By Ben Contreras GETTING international recognition does not come easy especially when hundreds of entries are involved, and each vying for the top award. Thus, when the Hineleban Foundation Inc. was awarded the grand prize for Best Project in the Forestry Sector by the Agence Francaise de Development and the Agricultural Research Center, one needs to delve into its history, how it all began and what it has accomplished, and the goals set for the future. To begin with, let us take a look into its main objective. “We want to bring the forests of Mindanao back to life – rehabilitate the watersheds, revive the rivers and renew the cycle of life that feeds the healthy co-existence among people, animals, plants and Nature’s elements. In short, we want to undertake a massive ‘rainforestation’ of Mindanao. Rainforestation means replanting the rainforests in order to rehabilitate the watersheds and revive the surrounding ecosystem.” Mindanao used to be covered with virgin forests, thriving with wildlife, clean rivers and creeks, and swarmed with aquatic life. It is also known as the food basket of the country for its fertile soil, providing 40 percent of the total food requirement of the nation. But man’s abuse and greed changed all that. The last four decades or more saw our primary forests wiped out with only 1.5 percent or less rainforests remaining. Thus, what used to be a typhoon-free island being hit by typhoon has become the “new normal.” It all started some two decades ago in the heart of Mindanao which is the Bukidnon. With her six major headwaters, they feed the fertile valleys in the downstream provinces. It is also where six of Mindanao’s major rainforest watersheds are located––the mountains of Kitanglad, Kalatungan, Pantaron, Matigsalog and two others in Bumbaran and Wao, Lanao de Sur. The significance of Hineleban’s endeavor can be gleaned from the Sendong 2011 heavy downpour that saw the unexpected volume of run-off water funneling down to our Cagayan River. So massive was the water that caused unprecedented flooding which claimed thousands of lives and damaged properties and infrastructures. The tragedy was repeated in Davao Oriental in 2013 with Typhoon Pablo. Hineleban is a joint effort of multi-sectoral entities and institutions––the DENR, the LGUS (from the provincial levels down to the barangays, the People’s Organizations (POs) and the IPs (indigenous peoples). This brings our people, Christians, the indigenous people and Muslims alike to work hand in hand. The beauty of this project is that it provides livelihood for the indigenous people by planting high value crops like coffee, bamboos and known local varieties of trees. They are paid for their effort. With the need to sustain this arrangement, the introduction of PES (Payment for Environmental Services) has become very timely. To know more about the project, you may get in touch with Norma V. Llemit, head of the special project management group of Hineleban Foundation Inc. through this number 09177048273. Restoring biodiversity is a success story in the place of John Perine where he turned a barren land into what it is today. In fact, Mr. Perine’s Unifrutti was the first to practice PES to set the ball rolling.

••

Jerome Felix, like us, also wants to see an orderly traffic in the city. Being a member of the CDO-CRCD volunteer group, he also has his frustrations. Lately, he’s been sending me copies of photos to prove that some RTA enforcers do not enforce the law fairly. While I would like to believe that these unfair practices do not reflect the attitude of the whole RTA organization, the leadership should have done something concrete to avoid a repeat of any of these. The negative image has been aggravated by public perception that the enforcers are now motivated by the sharing scheme. Chief Supt. Dominador Estrada, in their operations against traffic violators, opted to issue TOPs than citations to quell speculations that they are also motivated by the sharing scheme.