Truly ours

Sariling atin! Truly ours. Several developments are making us more happy and proud to be Filipinos.

First is the designation of Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental Mindanao as the 6th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippines! Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Baroque Churches of the Philippines, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and the Historic City of Vigan are the five other UNESCO Heritage Sites in our country.

According to the UNESCO website, "Mount Hamiguitan is highly significant in the Philippines' 7th ranking among the 17 biologically rich countries of the world.  The site represents the fast disappearing habitats of globally important species of plants and animals. The diversity of habitats and plant and animal species in this property is attributed to the geologic setting, that is, Mount Hamiguitan is an ultramafic terrain giving rise to an ultramafic forest and associated diverse habitats and flora and fauna.  At the national level, this sanctuary is a conservation interest.  At a global scale, it is known to be a habitat of globally important species of plants and animals."

The majestic Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the endangered species located in this sanctuary. Locally known as "haribon" or bird king, our Philippine eagle has  a wingspan of two meters  which is the largest surface area in its wings among all eagle species. This eagle is found ONLY in our country, not elsewhere in the world and has become the symbol of Philippine conservation efforts.

If we only know and appreciate what we have, we have so much more beautiful natural resources that will benefit our people and our country directly. We need to recognize what we have in our immediate environment and learn to protect and conserve these God-given resources!

This is the nth time that this is being repeated here but we have much to learn about our own environment, our own resources from our indigenous peoples. They have survived centuries by taking care of nature, and in turn, being cared and provided for by nature. The sooner our people, especially our young, our children and our youth, are informed about our indigenous peoples and their lifestyles and collaboration with nature, the better the prospects of more heritage sites in the Philippines preserved and protected by and for generations of Filipinos to come.

The next happy news that should make us Filipinos prouder of our ancestors is the uncovering of the "Fire Piston," described as " the Greatest Philippine Invention recently uncovered after more than 500 years". For more details about this, you may refer tohttp://ph.austronesia.net/Fire-piston-the-Greatest-Philippine-Invention-in-15-centuries-recently-uncovered-after-more-than-500-years#.U6RAVERwgls.facebook.

According to this site, our Subanon Tribes in Mindanao used this basic tool for their kaingin farming. Like most original and indigenous items used by our predecessors, the fire piston was not allowed to be used by the Spanish conquerors who burned or destroyed much of our cultural heritage. The fire piston of our ancestors can be considered as a very significant precursor of the engine now commonly used in vehicles and may even have antedated the western discovery of the engine!

Very confidently, we are sure we have more discoveries to be unraveled in the near future, we hope, that will reaffirm the simple yet sustainable lifestyles of our predecessors and indigenous tribes and their plain yet effective tools that allowed them their sustainable food supply, harmonious and collaborative community, their rich culture of religion, music, literature, and their simple yet dignified, independent, poverty-free and sustainable lives.

At present, deprived of their previous wide ancestral lands and resources, our indigenous peoples are now the picture of victims of neglect, greed, and undeserved poverty. More research, more engagement, interaction with them and better protection for their rights and ancestral properties can provide us with so much historical, cultural data and so much pride in our own, our very own people, our genuine self-reliant people who successfully collaborated and protected our very own environment and our very own resources.

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