A feel-good story is a story about people and life which makes us feel happy and optimistic. It often results from the unexpected or unanticipated. Such is the case of my experience when the Mangrove Loving Penguin (MLP) visited a mangrove forest in General Santos City as a side trip in my 2024 Kasadya Marathon weekend in South Cotabato.
Truth be told, I was not really optimistic about finding a thriving mangrove forest inside General Santos City. We all know for a fact that GenSan is a highly urbanized city whose human population jumped from 85,861 in 1975 to 697,315 in 2020. By 2040, the GenSan population is projected to reach 945,000. Rapid urbanization has its benefits and downsides as well. In an article in SustainableWorld, environmental advocate Jordon Layne enumerated 20 pros and 20 cons of urbanization. One of these cons is loss of green spaces and natural habitats. Urban growth frequently results in the depletion of precious green spaces and natural habitats as cities expand and devour land previously untouched.
We have seen this happening in the Philippines and the green space most especially vulnerable to rapid urbanization is the mangrove forest. We have seen this in Bulacan near Metro Manila. We have seen this in Cebu City and Davao. Once thriving mangrove forests in or near urban centers are being uprooted. Thus, it was a surprise for me to learn that there is a mangrove forest just a couple of kilometers away from the city center of GenSan.
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| The Bula Mangrove Forest (marked "Rehabiltation Center Mangrove") is very near the Bula Central Elementary School and is roughly 2 kilometers from the Plaza Heneral Santos. |
The name of that mangrove forest is Bula Mangrove Forest. Thanks to the contact number provided by Prince of the CENRO GenSan , the Mangrove Loving Penguin (MLP) was able to get in touch with Cheryl Galo of Brgy Bula. She is the president of Zone Six Small Fishermen Association the people's organization (PO) managing the Bula Mangrove Forest. While communicating with her, the MLP was able to schedule my visit on the mangrove forest for May 4, a day before the Kasadya Marathon.
Arriving past 7am Saturday in the General Santos International Airport, I took a taxi and asked the driver to bring me to Gmaya Suites . After dropping off my luggage at the hotel, I requested the driver to bring me to Brgy. Bula. Trying to locate the Bula Mangrove Forest was not easy. Good thing the taxi driver, Gerry was a patient one. Even inside Brgy Bula not many of the pedestrians we asked on the road were familiar with the Bula Mangrove Forest. Had to call Cheryl on the phone several times to get directions. Finally, we spotted Cheryl holding a black umbrella on the side of a narrow street. What a sigh of relief for me. A few more minutes and one more street corner turn, the MLP would have given up the search for the unicorn.
Cheryl was all smiles when she greeted me on that small street of Brgy. Bula. She had that simple air of confidence that what she was about to show would amaze me. We entered a small alley typical of an urban congested community. It was dark inside the alley but the people we passed by as we navigated the maze, all greeted Sheryl and gave me a hello or a smile. Clearly, Cheryl is known and respected in these parts. After a few meters, we stepped into a sandy coastline with the blue Sarangani Bay on our right and the rudementary house dwellings to our left. A hundred meters of trudging thru the sands and we reached the entrance to the Bula Mangrove Forest.
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| The Mangrove Loving Penguin and Cheryl at the start of the bamboo boardwalk inside the Bula Mangrove Forest. |
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| MLP signing at the visitors' log of the Bula Mangrove Forest |
Lowtide when we entered the Bula Mangrove Forest. It allowed us to walk easily through the mangroves and one thing that struck me is that there are a number of big mangroves around. Cheryl told me that the dominant mangrove species in Bula Mangrove forest are the Pagatpat, the Bungalon and the Bakawan. She added that many of them are old, some are 50 years old or more. I decided to check on them. Note that in a recent study entitled Species richness, extent and potential threats to mangroves of Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, Philippines , researcher Angelo Rellama Agduma documented the presence of these 3 mangroves in General Santos City.
The Pagatpat is a beautiful tree that reaches up to 20 meters tall or more, with round succulent leaves of a blue green hue. Its scientific name is Sonneratia alba. The genus name Sonneratia honors the French botanist and explorer Pierre Sonnerat (1749-1841). The specific epithet alba is from the Latin meaning "white" referring to the flowers. It is a true mangrove species and grows on soils ranging from sandy to sandy-loam, nudflat or corraline type. Pagatpat thrives on seaward zone which is the portion of the mangrove forest daily affected by tidal inundation. The wood of the pagatpat is used for firewood, charcoal, piles, posts, posts, railroad ties, paving blocks, for ships, bridge and wharf construction, doors, sliding, ship planking and decking, furniture and cabinet works, and, even for, musical instruments. Often the biggest and sturdiest tree in the mangrove forest, Pagatpat is reknown for its capabilities to protect coastal areas from storm surge and typhoon wind damage. Facebook posts emanating from the Visayas attest to this.
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| A Pagatpat towering above Cyril. Some of the Pagatpat trees in Bula Mangrove Forest are 17 meters tall. The Pagatpat is also called Apple Mangrove. |
The Bungalon is a tree that generally 10 to 14 meters tall and has leaves that are thick, glossy, and bright green on the upper side and gray or silvery white with small hairs on the lower side. Its scientific name is Avicennia marina. The genus name Avicennia honors Persian physician Avicenna (980-1037). The specific epithet marina refers to its habitat which is at the edge of the sea. Thriving in high-salinity habitats, it can tolerate high salinity by excreting salt through its leaves. It is a true mangrove species considered a pioneer tree, growing primarily in medium or high tide, with salinity from 20% to 35%. True to its genus, the Bungalon has ethnomedicinal importance. Locals use the leaves and barks of Bungalon in the treatment of skin diseases and digestive disorders. Numerous scientific studies have investigated its antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
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| A Bungalon beside a member of the Zone Six Small Fishermen Association.Note the smooth light-grey bark made of thin, brittle flakes. It is for this reason that Bungalon is also known as grey mangrove or white mangrove. |
Bakawan or Rhizophora is a genus of tropical mangrove trees. They are the most prevalent of mangroves in the Philippines. The generic name is derived from the Greek words rhiza meaning "roots" and phora meaning "to bear", thus meaning "bearing roots", referring to the rooting system with roots above the soil. In GenSan, the bakawan species are the Bakawan Lakaki (Rhizophora apiculata), Bakawan Babae (Rhizophora mucronata) and Bakawan Bato (Rhizophora stylosa). For the Bakawan Lalaki, the specific epithet apiculata derives from Latin, "meaning to end abruptly" , referring to the leaf apex. For the Bakawan Babae, the specific epithet mucronata is derived from Latin, meaning "pointed"referring to the pointed apex with the hair-like tip. For the Bakawan Bato, the specific epithet stylosa is from Latin meaning "stylus form" referring to the flower.
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| How do you differentiate the 3 Rhizophora species? Perhaps it is by looking at the flowers. The flower of the Bakawan Bato (the bigger photo in the collage) is more stylish than the flowers of Bakawan Lalaki and Bakawan Babae. |
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| The Mangrove Loving Penguin planting Bakawan Babae in Bula Mangrove Forest. Note that the propagules or protruded radicles of Bakawan Babae are green and cylindric, growing up to 20 to 40 centimeters long. |
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| The barefoot MLP planting propagules of Bakawan Babae. |
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| Recently planted mangroves by GenSan schoolchildren |
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| The MLP washing after the mangrove planting activity. |
The mangrove seedlings I was able to plant in Brgy Bula are of the Bakawan Babae species. Generally it is is easy to plant Bakawan (as opposed to the Pagatpat or Nilad); that is stick the propagules in the mud and you have planted one. But navigating thru the slippery mud was challenging and at some point, I had to remove my slippers and do it barefeet. Does not seem prudent at that time considering that there was a full marathon to accomplish the following day and I needed my feet to be unscathed with any wounds or injuries. But it was fun all the same for me, especially with the assistance of Cheryl. She took video of me. Here is the link of the YouTube video.
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| MLP and Cheryl having a group photo with GenSan college students having a photo session inside Bula Mangrove Forest |
Another source of livelihood income for the Zone Six Fishermen Association is the canteen they operate in the middle of the Bula Mangrove Forest. According to Cheryl, the people organization, which was established in 2002, has 23 members, mostly wives of small fishermen in the barangay. The members took turns in manning the canteen which get its clientele mostly from the students, govt employees and civic organization members who visit to conduct their mangrove planting activities on weekend, and even on weekdays.
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| The canteen inside the Bula Mangrove Forest full of students having snacks after their mangrove planting activity. |
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| Menu at the canteen |
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| Crabs and other seafood delights can be pre-ordered with the Zone Six Small Fishermen Association |
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| Souvenir items crafted by the members of the people organization are for sale too at the canteen area. |
Aside from the canteen, added structures that line the bamboo boardwalk are small cottages for rent and trampoline-like structures. The latter serves as a space where the visitors can have some frolic fun and even lie down to rest and enjoy the natural shade provided by the mangroves.
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| Students sleeping under the shade of the mangroves. |
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| MLP enjoying the trampoline. |
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| The long bamboo boardwalk to Sarangani Bay |
Clearly, the Mangrove Loving Penguin had fun in the Bula Mangrove Forest. I feel good. I am satisfied with what I have done there. In planting mangroves in GenSan , the MLP has added another province, the province of South Cotabato, to the list of provinces where I have visited and planted mangroves. South Cotabato is the 9th province to that growing list.
Far more important, I am amazed and inspired with what I have seen in Bula Mangrove Forest. It is both fulfilling and inspiring to see the work of Cheryl and her fellow members of the Zone Six Small Fishermen Association in managing and protecting the mangrove forest. It is not an easy task, especially given its urban setting. But this people organization is beginning to learn to collaborate with stakeholders that can help it. Stakeholders like the LGU (General Santos City and Brgy Bula) and the relevant govt agencies (DENR). Stakeholders like local schools and civic organizations. Thanks to this people organization, a mangrove forest is flourishing in General Santos City.
Nonetheless, if we are to be practical about it, we may perhaps ask the question - How long can the Bula Mangrove Forest thrive in the shadow of rising urbanization in General Santos City? The price of real estate in GenSan is rising ever higher and it is not hard to imagine that some unscrupolous real estate mogul (local or from imperial Manila) or two are casting their greedy eyes on the 11 hectares of Bula Mangrove Forest. What are the betting odds on this small people organization successfully parrying efforts to covet the land where the Bula Mangrove Forest sits? Not high, many would think.
But, perhaps there is hope. That sliver of hope lies in an aspiration.
That aspiration is the vision of GenSan to be the "Green City of the South." I first read about this vision in a Nov 2022 article posted in the website of the BIMP-EAGA. It talks about General Santos City aspiring to be "the green city of the south," a vision it has been pursuing by developing a policy environment for green and sustainable development, evident in various local laws that promote climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction management and are integrated into various development plans and investment programs. Another BIMP-EAGA article, this time dated May 2023, talks about the Asian Development Bank formally turning over the Green City Action Plan (GCAP) to the city government led by Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao.
The GCAP identifies 56 green projects the cost of which is estimated at more than Php 19 Billion (roughly US$ 352 Million). That is a ton of green bucks. Interesting to note that included in that list of 56 green projects is an item on mangrove forest management. However, the article does not mention the names of the GenSan-area mangrove forests that will be included in the mangrove forest management portion of the GCAP.
It is therefore hoped that the Bula Mangrove Forest is included in the GCAP list.
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| Let us all pray for this small piece of paradise in the urban jungle. |
We hope and we pray.
Photo credits: Bula mangrove Forests
Notes:
Many of the information on the various mangrove species were taken from the following websites and documents.
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/avicennia-marina
2. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/196661-Sonneratia-alba
3. https://pza.sanbi.org/rhizophora-mucronata
4. http://www.stuartxchange.org/BakauanBato
5. https://dbpedia.org/page/Rhizophora_stylosa
POR FAVOR SENORES Y SENORAS: If you like this blog article, please follow me at X page (@MangroveLovinP). Also, kindly visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel (@mangrovelovingpenguin). Thank you very mucho. Dios mabalos.
1 comment:
Thanks for visiting Gensan sir.
Thanks for dropping by the Boardwalk too :)
Thanks for this beautiful and informative article.
We would be very happy to see you here again.
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