SBMA, DTI inaugurate bamboo nursery in Subic Freeport

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Zambales jointly inaugurated a tree and bamboo nursery at the El Kabayo here on June 24, 2025.

SBMA Ecology Center OIC Rossell L. Abuyo said that the Bamboo Nursery is in partnership with DTI Zambales and other private stakeholders to provide an area where bamboo saplings can be propagated and grown inside the Freeport.

She added that the opening of the El Kabayo Tree and Bamboo Nursery is just the first step, and will be followed by a “Bambusetum” in the same area.

“A bambusetum is a specialized garden or collection dedicated to the cultivation and study of various bamboo species. It serves as a gene bank for bamboo conservation, allowing for the observation of different growth habits and characteristics of these plants, which are often more distinct than their floral characteristics,” she explained.

She added that bambusetums are valuable for scientific, educational, and aesthetic purposes.

DTI Director Enrique Tacbad mentioned that, besides the environmental benefits of bamboo, these plants can also serve as a good source of livelihood for the community. He pointed out that various products, as well as bamboo propagules, can be made from bamboo.

He added that soon the area would become a place to process and manufacture bamboo fibers and other products that can be sold to the market.

“With regards to these anticipated needs, there is a need for a sustainable supply of raw materials; thus, a bambusetum or bambudal (in Spanish) can supply the said materials needed at any time,” he said.

The bambusetum is a collection of living bamboos, which may consist of native or exotic, raised and cultivated for educational, research, and development, or aesthetic purposes, or any combination thereof.

“Initially, for SBMA's bambusetum, we are preparing for at least 15-20 species of bamboo,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Banco Kalikasan Environmental Movement, Inc. donated 200 iron bamboo propagules to the El Kabayo Tree and Bamboo Nursery during the opening ceremony. Banco Kalikasan President Emar Alcantara and Project Coordinator Mary Grace Alcantara were present to deliver the propagules to the Subic Bay Freeport.

Iron bamboo, scientifically known as Guadua Angustifolia, is a type of bamboo known for its exceptional strength and is considered a premier material for construction and engineered bamboo production. It is native to South America and has been successfully introduced to the Philippines, where it is a priority species for propagation. (MPD-SBMA) 

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Subic Bay Freeport stakeholders, SBMA employees join Arbor Day 2022

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) employees join workers, residents, officials and executives from different locators inside the Freeport zone as they participate in the tree planting, forest clean-up and wildlings collection activity as part of the annual Arbor Day celebration held July 5.

Magtanum kitamo: Subic Bay’s Artbor Day, D-Day is this year’s Arbor Day celebration organized by the SBMA Ecology Center where Subic Bay Freeport locators, residents, SBMA departments and employees, particularly environmental officers, pollution control officers and managers enjoined. 

Dubbed as “Bi-ayang Chawon Year 2,” Arbor Day aims to highlight the values of trees and forests, and to educate and encourage the Freeport stakeholders to take care of these important natural resources.

“Bi-ayang Chawon means to continue doing the activities that would improve environmental awareness, re-introduce activities that would aid in the conservation and protection of the forests, and promote camaraderie among the stakeholders,” SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya Dela Llana explained.

The celebration commenced with Panimula, a virtual opening ceremony on June 20 and ended with Pagpapatuloy, its virtual closing on July 4.

Online lecture series, social media posts and exhibits, and a tree-planting activity highlighted the three-week event. First of which was Chawon: An online Lecture Series” from June 22 to 24.

Also #TREEnding featured (1) weekly social media posts about the SBF forest and/or trivia about trees; (2) a two-week photo exhibit at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall showcasing SBMA’s Arbor Day celebrations and reforestation efforts; (3) a three-day trade fair featuring concessionaires of organic, eco-friendly and/or educational products that will run from June 22 to 24; and (4) a photo contest where participants were asked to post a photo of them or their group participating in the activities during the Subic Bay’s Arbor Day, D-Day on June 30, 2022.

Finally, Magtanum kitamo: Subic Bay’s Arbor Day, D-Day on June 30, participants took part in a tree planting at the SBMA’s reforestation site, collected wildlings at Pamulaklakin Forest, and cleanup El Kabayo Forest.

Meanwhile, SBMA chairman and administrator Rolen C. Paulino disclosed that the said activities area part of the bigger plan to make Subic attractive to foreign and local investors who would want to make it happen in the Philippines and find it practical to invest in Subic. 

Arbor Day is observed every June 25. During the peak of the pandemic, Arbor Day was observed thru online activities. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA warns illegal settlers

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Thursday appealed to farmers and indigenous Ayta tribesmen to stop encroaching in government-administered land and clearing forests and building illegal settlements within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the intrusion and introduction of unauthorized settlements violate the law, as well as an agreement between the Subic agency and the Ayta tribe on the use and disposition of tribal ancestral lands within the Freeport.

“Mapapagod lang po kayo sa paglilinis ng mga lupain at pagtatayo ng mga dampa kung labag naman sa batas ang inyong ginagawa. Babaklasin lang po ng mga may awtoridad ang inyong ginawa (Your efforts in clearing land and building shacks will simply be wasted if you’re activities are illegal. The authorities will simply dismantle what you build),” Eisma said.

“Matagal na pong may kasunduan tungkol sa mga lupaing katutubo dito sa Subic Freeport, at sana po ay sundin natin ito upang maiwasan ang kaguluhan (There has long been an agreement on the ancestral domain here in the Subic Freeport, and we hope you would honor it to avoid any problem),” she added.

Eisma also said the SBMA may be constrained to file legal cases against illegal settlers in order to protect government interest over the properties. 

The SBMA chief issued the warning following the discovery of two new illegal settlements at the Tipo area of the Subic Bay Freeport near the Mt. Sta. Rita Naval Link Station and the Subic Bay Expressway (SFEX). Tipo, which is the location of the eight-kilometer SFEX and some industrial park projects, is a village within Hermosa, Bataan, and adjoins Dinalupihan town and Brgy. New Cabalan in Olongapo City.

A report from the SBMA Ecology Center said that in late February, inspectors discovered an undeveloped settlement near the SFEX tunnel, which consisted of some huts built in a newly-cleared 500-square meter area. The new clearing is located along the proposed rail alignment of the Subic-Clark Railway Project, said SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya Dela Llana.

Dela Llana said that after a meeting with the Kalayaan Ayta community revealed that the unauthorized clearing was made by a group of tribesmen from the Iram Resettlement area in Olongapo City, her office referred the matter on March 31 to Nestorio Pablo, the indigenous people’s representative to the Olongapo City council.

The notice sent to Pablo said that the SBMA will demolish the huts and confiscate the felled bamboos, wood, and other building materials found in the area.

Eisma said the demolition was carried out last Tuesday, April 13, by SBMA workers backed by officers from the SBMA Legal Department and the SBMA Law Enforcement Department.

She said the SBMA also served a “notice to vacate” to farmers who have started a new settlement at Lot 2 near Mt. Sta. Rita. The notice was received on Monday by Wilson Villas, vice chairman of the group Filipino Farmers Center Internazionale (FFCI).

Eisma said that while the Lot 2 settlement was still uninhabited, some semi-concrete structures put up by the illegal settlers there point to an intent for permanent occupancy.

The SBMA chief pointed out that the SBMA has already filed in court a case against illegal settlers consisting of about 30 families affiliated with FFCI who have occupied Lot 12, an area at the boundary of the Subic Freeport and the Roosevelt National Park in Dinalupihan.

She said the SBMA gave the FFCI five days to remove their belongings at Lot 2 and leave the area. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA workers start dismantling a hut built in an illegally-cleared area near the Subic Bay Expressway

[2] Some of the structures built by illegal settlers at Lot 2 near Mt. Sta. Rita in the Subic Bay Freeport

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Subic volunteers plant 5,000 trees on Arbor Day

About a thousand volunteers from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), business locators and stakeholder groups in this free port planted some 5,000 trees on Friday during the Arbor Day celebration here.

SBMA administrator Wilma Eisma said the volunteers braved the long walk to the planting site in the foothills of Barangay Bangal in Dinalupihan, Bataan, which is still part of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

“My heart swells with pride to see people here very early in the morning—sweaty, hands soiled and shoes muddy while planting, and not complaining at all,” Eisma said. “It’s such a beautiful sight! No food and shirts for free, yet they’re still here.”

The tree-planting project was attended by representatives from Subic-registered companies like Jollibee, Ocean Adventure, Petron, Koryo, SubicWater, Jobin, IDESS, RP Energy, Crown Peak, Toyota, Koushin, Mega Subic, Aura College, as well as the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

The government sector was also represented in the activity by the PNP-Special Action Forces, Olongapo City Council, Barangay Gordon Heights, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO) Olongapo City, and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Community groups like the Philippine Association of Certified Public Accountants were also present.

According to Patrick Escusa, chief of the Social Development Division of the SBMA Ecology Center that spearheaded the activity, the volunteers planted around 5,000 seedlings in a graded 2.2-hectare land in the middle of a forested area in Bangal.

The seedlings, mostly narra and some fruit-bearing species, were from DENR-CENRO, the SBMA nursery, and some stakeholders.

This was the third tree-planting activity held as part of the Arbor Day celebration here, which is part of the agency’s environmental preservation and conservation advocacy program under Republic Act 10716, the law that revived the observance of Arbor Day in 2012 and authorized government units to observe the annual event with tree-planting activities.

Arbor Day is observed every June 25, but the SBMA held it two days earlier to enjoin more employees and other stakeholders to join the activity.

“I’m very happy that this is happening today—that we are helping in taking care of the environment,” Eisma also said on Friday, as the volunteers completed the project by mid-day.

“I hope this happens every day with similar gestures—by picking up the plastic that we throw, by making sure we conserve on water. Any little thing we could do to save the environment will help,” Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA Administrator and CEO Wilma T. Eisma prepares to plant a narra seedling during the Arbor Day tree-planting activity last Friday in the Subic Bay Freeport.

[2] SBMA Administrator and CEO Wilma T. Eisma and SBMA Director Tomas Lahom III lead employees in a tree-planting activity in the Subic Bay Freeport in observance of Arbor Day last Friday.

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SBMA continues private sector partnership for mangrove management

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has continued its partnership with the private sector in the restoration and management of mangrove forests in this free port, gaining more support this year for planting and clean-up projects, as well as public awareness campaigns.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the agency has again successfully tapped business locators in the Subic Freeport for sustaining its mangrove restoration program, which was launched by the SBMA Ecology Center early last year.

He said the companies that joined SBMA mangrove projects in the first half of 2016 were Asia International Auctioneers, Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Services, Chowking, Sankyo Denki Corp., and Anscor Swire.

The project participants since January also included the International School of Manila, international delegates to the Asia Forestry Week Convention, and SBMA employees.

“We’re evidently getting more support for this program,” Garcia said, pointing out that five business locators and two schools joined restoration projects last year.

“I believe that through our diligent information program, more and more stakeholders in the Freeport as well as other areas have come to appreciate the importance of mangroves not only in food production, but also in coastal protection and tourism,” the SBMA official added.

He said the project participants helped plant mangrove seedlings, clean mangrove areas and collect saplings, tag mangrove trees, construct seed plots and establish mangrove nurseries, donate nursery materials and equipment, and conduct lectures to local students.

According to Rhea Jane Mallari, senior forest management specialist at the SBMA Ecology Center, project participants have planted saplings at the Binictican, Malawaan and Maritan mangrove areas here.

Mallari said the SBMA mangrove reforestation program followed the natural zoning of species. Hence wildlings of the pototan, bungalon, and saging-saging species were planted at the Binictican site, bungalon wildlings at Malawaan, and nursery-propagated piagau and bakawang lalaki at Maritan.

Based on the Ecology Center’s monitoring, it was found out that nursery-raised seedlings had a higher survival rate compared to wildlings that were harvested from the planting sites.

The SBMA initiated the mangrove awareness and restoration campaign in early 2015 to increase public awareness on the importance of mangrove ecosystems; encourage stakeholder participation in mangrove management; protect and maintain the integrity of mangrove forests in the Subic Bay Freeport and ensure their sustainability; and attract research and ecologically-sound activities in the mangrove areas of Subic Bay. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and volunteers from business companies at the Subic Bay Freeport plant mangrove seedlings at the Triboa Mangrove Park during the Earth Day celebration in Subic Bay Freeport last April. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic volunteers plant 5,600 trees on Arbor Day

More than 1,300 volunteers planted about 5,600 seedlings of various fruit trees here in Subic Bay Freeport during the Arbor Day Celebration organized by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Friday, June 24.

Spearheaded by the SBMA Ecology Center, the tree-planting activity was conducted at the Pastolan Ayta village in this freeport.

The seedlings planted were mostly local species like cashew, calamansi, coconut, santol, pomelo, and kaong, which are endemic in the area and therefore beneficial even to local wildlife.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, who also joined the event, stressed that with the number of seedlings planted, about six orchards have been established that will soon provide additional sources of food and livelihood for the Ambala Ayta tribe living near the tree-planting sites.

Aside from SBMA employees, who made up the bulk of the volunteers, workers from locator-companies in the Subic Freeport, students, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, the local police, Boy Scouts, and some Olongapo officials joined the activity.

Most of the volunteers had earlier joined another SBMA activity during the Earth Day celebration last April that saw more than 500 representatives from various groups in the Subic community collecting talisay seedlings and mangrove saplings and planting them at the Apaliin Mangrove Trail at the former ​Naval ​Magazine area here.

Last Friday’s Arbor Day celebration started with a breakfast treat for participants at the SBMA administration building, followed by a hundred-vehicle motorcade to Pastolan village for the actual tree-planting.

Now celebrated worldwide, Arbor Day was founded in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo where the first arbor plantation festival in the world was documented in 1594. In 1805, another small Spanish village named Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.

Arbor Day in the Philippines was institutionalized in 1947 through Proclamation No. 30, which called for a nationwide observation of the event by planting trees and ornamental plants and other forms of relevant activities. In 2012, Republic Act 10176 was passed, which revived tree-planting activities “as yearly event for local government units.” (RAV-MPD/SBMA)

PHOTOS: (Clockwise from top left)

[1] SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (left) receives an Apitong seedling from Senior Forester Edward Sernadilla during the kick-off ceremony for the Arbor Day celebration in the Subic Bay Freeport on Friday, June 24. The Apitong is among the endangered dipterocarp tree varieties listed as vanishing forest tree species, which will be propagated by the SBMA Ecology Center.

[2] Volunteers plant seedlings of fruit-bearing trees at the Pastolan Ayta village.

[3] Volunteers enjoy a “boodle fight” after planting fruit-bearing tree species at the Pastolan Ayta village.

[4] SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (left) and other SBMA employees join Aeta tribal leaders Bonifacio Florentino and Conrado Frenilla in the Arbor Day tree-planting activity.

(AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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LOOK: SBMA fire and rescue team at Mount Apo

Members of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s (SBMA) Fire and Rescue Team help other volunteers in making fire breaks to prevent wildfire from further spreading at Mount Apo in Sitio Kapatagan, Digos, Davao del Sur.

The wildfire that started on Black Saturday has already ruined more than 400 hectares of habitat, mostly grasslands, at the Mount Apo National Park.

Members of the SBMA Fire & Rescue Team check their equipment on Saturday, April 2, before starting the trek towards the base camp to join other volunteers in putting out the raging forest fire at Mount Apo.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia ordered the team to proceed to the area, after the Office of the Civil Defense Region 12 sought assistance to augment volunteer fire brigades that are now in Mount Apo. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

(All photos c/o Ranny Magno, SBMA Fire Department Chief)

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SBMA sends fire and rescue team to Mount Apo

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is sending its fire and rescue team to assist in fighting a massive forest fire that hit Mt. Apo in North Cotabato.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia gave the go this morning for the agency's award-winning fire and rescue team to proceed to the area, after the Office of the Civil Defense Region 12 sought assistance to augment volunteer fire brigades that are now in Mt. Apo.

The SBMA fire and rescue team prepared their gears to assist volunteers currently fighting a massive wildfire 
in Mt. Apo.(photo courtesy of the SBMA Fire Department)

SBMA Fire Department Chief Ranny Magno will lead the eight-man team for a five-day mission to the disaster area.

Meanwhile, in a statement to media, the Information Office of Davao City said the wildfire that has been ruining the habitat at the Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP) escalated early morning on Thursday, March 31.

Chief Information Officer Leo Villareal said as of 4:19 a.m. on Thursday the wildfire has already escalated, forcing the volunteers and responders on the scene to abandon their positions for safety.

Villareal said that members of the Incident Management Team (IMT) who are still stationed in Kapatagan, Digos City, Davao del Sur are still assessing the latest situation.

He added that with the recent development, there is a possibility that the situation at MANP will be raised to a higher level.

Members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) are also coordinating with IMT to review their strategies and possibly adjust to the latest situation in the area.

Villareal described the current efforts to quell the continuing wildfires in Mt.Apo as “an uphill battle.”

The wildfire that started on Black Saturday last week has already ruined more than 400 hectares of habitat in MANP mostly on its grasslands.

read more: http://www.mb.com.ph/mt-apo-forest-fire-escalates-thursday/

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SBMA stops tree-cutting by Taiwan firm in free port (INQ report)

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has stopped a Taiwanese company operating inside this free port from cutting trees for failing to secure an environmental clearance.

Warehousing firm MSK Group Work Inc. was issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) by SBMA’s Ecology Center on March 11, following a hazard call inspection on a lot being leased by the company inside the Subic Bay Gateway Park.

Lawyer Ruel John Kabigting, Ecology Center officer in charge, has notified officials of the Taiwanese firm about its violations, which included cutting 50 trees and proceeding with construction without obtaining environmental permits.

Addressed to Kelly Uy, MSK general manager, the cease order also required the firm to replace the fallen trees with 1,752 saplings “due to the gravity of the violation.”

Kabigting has also called for a technical compliance conference to discuss the company’s violations.

“The [conference] will allow [MSK] to explain the circumstances of the violation and [to] present a proposal to remedy the deficiency and assure future compliance,” Kabigting told Uy in the letter.

Kabigting also warned the firm that SBMA would suspend or cancel the company’s permit to operate if it does not comply with conditions set by the agency.

SBMA Chair Roberto Garcia said MSK has been clearing its leased area to build a warehouse but has failed to obtain necessary permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“The CDO will remain effective until the company complies with all the requirements set in the order and pays all penalties or fines associated with the violations,” Garcia said.

The replanting program, he said, is part of the sanctions that the DENR imposes on firms responsible for the illegal cutting of trees.

Garcia also said that MSK would be liable for possible landslides due to a weakened slope in the area that had been attributed to the firm’s construction work.

“The company should also have slope protection project in that area,” he said.

He said MSK officials have already apologized about the company’s violations.

“I’ve met with some of the company’s officials and they told me that they were sorry about what they did. But I told them that they should cease operation for now,” he said. (Allan Macatuno, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

PHOTO:
WAREHOUSING firm MSK Group Work Inc. has been issued a cease-and-desist order by the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on March 11, following a hazard call inspection of a lot being leased by the company inside the Subic Bay Gateway Park. (Allan Macatuno / Inquirer Central Luzon)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/774449/sbma-stops-tree-cutting-by-taiwan-firm-in-free-port

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SBMA forest rangers stop hauling of logs in Aeta ancestral land in Bataan

Forest rangers of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), most of them Aeta natives, have stopped eight big dump trucks from hauling logs cut from their ancestral land in Hermosa town in Bataan province.

“There is no permit, that is why we did not allow them,” said Ricky Manalansan, 31, an Aeta forest ranger.

Manalansan said that five dump trucks loaded with cut trees were already impounded at the SBMA Law Enforcement Department while they are still guarding three other trucks loaded with eucalyptus, cupang and other tree species at the Pastulan village.

A big trunk of cut lawaan tree and left-over of other tree species were seen in clearings adjacent to the access road that reportedly used to be a bike trail to Pastulan village.

Pastulan, an Aeta village, is under Hermosa but became part of the former American naval base that is now the SBMA.

About 2/3 of the total area of SBMA belongs to Bataan, particularly Hermosa and Morong towns.(PNA via interaksyon.com)

Photo by interaksyon.com

read full story here - http://www.interaksyon.com/article/122413/sbma-forest-rangers-stop-hauling-of-logs-in-aeta-ancestral-land-in-bataan

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Philippine bird festival highlights Subic Bay's endangered parrot

The Green Racquet-tail (Prionitirus luconensis), an endangered parrot species making its last stand in Subic Bay, takes the spotlight in the 10th Philippine Bird Festival in Balanga City, Bataan.

With the theme “Ibon at Kalikasan, Kayamanan ng Bayan (Birds and Nature, Our Nation’s Treasure),” the Philippine Bird Festival aims to raise awareness and appreciation of Philippine birds. The vulnerable Green Racquet-tail is featured as the logo of this year's bird festival.

The last remaining population of Green Racquet-tails is found within the protected Subic Bay Forest Reserve.

This species is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any international trade in the Green Racquet-Tail should be carefully monitored.

Despite these measures, this bird remains vulnerable to extinction and further measures, such as the protection of other key populations and improved efforts to prevent illegal logging, have been recommended.

The 10th Phiippine Bird Festival is spearheaded by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), a non-government organization promoting recreational birdwatching and the responsible enjoyment of nature.

“The main purpose of the bird fair is to showcase what birds are for, their ecological effect and contribution,” said WBCP President Gina Mapua, who pointed out that birds are good indicators of how healthy the environment is.

Speaking at the recent launching of the event, Mapua said: “Without birds, there will be no forests – they are main planters of our forests. They are our ecological friends.”

“What we’re trying to push is the protection of birds because they protect us,” she added.

Every year, the festival, in partnership with local government units (LGUs), academic institutions and environment conservation groups, goes to various places in the country to highlight bird species unique in every island.  (SNL)

Click here more information on the Green-Racquet Tail

PHOTO:
A Green Racquet-Tail seen at the Nabasan area in Subic Bay. Named to be so because of its racquet-like tail extensions. This species has been uplisted to Endangered on the basis that its population is estimated to be very small, and thus less numerous than previously thought. (photo courtesy of manilaoldtimer.net)

Related story:
http://www.mb.com.ph/10th-philippine-bird-festival-draws-thousands/

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One of the smallest mammals thrive in Subic Bay

An Ayta jungle instructor displays a lesser bamboo bat (Tylonycteris pachypus), locally known as “Kabag” and said to be one of the smallest mammals on earth found in the Philippines, during a bird show at the Magaul Bird Park in the Subic Bay Freeport.

The bamboo bats, which may weigh from 3.5 to 5.8 grams, are endemic to Subic Bay with its large rainforest reserve, one of the biggest in the island of Luzon.

This species lives in the hollow of shoots of the giant bamboo Gigantochloa scortechinii; the entrance slit (created by the Chrysmelid beetle, Lasiochila goryi) to the bamboo tunnel is too restrictive for most predators, such as snakes. Flattened skull (to pass through entryway) and toe and wrist pads (to grip inner surface) are adaptations to their roosting site. Groups of up to 40. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA partners with private firms for mangrove reforestation

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has successfully harnessed the support of the private sector in implementing a project to restore mangrove forests here and increase public awareness on the importance of mangrove ecosystems.

According to SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, five business locators here and two schools from as far as Manila and La Union, have already participated in the agency’s mangrove restoration program since it was launched by the SBMA Ecology Center early this year.

The program has resulted in the planting of about 300 mangrove propagules, as well as a total of 130 nipa seedlings, with survival rates averaging at 70 percent in most planting areas in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Garcia said the program has gained much support from local stakeholders and visitors because the reforestation project is complemented by an Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign to help increase public appreciation of mangroves and their role in biodiversity.

“Once people learn that mangroves are not just putrid swampy areas, but in fact serve as home and breeding places for a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp and shells, they volunteer their help in planting and cleaning the mangrove areas here,” Garcia said.

“And because of the importance of mangroves not only in food production, but also in coastal protection and tourism, we hope to engage more and more companies and private groups in keeping the mangroves in Subic healthy and well,” the SBMA official added.

“Since February this year, the SBMA Ecology Center has undertaken several mangrove planting, cleanups, IEC tours, and species identification projects in partnership with companies and schools,” said Rhea Jane Mallari, a senior forest management specialist of the SBMA Ecology Center.

These include the International School of Manila, which planted “busain” and “piapi” species of mangrove; Subic Golf, which planted nipa seedlings for erosion control; Aikon Subic and Orica, which both undertook planting and IEC activities; Petron Corporation and Hitachi Mechatronics, both for planting and cleanup; and Don Mariano Marcos State University in La Union, which planted mangrove and helped in species identification and phenology.

The participants also donated tools and equipment, and some seed bags used in the planting activities.

Mallari said that most of the trees planted by the program participants had survived, although the Ecology Center and its partners “are still in the process of learning the best practices in mangrove restoration.”

“There is so much to be done, and in this regard we are seeking more partners and supporters to help us establish and operate a mangrove nursery,” Mallari said.

Lilia Alcazar, chief of the SBMA Ecology Center’s Protected Area Division, said the nursery project is important because nursery-raised mangrove seedlings have better-established root systems, and hence,higher survival rates.

The Center is also hoping for assistance in patrolling the mangrove areas here to discourage encroachment and indiscriminate harvesting of mangrove forest products.

Alcazar added that aside from raising public awareness on the importance of mangrove ecosystems, the Center’s Mangrove IEC and Restoration Program seeks to encourage stakeholders in joining the conduct of mangrove management strategies, the protection and maintenance of the integrity of mangrove forests, and the conduct of research and ecologically-sound activities in mangrove areas at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)


PHOTOS:
[1] Members of the SBMA Ecology Center’s mangrove restoration team harvest mangrove wildlings for transplanting at the Binictican-Malawaan mangrove forest in the Subic Bay Freeport.(AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] SBMA senior forest management specialist Rhea Jane Mallari (left) leads the Ecology Center mangrove restoration team in harvesting wildlings for transplanting at the Binictican-Malawaan mangrove forest in the Subic Bay Freeport. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Bay stakeholders plant trees to celebrate Arbor Day

Volunteer groups and workers in this free port joined the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in a tree-planting activity here in celebration of Arbor Day on Thursday.

More than a thousand SBMA employees, workers from Freeport companies, and volunteers from various civic organizations in Olongapo City planted around 1,500 saplings of different tree species at the reforestation site in Mount Santa Rita.

Forester Patrick Escusa, head of the SBMA Ecology Center’s Social Development Division, which coordinated the event, said the participants included delegates from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Olongapo City, the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary 111th Squadron in Hermosa, Bataan, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine National Police offices in Olongapo and Hermosa.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said the project is part of the agency’s environmental preservation and conservation advocacy program under Republic Act 10716, which revived the observance of Arbor Day in 2012 and authorized government units to observe the annual event with tree-planting activities.

The same law requires all able-bodied citizens, who are at least 12 years of age, to plant at least one tree every year.

“What we’re doing here is taking care of the environment; yet we are also ensuring the sustainability of our future with this activity,” Garcia said. “With the help of stakeholders in the Freeport, the SBMA is committed more than ever to continue with this project and pave a brighter, greener tomorrow for Subic.”

The Arbor Day celebration, which was the first to be held here in the Subic Freeport, kicked off with a simple program in front of the SBMA administration building, and then proceeded with an 80-vehicle convoy to the reforestation site in Mount Santa Rita.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Legal Affairs Randy Escolango, who is also commander of the PCGA 111th Squadron, said that the celebration was successful, considering the high turnout.

“The celebration was a big success. It only manifests that most us still care for the environment and are willing to give time and effort to preserve it,” Escolango said.

Meanwhile, dozens of employees and senior officials of Hitachi Terminals Mechatronics Philippines (HTMP), a Japanese company, which manufactures ATM parts and components, planted 150 mangrove wildlings at the mangrove sanctuary in the Freeport zone.

Catherine Dizon, HTMP assistant manager for administration, said that the activity is part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility program that also aims to promote awareness on environment preservation among the company’s workers.

“While it is harder to plant mangrove than tree saplings, this is a new experience for all of us and our Japanese bosses enjoyed doing this,” Dizon added.

The mangrove-planting activity was led by Hitoshi Ito, HTMP general manager for production; Hiroto Konoke, general manager for administration; Kenji Hattori, department manager for purchasing; and Tokunobu Asami, deputy department manager for engineering. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)


PHOTOS:
[1] SBMA employees and workers from locator-companies plant trees at Mount Santa Rita in celebration of Arbor Day in the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday, June 25. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] Employees of Hitachi Terminals Mechatronics Philippines conduct a mangrove reforestation project at the Malawaan mangrove sanctuary as part of the company's corporate social responsibility program. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA intensifies ‘climate change’ awareness campaign

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has intensified its grassroots information program to instill awareness of climate change and elicit positive response from communities around the Subic Bay Freeport.

The SBMA Ecology Center conducted a workshop-discussion at Sunset Cove Resort in Barangay Mabayo, a seaside village in Morong, Bataan.

The activity, which was attended by barangay officials, community elders, local police, and residents, was aimed at alleviating global warming from a micro-level point of view by spreading information top-down to make change more possible.

Previously, the SBMA team conducted similar seminars at the seaside community of Mabiga and the upland communities of Tipo, Bangal, and Pastolan in Hermosa, Bataan. These communities serve as buffer areas under the SBMA’s “social fencing” program.

The workshop-discussion tackled climate change adaptation, the importance of mangroves, forest fire prevention, and the SBMA’s social fencing program.

According to Environment Management Specialist Rhea Jane Pescador-Mallari, who explained how climate change affect small vulnerable communities, evident changes in global climate had been proven by tropical storms “Ondoy” and “Yolanda,” which devastated huge areas in the country.

“With global warming melting the polar ice caps, water levels rise and will affect coastal areas,” Mallari said, naming other foreseen problems.

She added that among the solutions suggested is monitoring the “carbon diet,” which is basically reducing the consumption of diverse products such as meat, electricity, and fuel for transportation, which all produce carbon gases that lead to global warming.

Mallari also explained the environmental benefits of planting mangrove trees, as these separate salt water from fresh water, serve as home for fish and shells, and act as natural wind breaks.

“Kung tayo ang dahilan ng problema, tayo din ang solusyon,” Mallari challenged the audience, citing how man has degraded his environment and caused his own problems.

Meanwhile, SBMA deputy fire chief Raul Zapanta gave the audience rudiment knowledge on forest fire prevention, starting off with the basic “fire triangle” of heat, fuel, and oxygen without which fire would not start.

Zapanta said that with Mabayo’s location near a forest, residents must be aware of ways to avoid forest fire. He also discussed how a “fire break” and “fire line” could help to prevent forest fire or stop its spread.

SBMA forester Patrick Escusa also discussed the agency’s social fencing program, a community-based forest management agreement that gives rights to those who are members of the program to stay in the land owned by SBMA.

Escusa explained that the program is for the mutual benefit of the SBMA and upland residents, as the occupants are tasked with guarding and caring for the trees and preventing the entry of illegal loggers and poachers.

The interactive workshop ended with an open forum during which community members were encouraged to speak their mind on the topics at hand and give suggestions.

While some Mabayo residents said that they were not aware of the changes in the local climate, more of the locals agreed that weather patterns have changed.

“Mas mahaba na ang tag-init at tag-ulan,” a local fisherman said. “Hindi na matimpla ang panahon, ‘di tulad nang dati.” (ADP/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
[1] SBMA Environment Management Specialist Rhea Jane Pescador-Mallari explains the dangers posed by climate change to residents of small coastal and upland communities, urging them to help protect the environment to avert further damage. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] SBMA Forester Patrick Escusa discusses the SBMA social fencing program, pointing out how upland residents could help guard and care for the forest and prevent the entry of illegal loggers and poachers. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA launches awareness campaign on climate change adaptation

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), through its Ecology Center, has launched an awareness campaign on climate change adaptation in upland communities adjacent to the Freeport.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the campaign aims to educate residents on the impact of climate change world-wide, as well as in their locality, and how to minimize it.

The campaign includes educating residents on how to prevent forest and bush fires and what they can do to help bring back the healthy environment and the forests, Garcia added.

Accordingly, the campaign, which started at Barangay Mabiga in the town of Hermosa, Bataan, was a kick-off to a series of seminars to be held in four barangays outside the perimeter fence of the Freeport. These include the upland communities of Mabiga, Tipo, Bangal, and Pastolan, which serve as buffer areas under the SBMA’s “social fencing” program.

Participants in the one-day awareness campaign seminars included members of farmers’ associations in the four upland communities.

Garcia explained that the local farmers’ associations serve as a vital component of the SBMA Community-Based Forest Management (SCBFMA) system, which watches over the forests and helps protect them against bush and forest fires, illegal cutting of trees, and illegal hunting of animals and birds near and inside the fenced areas of the Freeport.

The SCBFM program also aims to promote the biodiversity of the forests through tree-planting projects and the implementation of livelihood programs that are not dependent on forests such as kaingin, and charcoal-making.

Hermosa Mayor Danilo Malana, who joined the launch of the awareness campaign, lauded the SBMA and the team from Ecology Center for conducting the awareness campaign, saying it was very timely.

“It is very important that we start protecting and preserving our fast diminishing forest areas that give livelihood and food to many of our farmers,” he said.

The mayor, who is known as an advocate of environmental protection, added that there is a need to boost the awareness of residents on how badly climate change affects people’s lives and livelihood so that they could start adapting to it to secure their future. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Community leaders and officials of Brgy. Mabiga, Hermosa in Bataan province pledge to protect the environment during a Climate Change Symposium conducted recently by the SBMA Ecology Center. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic unveils 1st motorized zipline in Asia

The Tree Top Adventure theme park has announced the upgrading of its facility in the Subic Freeport, including the introduction of the first motorized zipline course in Asia.

Tree Top Adventure CEO Ma. Camille Montejo said in a press conference on Saturday that their team-building facility at the Jungle Environment Survival Training (JEST) Camp here contains facilities for two slow-paced and four fast-paced activities.

These include the so-called “Superman Ride,” which is the only motorized zipline course in Asia, Montejo added.

“If you want to see the forest and appreciate nature from the top of the trees, you could try the Canopy Ride,” Montejo said.

The entire ride, she added, has a hanging bridge and five stations, which can carry three persons at a time. The ride transfers from one tree to another.

“Meanwhile, for heart-pounding action, try the Superman Ride. It’s a horizontal motorized zipline where you’ll be soaring back and forth in less than a minute,” she added.

One slow-paced activity in the park is the Trekking Adventure, which is basically a tour of the area. During the trek, however, the tour guide introduces the visitor to local plants and trees, and share interesting facts about them.

Another activity is the “Parachute Fall” wherein the tourist goes upwards slowly, and is then quickly dropped after reaching the height of 75 feet. This activity, like that stunt in the movie “Mission Impossible” brings you back to the ground in a matter of seconds.

Members of the media who were invited for the team-building activity noted that the new Tree Top Adventure facility provides a venue to teach and gain camaraderie and leadership. While the activities are all motorized, participants learn to help each other and to lift their own weight.

With the newest attractions, the Tree Top Adventure park aspires to be among the most popular tourism draws here as the Subic Bay Freeport gears up for summer.

Montejo added that while some of the rides are high-adrenaline, the facilities are safe for everyone.

“We want to assure everybody that the facility is as eco-friendly as it can be. Safety is certainly our main concern here,” Montejo added. (JRR/MPD-SBMA)


PHOTOS:

[1-2] Visitors try out the various rides at the Tree Top Adventure theme park (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[3-5] Tree Top Adventure visitors try out various team-building activities in the theme park (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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1st bird park in Luzon seen to boost tourism in Subic

Touted as the country’s premier survival course provider, JEST Camp opened its doors this month to bird lovers and enthusiasts all over the country with the launching of the Magaul Bird Park, the first bird park in Luzon, which is expected to boost tourism in this freeport.

Along with the introduction of the bird park was the launch of a bird show that showcased a hundred birds of different species, some of which belong to the endangered list.

Katrina Lacap, JEST Camp general manager said the bird park hopes to be recognized globally which also runs parallel with Subic’s aim of making it a world-class eco-urban center.

“JEST Camp is one with the local government in promoting both local and international tourism for Subic Freeport Zone while preserving the forest environment that is unique to the area. Companies in Subic including those involved in animal preservation are not competing among each other but rather working together to help promote Subic,” she said.

“Here (in Subic), we already have land (Zoobic Safari), marine/water (Ocean Adventure), and this time, we giving them Air (Bird Park). So kumpleto na kami dito. We want people to know that we’re promoting the province and not the individual businesses,” she added.

To achieve this goal, she said JEST Camp must become a center for sustainable living technologies and must create a haven for city dwellers inside a forest, a destination for nature lovers who want to learn about eco-friendly living.

Apart from the being the only bird park in Luzon, Lacap said it offers 10 other attractions, with three talk-and-feeding and two amazing shows. (Franco G. Regala, Manila Bulletin)

PHOTO:
A bird park trainer shows off how a red-vented cockatoo follows orders from her using hand signals and a whistle at the JEST Camp inside Subic Freeport. 

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Conference helps strengthen REDD+ safeguards

With a conference on “Operationalizing REDD+ Safeguards in Southeast Asia and the Pacific,” held recently in Subic Bay Freeport, stakeholders from the Philippines and countries of the Asia-Pacific region made an important step toward safeguarding forests and the rights of indigenous communities and peoples.

The conference was organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Climate Change Commission (CCC).

National experts from government agencies, non-governmental organizations and academe along with experts from Germany, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Vietnam, Fiji and the Pacific Islands, Mongolia and India exchanged insights on how to avoid unintended social and environmental risks that may arise due to REDD+, how to strengthen governance and how to achieve “co-benefits” for biodiversity conservation and improved livelihood.

A field trip to the ancestral domain of the Aeta Ambala tribe at Mount Santa Rita gave an additional practical example of a particularly successful conservation agreement—the joint management agreement with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority that combines effective participation, benefit-sharing mechanisms and transparent governance.

“Parties have to provide information on how they address safeguards before they can receive results-based payments from REDD+,” lawyer Alaya de Leon from the Ateneo School of Government said, summarizing the current challenge for countries emerging from the recent decisions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The conference took place within the framework of the international climate and forest protection mechanism “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation” (REDD+) with cost-effective conservation, sustainable management of forests and the enhancement of carbon stocks.

With the decision to link finance to safeguards, there is a clear direction for countries to go for compliance.

The conference was opened by NCIP Commissioner Dionesia O. Banua, who pointed out that most of the forest areas in the Philippines are in ancestral domains.

DENR-Forest Management Bureau Assistant Director Mayumi Quintos-Natividad emphasized that the conference provided a relevant opportunity for sustainable development in the Philippines.

NCIP Executive Director Marlea Muñez said the event was a landmark for implementing the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy, an integral part of the National Climate Change Action Plan and a contribution of the Philippines to safeguard the world’s forests and climate, led by the DENR and CCC.

REDD+ was internationally adopted in 2007, and in 2010, the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC decided on related safeguards with the need to take local livelihoods and ecological aspects explicitly into account to fully benefit from REDD+ measures without negative impacts.

These safeguards need to be converted into national frameworks by the implementing countries. At the same time, this challenge gives early adopters like the Philippines the opportunity to shape the ongoing international discussion through exemplary solutions.

The conference focused on all three key aspects of the current debate with the Free, Prior and Informed Consent as a social safeguard; finance, benefit sharing and anti-corruption as governance safeguards; and biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services as an environmental safeguard.

All participants agreed to collaborate further on exchanging experiences and strengthening capacities of countries in the region for compliance with international standards to reap the benefits of REDD+. (BusinessMirror)

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/features/biodiversity/28995-conference-helps-strengthen-redd-safeguards

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SBMA, Manila Water plant trees

THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Manila Water are implementing tree-planting projects as part of their commitment to protect the environment.

The SBMA is planning to plant 25,000 more trees in this free port this month, taking advantage of the onset of the rainy season to make it easier to care for the seedlings.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said employees of the agency, along with volunteers from the free-port community, began the monthlong tree-planting program on Friday and will plant succeeding batches of seedlings three more Fridays hence.

For its part, Manila Water said it has planted more than 300,000 seedlings of assorted indigenous and endemic forest-tree species at the Marikina Watershed as part of its commitment to protect the environment.

Manila Water is the East Zone concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System that provides water and wastewater services to more than 6.2 million residents of eastern Metro Manila and Rizal province.

The commitment to help rehabilitate the Marikina Watershed was made by Manila Water to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by planting trees in denuded portions of the Marikina Watershed.

The degradation of the Marikina Watershed, attributed to the massive cutting of trees at the watershed for fuel and for charcoal, which is a major source of income of upland dwellers in the area, is being blamed as the reason the Marikina River became heavily silted.

Because of the siltation, the river easily overflows, flooding low-lying portions of the city and neighboring cities in Metro Manila.

To date, more than 300,000 seedlings of various indigenous and endemic forest-tree species have been planted by Manila Water within the 500-hectare denuded portions of Bosoboso and Tayabasan sub-watersheds.

This also boosted the government effort to rehabilitate the country’s denuded forests.

Under the ambitious National Greening Program (NGP), the flagship reforestation program of the Aquino administration, the government aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of open, degraded and denuded forests all over the country by 2016.

Now on its second year of implementation, the program is anchored on the help and support of the private-sector partners of the DENR, the lead implementing agency of the NGP.

These two sub-watersheds cover more than 50 percent of the entire river basin, which has been identified as the major source of the floodwaters that inundated Metro Manila during Typhoon Ondoy.

On September 26, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy devastated the National Capital Region and surrounding areas, including the Metro Manila’s east zone, damaging more or less 65,000 water connections and other vital water and wastewater facilities.

The SBMA tree-planting program will supplement a similar project undertaken three years ago by its employees, school children and workers from various companies in the free port.

“As with the first tree-planting program, we would need the help of community organizations and individuals to assist us and bring this worthy endeavor into another successful conclusion,” Garcia said.

“We need more volunteers to get this job done,” he added.

This year’s tree-planting project will bring the volunteers again to the Mount Santa Rita area, which provided the same locale for the reforestation project in 2010. That year some 10,000 seedlings were planted in a month’s time.

Angel Bagaloyos, manager of the SBMA Ecology Center, which is spearheading the tree planting, said various species of forest trees, mostly endemic to the region, and some fruit trees will be planted.

Bagaloyos said the trees planted three years ago are now “already grown and established” because part of the SBMA tree-planting program involved caring for the plants for a period of three years, or until the seedlings have become self-sustainable.

The remaining open patches of land in the largely grassy hillsides of Mount Santa Rita would be ideal planting sites for this year, he added.

As manager of the Subic Bay Special Economic and Freeport Zone, the SBMA is mandated to care for the environment through the agency’s Ecology Center.

Garcia noted that under its environmental conservation program, the SBMA has established its own nursery to collect seeds and grow saplings for reforestation projects.

Through the Ecology Center, the agency has also donated seedlings to schools and community organizations for its tree-planting projects, he said.

Garcia added that individuals and groups who would like to volunteer their help in the upcoming tree-planting activities may register with the SBMA Ecology Center. (Henry Empeño & Jonathan Mayuga, Business Mirror)

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