tremor horror

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Last Monday, I was walking back to my office with my co-workers from lunch, just talking about something nonsensical when they both stopped in front of me. A bit clueless as to why they stopped, I was about to ask them if they left any of their things at the canteen when our German co-worker, Janina, suddenly asked: "Did you feel that, too?"

I could only stare at her in befuddlement. I didn't feel anything unusual.

It was only a few hours later, after I've already witnessed how the employees scampered away from our building (right after I realized that I should be feeling something shake because an earthquake just happened), how my panicked officemates trapped in the elevator and stayed in the office shared their stories, how our head office issued a half-day due to the severity of the 6.9-magnitude-earthquake-and-level-2-tsunami-alert situation, how I had to walk from Mabolo to Mandaue because no PUJs are available (and my panicking mom is calling me to come home right now), how my other co-walkers ran without their shoes and with desperation in their eyes because the tsunami is right behind us (and I looked and saw...nothing), how I gave up so many vacant seats for the other passengers to go to Liloan because they are going to die, how blessed I had been because while people were scampering to get a ride home I was actually offered a vacant front seat by a PUJ driver because I just calmly stood there and listened to all the chaos...that this day would never shape up the way I expected it to.

The earthquake had not been so severe in Cebu. Let's pray for our brothers and sisters in Negros, who are more affected than we were, and help in any way that we can.

Today, many of them had no water to use while we await for more aftershocks to happen this week. If you can, please send your help to friends who live or work nearby Negros (like what we did) so they can give your donations to agencies there that are on top of the area's relief operations. A gallon of water costs PHP40.00---imagine what you could do with that amount.

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Backpacking Buhisan 2A: Toong

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The second day of my backpacking trip had the most challenging route I’ve ever taken so far.

Whatever notion I had in my mind that since I had experienced some mountain treks for years I would be totally ready for this certain day, ALL OF IT was wiped out the moment I saw what I was really up to. Also, Buhisan may be part of the entire Central Cebu Protected Landscape but it is totally different from the Mananga Watershed—which I frequent. Buhisan’s mountain ranges are mostly rocky AND slope-y, and if you are not careful, you’d easily slip down and hurt yourself. But with the officers and members of the Toong Volunteer Farmers Association with us, I had enough mental leeway to experience the day meaningfully.

Toong is one of the smaller barangays located within the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve. And since most of its land area is particularly mountainous, most of these locals have to contend to living and establishing farms on slopy areas. It’s amazing how these locals are so used to running on these trails with their big baskets (locally called a bakat) on their backs, relying on nothing but their leg power to ensure their safe and balanced tread back to the barangay proper where they would transport their produce to the marketplace.  And it equally makes you glad that the IFS technology is really intended for these farmlands since its format prevents soil erosion and siltation to the dam.

Compared to Dulhogan, it took us an entire day to monitor and document seven farms—that speaks how far the farms are from each other (we actually crossed more than two mountains). It gave me a complete immersive experience since I had time to rest on some of the houses of our farmers, prepare food and eat with them during lunch (that chicken left a great aftertaste for days) and just listen to their life stories.

See entire gallery on my Posterous

Backpacking Buhisan 1: Dulhogan

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“Wake me up again and I will butcher you with my comb (which happens to be the only thing I could grab in my sleep-induced mind).”

Naturally, knowing how murderous I can be when woken up at a time I do not wish, my younger siblings picked up all the pillows I did not use and made them their shields. I still laugh thinking at that day I was woken up early. But this is not the story you should know.

The day was meant for hard work. A few days earlier, I was commissioned to photograph all the farmers from the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve who we helped improve their farm produce through the Integrated Farming System technology. The concept behind this is simple: they cut the trees and clear large areas of their field because they need livelihood. Through this technology, they do not need to clear more areas of the watershed because they can fully maximize the potential of their farmlands, however small it is. And by harvesting more income-generating crops, less people will cut down trees for additional income. The best part of it all is that the technology utilizes an environment-friendly approach, you have forest and fruit trees as your borders, so, in your own little way, you are contributing to the watershed.

When I say I had to take all individual farmers, I meant every. Individual. Farmer. Wherever their farms may be located (slope-wise, altitude-wise, and length-of-trail-wise). I was apprehensive at my own skills in defying gravity and staying in one place, but I have Sir Leo with me, our technical officer, so it was all good in the end.

Throughout the day, I had to utilize balancing acts, crawl on steep slopes to get better angles of shots and face my fear of heights. Nothing of these things mattered though whenever we meet each farmer who gave me a lot of new discoveries! Like how this barangay, in particular, grow cassava as its major crop since the sloping and weather is perfect for it.

See the full gallery on Posterous