Following the successful yuletide outreach to the PBA Gawad Kalinga Village in Pateros last December 2015, we are pleased to report to you that we just had another successful and memorable PBA Immersion Trip to Mount Pulag National Park last weekend (30-31 January 2016). The event was organized by the PBA Committee on Environmental Law & Education headed by Chairman Angelo Valencia and Co-Chair Bernice Mendoza.
Led by your President, 1st Vice-President Jose Luis Agcaoili, 3rd Vice- President Rico Domingo, Secretary Joel Ayson, Trustees Rodelle Bolante, Miguel Luis Orosa and Jose Raulito Paras, a group of 51 PBA members and guests gathered in Baguio Country Club (BCC) before making our way to Mount Pulag National Park.
A Breakfast Reception was graciously hosted by Rep. Ronald Cosalan (Lone District of Benguet), who is also a proud member of the PBA. Seven (7) lawyers based in Baguio City joined the PBA following the reception. Accommodations on preferred rates at the BCC were arranged for PBA members by 1st Vice-President Jose Luis Agcaoili through the courtesy of Past PBA President Federico Agcaoili.
In total, thirteen (13) vehicles including the traditional mountain jeepney, passenger vans and 4×4 vehicles (that included Mike Orosa’s trusty Range Rover) made the rugged and challenging drive up to Mount Pulag reaching the town of Kabayan, Benguet after a brief photo stop at the scenic Ambuklao Dam.
The PBA delegation was warmly welcomed by the elders and members of the local Kalanguya People, who live alongside their vegetable gardens on the rugged slopes of the Cordilleras. Over a sumptuous lunch of boiled native pork (“watwat”), free-range fried chicken and farm-fresh vegetables, the locals treated us to a cultural show that included indigenous music and dance referred to as the “Kanyaw” which featured the ritual slaughter of a native boar.
Various gifts including school supplies (donated by Trustee Jose Raulito Paras) and shoes provided by foreign donors were distributed by PBA members and guests to children attending the Kampus ng Pagasa. The grade school, located 7748 feet above sea level, was established and is being sustained purely from donations by private donors organized by PBA Committee on Environmental Law & Education Chairman Angelo Valencia, who is locally known as “Kuya Pultak.”
After lunch, a “Town-Hall Meeting” was held with PBA members addressing various legal issues and concerns raised by the local indigenous peoples. Discussions focused on the need to strike a balance between the rights of the indigenous farming community to their ancestral lands under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA Law) and environmental preservation efforts being pursued in furtherance of the Proclamation No. 75 (Series of 1987) establishing the Mount Pulag National Park and the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992 (NIPAS Act).
The lively discussion lasted for more than three (3) hours and was concluded only when the sun was about to set and the temperature suddenly dropped to single digits. At the end of the meeting, the PBA committed to provide our hosts with a legal memorandum that outlines the legal framework and provides the locals with legal options. The goal is to assist in striking a sustainable balance that enables the indigenous peoples to keep their culture and livelihood intact even as we all seek to preserve the natural beauty and majesty of Mount Pulag for future generations.
After sunset, a bonfire and picnic dinner was held on a cliff overlooking the Cordilleras under a starry evening. The spirited fellowship with the locals lasted for hours even as temperatures reached a low of 5⁰ centigrade deep into the evening.
A majority of the visiting PBA members and guests stayed the night and were hosted by various local families. The homestay arrangements, superbly organized by Aldwin Flores, allowed PBA members and guests to have further interaction with their local hosts.
1st Vice President Jose Luis Agcaoili and Trustee Jose Raulito Paras led about 8 PBA members and guests who made the moonlit trek past midnight through pine forests, mossy rocks and grasslands to reach the Summit of Mount Pulag. They planted the PBA Banner at the mountain peak and witnessed the spectacular sunrise above the sea of clouds. Others chose the easier option by returning to BCC for a Sunday Morning Golf Fellowship. After all the hectic activities, the PBA delegation enjoyed the hosted lunch at BCC before making the trip safely back to the city.
Before I end this report, perhaps you may be wondering why the PBA is making these immersion trips during my term. These are obviously not the usual fellowships that we have been accustomed to through the years.
You will recall that we began with the PBA-Gawad Kalinga Village Yuletide Outreach that exposed PBA members to the realities of urban blight in Pateros. We treated the children of the village to a party we co-sponsored with the Jollibee Foundation, donated books and toys, and gave a computer literacy room for the young adults in the village we helped build years ago during the outreach. Thorough that event, we wanted our members to gain a better understanding of the meaning of “inclusive economic growth” particularly as seen through the eyes of the children who are born in our inner cities. (Seewww.rappler.com for a media report on our yuletide outreach).
We followed the outreach with the PBA Immersion Trip to Mount Pulag that exposed PBA members to the complex challenges posed by the pressure of our increasing population on our environment as seen through the eyes or our indigenous peoples living in remote mountain tops. The challenges were starkly manifested in the simmering clash between the assertion of indigenous peoples’ rights to ancestral lands and the enforcement of environmental laws to preserve the ecology of Mount Pulag, as part of our shared national patrimony.
The next PBA Immersion Trip will bring us to nearby Anilao, Batangas on
We encourage you to reserve the date and join us in this fun and meaningful activity!
As you will note, the PBA has already gone from the inner city to the highest peak in Luzon. We will shortly visit our beautiful coasts and even dive deep into our seas.
With these enjoyable yet meaningful immersion trips, PBA members will hopefully gain a first-hand knowledge of the state of our nation today as it undergoes a crucial transition. We hope these activities will help us gain insights that can aid us in finding creative ways of using the law as a tool for social engineering founded on our shared commitment to build ourselves a better nation under the rule of law.
If you are in social media and wish to share or see photos and videos of the PBA Immersion Trip to Mount Pulag National Park, please use the hashtag #PBAatmountpulag. We are currently upgrading the PBA website.
We invite you to be an active member and join us in all future PBA events!
