MANGROVE LOVING PENGUN: Mangroves of Rompeolas, Sorsogon City

"Belief is the breakwater against despair."

Rompeolas is a Spanish word for breakwater.  In Sorsogon City, it is a word commonly used by the local  residents to refer to the pier site in Sorsogon Bay. This pier site historically served as the beach area and a popular swimming area back in the day. But due to degradation of the coastal area and the growing population resulting in an increasing tonnage of waste, the seawater in the Rompeolas is not anymore advisable for swimming. 

But in recent years, the Rompeolas area has seen a resurgence of some sort.  Thanks in large part to the completion of a coastal road stretching from Barangay Talisay in the north to Barangay Balogo in the southern part.  Among many benefits, this coastal road serves as a seawall to protect the coastal communities from storm surges and flooding in times of extreme weather disturbances of which the Bicol region has plenty of.         

Another visible benefit of the newly completed coastal road is Rompeolas has become a haven for those into an active exercise lifestyle.  Early morning and late afternoon, the pier area in Sorsogon City  see a lot of residents and tourists alike engaging in walking, running, biking and zumba.  

A Sorsogon City resident with man's best friend have a morning run in Rompeolas 

A Hanging Bridge in Rompeolas

For the running penguin  in me, Rompeolas is a magnet. So it was that when the Bicolano Penguin (BP)  joined a number of  company executives visiting  our projects in the Bacon-Manito (BacMan) geothermal field this week (May 22-24), a running excapade in Rompeolas is in the books. 

The morning of May 23 had me waking up at 5am to go for a run in Rompeolas. Thoroughly enjoyed the running in Rompeolas.  No smog in Sorsogon unlike in Metro Manila. Clean fresh air with a great view of Sorsogon Bay and the mountains of Sorsogon including Mount Bulusan, Mount Bintacan and the Rock Dome. There is even a hanging bridge that is part of the walking/running route. Rompeolas is a small piece of paradise for lovers of running. 

Garmin map of my run around Rompeolas

But that is not all.   Rompeolas is home to a small but growing mangrove forest.  For the mangrove loving penguin  in me, running in Rompeolas was an opportunity to get up close with mangroves. And there are many mangroves in the pier area  And with the newly found knowledge thanks to the Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines, I tried identifying the mangrove species present in Rompeolas. 

The first mangrove species I recognized  in Rompeolas is the Bakawan Babae. Its scientific name is Rhizophora mucronata.  Relatively easy to spot because the Bakawan Babae has the longest propagule at roughly 40 to 75 centimeters long.  Unlike the Bakawan Lalaki, the leaves of the Bakawan Babae is broad and light green.  True to its specific epithet 'mucronata' which is Latin for pointed, the Bakawan Babae  has pointed apex with the hair-like tip. 

A Bakawan Babae in Rompeolas with its long propagules.  

The next mangrove species I got to put a name to  in Rompeolas is the Pagatpat. Its scientific name is Sonneratia alba.  For me, the distinguishing feature of the Pagtapat is its flower which are shaped like multi-pointed mini parols (Xmas lantern).  When the flower of the Pagatpat blooms, it is colored white thus the specific epithet alba which is Latin for white. 

A Pagatpat in Rompeolas. Note the flowers which are shaped like multi-pointed Xmas lanterns (parols). 

Just to be sure, I seek the expert opinion of 2 subject matter experts on Philippine mangroves:  Dr. Jurgenne Primavera , a noted Philippine marine scientists cited as one of Time Magazine's Heroes of the Environment for 2008; and Wilson Batislaon, the hard working MENRO of Leganes, Iloilo who is one of the leaders of the award-winning  Leganes Integrated Katunggan Ecopark. Both of them confirmed my identification of the Bakawan Babae and Pagatpat in Rompeolas. 

There were two additional photos I sent to Dr. Primavera and MENRO Batislaon and they were generous to let me know of their identification of 2 more mangrove species in the pier area in Sorsogon City. 

There are  Bungalon mangroves in Rompeolas.  Its scientific name is Aviccenia marina.  The Bungalon is an important mangrove species that inhabits the outermost zone of mangrove forests.  Unlike the Rhizophora species (i.e. Bakawan Babae, Bakawan Bato) which has a stick-like propagule, the propagule of A. marina is ellipsoidal to flattened oviod, lightweight, small and able to float in water. The root type of a Bungalon is pneumatophores which are pencil-shared aerial roots arising from lateral roots.

A Bungalon in Rompeolas. Note the pencil-shaped aerial roots. 

There are also Bakawan Lalaki mangroves in Rompeolas.  Its scientfic name is Rhizophora apiculata. Like its fellow Rhizophora species the Bakawan Babae, the root type of a Bakawan Lalaki is prop/stilt  which are adventitious roots that form on the stem above ground.  Where the Bakawan Lalaki differ from the Bakawan Babae is the leaves.  The leaves of the former are narrow.  

A Bakawan Lalaki in Rompeolas.  Note the stilt root structure. 

Aside from the mangroves, I took photos of shrubs which I was not sure were mangroves. But since these shrubs were situated beside or near the mangroves, it was worth a try to ask Dr. Primavera and Wilson of their origin. Turns out, they are not mangroves but beach forest trees.

What are beach forests?  They are coastal vegetation  that grow above the tide line, that is, at or near the beach and intergrading with lowland forests. It is a mixed group of littoral creepers, shrubs and trees above the high tide level.  Mangroves and beach forests are coastal greenblet which help protect communities from typhoons, storm surges and tsunamis. 

A beach forest  species that is found in Rompeolas is the Morinda citrofolia. The Genus name comes from the Latin words morus meaning a mulberyy and indicus meaning from India. The species name indicates the resemblance of the plant foliage to that of some citrus species. Commonly known as Noni, the tree originated in Southern Asia and Australia, and due to the bouyancy   of their seeds, the plant has been able to migrate across oceans and thrive throughout the tropics.   

A Noni fruit in Rompeolas.

Another beach forest species in Rompeolas is Terminalia catappa. The generic name comes from the Latin 'terminalis' and refers to the habit of the leaves being crowded at the ends of the shoots. The specific epithet 'catappa' is derived from its Malay name, 'ketapang.' Commonly known as Talisay, this is a highly-versatile tree: will grow along the beach, near brackish water rivers, or inland (along corwded and paved city streets). 

Talisay tree in Rompeolas.

So, there you have it.  the Mangrove Loving Penguin enjoyed identifying the mangrove and beach forest species in Rompeolas while at the same time doing some running and walking to burn those excess calories away. I thorougly enjoyed the experience that the following day (May 24), the MLP was back in Rompeolas running, this time with two running buddies from First Balfour.

On my 2nd day running in Rompeolas, my fellow First Balfour marathoners  Ron and Limuel joined me. 

But back to the talk of breakwater. To the talk of belief being the breakwater against despair. 

In these climate-change times, there is despair or what people call 'Climate Despair.'  Either despair over the fate of the planet or disillusionment about our ability to do something about it. Climate despair is prevalent, so much so that Time Magazine  has this popular article on 7 Ways to Deal with Climate Despair . In this article, climate-aware therapists  share their coping strategies for going from overwhelmed to empowered. 

The last of those coping strategies is Savor Time Outside. Spending time outside in green spaces benefits well-being. And this is essentially what I did when the Bicolano Penguin and Mangrove Loving Penguin in me  decided to run in Rompeolas and look closely at the thriving mangrove forest there.   Googling about the mangroves in Rompeolas lead me to this research paper enttiled Mangrove Reforestation, Protection, and Conservation Initiatives: The Case of Sorsogon Bay Rompeolas, Philippines  by Cyra Mae Soreda and Ryan V. Dio.  The research paper chronicles the extensive collaboration of the Sorsogon City LGU, government agencies, barangay residents, students, and other volunteers in making the mangrove initiative a success.   It is a case study of empowering the stakeholders. 

Reading the research paper and seeing the success of the mangrove initiative with my own eyes, the vision I have now is that when people have something to do to solve a problem (climate change, pollution), the people are better able to move from despair to a sense of empowerment. 

Thank you Rompeolas for showing the way.    

      

   

    

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