I-Conserve with SEBNAKA

Highlights of SEBNAKA activities from 2012-2013

The Sinaka Eagle Bagtok Napunangan Kayupaton Association (SEBNAKA) represents Manobo-Tinananon villages in Barangay Tumanding, Arakan, North Cotabato. The Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) partners with Philippine Foundation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Local Government of Arakan in implementing priority activities including forest restoration including National Greening Program (NGP), biodiversity conservation, community strengthening and cultural promotion. Community projects are started with support from Foundation for Philippine Environment, Globe Telecom and Solar Energy Foundation.

We need more hands to join our conservation work with SEBNAKA. Gain experience, have fun and share your time and skills with us. Volunteer this summer! Join our volunteer page on Facebook here.

Adult and Responsible Retreat

The tall Matigol Falls in Arakan, North Cotabato is becoming a favorite getaway among local tourists. 

What to bring:

1. Food and camping gear.

2. School supplies for the kids (preferably those that are not grade-specific).

3. Personal stuff.

4. Garbage bag.

How to get here: 

1.  From Davao City Ecoland Terminal, take a non-airconditioned bus going to Cagayan and ask Manong konduktor to let you off at  Katipunan. Fare is Php 50.00. Four-stop aircon buses are available but will charge you 4x the price. The ride lasts for 45 min to an hour.

2. From Katipunan, take a motorcycle to So. Inamong, Brgy. Datu Ladayon, Arakan, North Cotabato. If you hire one motorcycle, fare can be around Php 100.00 to 150.00 depending on how you haggle. One motorcycle can bring 2 to 4 persons to the jumpoff.

3. At So. Inamong, look for the village chief Datu Sario Dionog and ask for a guide to Matigol Falls. Trek can be as long as 2-hours for the healthy and experienced. Beginners may opt to visit "kawa-kawa" which is just 30-45 min trek away from the village. Don't forget to give pahinungod or honorarium for the local guide.

Things to remember:

1. Ask for a place at the village to pitch your tent. Cogon cottages are also present at the site. Don't camp at the waterfalls. The place is culturally significant to the people so don't defile it with your usual activities.

2. Take your trash back with you and don't take a dump at the falls. Toilet facilities are available at the village.

Difficulty level: 4/10

Budget: PhP 1,000.00-1,500.00

While this week is very rainy, we know for sure that summer is coming and we can start thinking about fun things to do without necessarily overspending. For those who are working, it's best to have at least an idea on how to maximize paid vacations such as, of course, the Holy Week! Well, I am not saying that we take time away from prayer and devotion. But how about exercising our active faith? 

Forget about your traditional hikers getaway where you sleep together in tents, drink alcohol, talk about bosses or ex's and drain your energy, money and self-worth. Remember, wasteful is not cool. So, here are practical tips to remember should you decide to jump on an adventure.

1. Prioritize experience over amenities. If you are active, thrift and young, comfort should be least of your considerations while traveling. But safety, I guess should be above everything. If you check out commercial resorts and tourist spots, they market amenities and put a price tag on your experience. More often than not, if people paid the price, they focus on things like air conditioning, food service and availability of wireless internet connection. 

So, forget selfies and facebook for a while and step on a path less trod. Check out natural parks, protected sites, watersheds, or cultural sites near you. It's time we get a dose of environmentalism and rediscover our natural connections. Afterall, we share our DNA even with the flies.

2. Give than take. Sure we love to take pasalubong to our friends and family as a proof of seeing the world. When visiting natural places though, be careful not to take back with you the flora or fauna of the place, especially if you don't know what you are picking. Well, I love gathering few seeds, twigs and dried leaves as travel memento. But taking one butterfly home or uprooting a lady slipper is entirely different.

So for a change, why not bring something from home and share it with communities you visit? You may also opt to share it with persons you meet on your travel. Give away your favorite book or your Galaxy Tab, whichever is most important to you. Haha.

3. Don't focus on your self. I totally get that we need to look within ourselves to remain sane despite the chaos around us. But retreats are days when you see beyond your selfish gene. Wherever you visit, see the place not as your background for selfies but as living communities in which you are but a part, maybe not even a great part, depending on your worldview. Haha. So try to see the people not as an extension of yourself on whom you are trying to search for your lost humanity. When visiting upland communities near natural places, don't sympathize. Pity is not love.

Want to get here for free? Volunteer for the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc (PEF) this summer. PEF runs a community-based conservation program in the area and is looking for responsible part-time or full-time volunteers. Limited slots are available. Leave a comment here or apply directly to PEF's volunteer program. For more information, contact them using the address below:

Philippine Eagle Foundation,Inc.

Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos, Baguio District, 

Davao City, Philippines, 8000.

Tel No. +63 82 271-2337

info@philippineeagle.org