By Saberra Cruz I could not help myself getting a bit emotional as I read the news on the massive forest fire in Victoria, Australia last week. I lived there the past couple of years and explored the forests and joined a community project to help protect it. My forest buddy was a retired university professor and we trimmed the vines clinging on trees to control in case fire occurs. It was a productive community volunteer work and camaraderie I had ever participated and it was a...

By Eugene Perez and Maita Ybanez Remember the Swedish schoolgirl who scolded world leaders at the United Nations climate action summit on their wanting and arrogant reception and inaction on saving the environment? Well, we need more of her bravery and her kind who are annoyed and angry by all the lip service and ineptness of the halls of power all over the world. It's about time we tell them the people are tired of listening false action and no direction. We must com...

By Jessrill Oporto A few years ago, long before somebody make a stand for the protection of mountains and forests all over the Philippines and particularly Caraga Region, a powerful businessman from Manila went to Surigao provinces to scan the region for a business venture. He was never contented of the major business empires he ran for himself and his Chinese masters. Asked what he thought of what he had seen, he said the places he had been to were ugly and not perfect to lur...

By Lee Flores Bery gud, gipauli ang basura sa nasud Canada. Nganong dili man nila i-freeze ang ilang trash sa ilalom sa snow didto, aron ma-“Frozen” parehas sa salida? Unya, congrats sa political will sa Pinoy. Talagsaon ra ni. Pero kung ning-palag ta sa basurang gilabay sa ato, nganong wala'y pakabana ang pag-mina, pang-opaw sa mga kabukiran ug labaw sa tanan, ang pang-hakot sa kayutaan padulong sa China, Japan ug ubang ka-nasunaran nga nag-dakit sa mga mineralis? Unsa ni, selecte...

By RJS In the recent Siargao Island Protected landscapes and seascapes (SIPLAS) Youth Summit held September 28 and 29 in Santa Monica town, a hundred selected high-school students, teachers from all nine municipalities and visiting professional-lecturers converged to study and evaluate the island's natural condition to help conserve and protect it from deterioration caused by ignorance, carelessness and neglect. The event was organized by the Surigao Economic Development and Micro-F...

By Lee Flores It's the season of finger-pointing and blaming others again. Also, the national government agency desperately excavating “pogi” points  for themselves to appear heroes as defenders of lush mountains. What in abused earth is new? In the provinces being battered by Typhoon "Ompong", the mining company heroically and arrogantly declared they managed and prevent  better against calamities compared to marginalized, small, hit and run miners who do no concrete defense to wha...

By Justino Red Passing by Caraga State University (CSU) main campus in Butuan was heart-warming and inspiring to see portraits of the list of graduates of the College of Forestry. Finally, this nation is officially recognizing the institutionalization of environment graduates and heroes or this country would end up swallowed by the greed of men in the guise of development and industrial progress. If there are no forward-looking citizens concerned and actively protecting our environm...

By Lee Flores and Justino Red What will happen to Caraga Region when the open-pit mining will be back after being correctly lifted sometime? Simple, the mountains and forests that are watersheds will perish, skinned-out (gipanitan in Visayan) and turn ugly and useless. Small people's voices and marginalized villagers and indigenous peoples will be snob and driven out or they join the rebellion movement. There will be no peace and order in the countryside and civilians living in c...

By Ramon Jorge Sarabosing Without them, the forest is less vibrant, fascinating, healthy. The hornbills, locally known as the Kalaw are the most spectacular winged residents of the beautiful but mining invaded island of Dinagat province. There is no reason why they (Kalaw) vanish at all. To date, there are only 50 sighted in one small area, the Loreto Watershed and this could be alarming. "There used to be a lot of them but since mining came and leveled off the forest you hardly s...

By Bonie Esmera Sounds familiar? Tan-aw nya mo ining sineha, coming soon. This is a true story. Nahitabo na ni sa atong lugar-sa kabukiran ug kalasangan. Ang casualty: ang kinaiyahan ug kaugmaon sa sunod generation. Sukwahi sa original nga "planet" diin ang mga apes intawon papason sa ilang gipuy-ang planeta'ng kalasangan, ang giyera dinhi sa "planet of the miners" ang mga dagkong minahan mao ang mopapas sa kalasangan, apil siyempre ang mga gagmay'ng tawo sa kabukiran-una sila pa-tr...