan Tolibas, and the members of the Mt. Banahaw Environmental Group (Igabay), initiated the consultation meeting.
Mrs. Lontok started by explaining the history and origins of the Mt. Banahaw Environmental Group (Igabay). She shared that they were formed around the 19th century, when her great grandfather first settled in Mt. Banahaw to find peace and refuge amidst growing social tensions of the time. As a community, they remain committed to preserving the mountain’s ecological landscape while still upholding their beliefs of inclusive spiritualism.
Junior Project Associate, Alessandra Uy, then proceeded to introduce the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. She discussed its vision and mission, as well as its projects and programs of the in detail, namely: (1) Gurong Pahinungod, (2) the Affirmative Action Program (AAP), (3) the Tutorial Service Program, (4) the Teacher Development Program (TDP), (5) Buhay Pahinungod, (6) the Psychosocial Support Program (PSP), (7) the Integrated Volunteer Program, (8) the Social Services and Wellness Program, and the (9) Internal Support Committee. All of which have been geared towards fulfilling the vision of the Pahinungod to propel the efforts of the university into serving disadvantaged communities through volunteerism.
Following this, the Igabay community members imparted that Mt. Banahaw is gradually opening up to the idea of spiritual ecotourism. This is to introduce an additional source of income for the community. While promoting the area as a tourist destination, the landscape will remain spiritually-inclusive, embracing all sorts of beliefs. The most important thing is that visitors will have respect for the mountain’s natural beauty, and its surroundings. With regards to this, tourism initiatives will need development in terms of niche marketing due to its unique profile as a destination.
They then shared their struggles as a community. Like many natural landscapes, pollution and trash, mostly brought in by tourists, threaten the state of Mt. Banahaw as an ecological haven. Illegal logging has also been a big problem.
Further, farmers in and around Mt. Banahaw struggle to make a decent living. Due to the fast-changing nature of emergent technologies, the farmers have been left behind with outdated farming methods and practices. Strong winds and typhoons also destroy crops. Monocropping, likewise, has also been a problem–though seasonally, can be profitable.
There have been many volunteer initiatives that have been conducted in the mountain. Clean-up drives and tree planting were the most common. Though well-intentioned, some of these activities do little to improve the environment in the long term. This can be seen with tree-planting activities; without proper planning and sustained maintenance, tree saplings do not survive into adulthood.
From these discussions, both the Pahinungod team and Mt. Banahaw identified possible key points for collaboration, and cooperation–with the long-term goal of sustained partnerships in mind. Several opportunities were discussed, such as niche marketing training, social media awareness and education, specialty tours, regular clean-up drives, properly planned tree-planting, as well as urban farming methods–such as hydroponics, and aquaponics. The meeting concluded with a group photo of all attendees.
In the afternoon, the Pahinungod team was taken around the nature trails of Mt. Banahaw to conduct ocular visits in order to have a better understanding of the mountain’s distinct ecological and spiritual features.
