The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO) of Puerto Princesa initiated a Puppet Show in partnership with the Pacific Partnership 2022, in an effort to intensify its awareness campaign to protect the forest, conserve its fragile resources and help influence people’s behavior towards the environment.
Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) mission team composed of United States (US) Navy, Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, and Australian Defence Force military members aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in Puerto Princesa City on July 27, 2022 for their mission until August 17, 2022, and actively participated in various activities initiated by the City Government of Puerto Princesa.
The Puppet Show that started from July 26-30, 2022 at Balayong People’s Park Learning Pod coincides with this year’s Balayong Tree Planting and Nurturing. Elementary students from Sta. Monica Elementary School, Francisco Ubay Memorial Elementary School, and other schools watched the show. Prior to the puppet show, PP22 mission team members facilitated a book reading session.
The puppet show “Ginto sa Dagta,” is the story of two children belonging to the Batak community in Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat (CNCH) locally known as “Puyos. They faced a problem on over-extraction of Almaciga resin considered as non-timber forest product, and uncontrolled wildlife hunting and trade.
They later realized the importance of forest protection to preserve their culture and ensure the sustainability of their livelihood. Ginto sa Dagta (Gold in tree sap) underscores the gold in tree sap refers to the highly valued resin extracted from Almaciga tree.
Almaciga which is known in the scientific community as Agathis philippinensis is one of the timber species endemic to the different provinces in the country. It grows in mountainous forests in Palawan. The Office of the City ENRO, headed by the City ENR Officer, Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, is among the very few offices and agencies in the country that formed its Puppet Show team to intensify conservation campaign efforts.
The puppet show is made available through the City ENRO’s Wildlife Management Services Division headed by Environmental Management Specialist (EMS) II Myla Adriano. Being an important part of the campaign for conservation, the puppet show is also part of the activities conducted within CNCH through its Critical Habitat Manager Febriza Adem.
Four years ago, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Protect Wildlife project trained the City ENRO, along with other agencies on designing behavior change communication campaigns for environmental conservation. As training output, the trainees produced campaign materials including puppet show sets and props, a campaign song and others. The City ENRO likewise developed another puppet show during the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival of the Puerto Princesa City Subterranean River Natural Park (PPSRNP). The show also known as “Subaraw ” is a story of a Tagbanua kid named Buraw together with her friends, Lusi, a Palawan Hornbill, and Tanding Tandikan, a Palawan Peacock Pheasant. They met Butaw, who is a tour guide, who brings in more tourists to their place in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP).
The forest fires caused by lighted cigarette butts wiped out most of the balete trees within the protected area that serves as bird and other wildlife’s habitat and source of food. The fire killed Tanding Tandikan.
The story underscores the importance of becoming responsible and environment-conscious tour guides, tourists, and local citizens in visiting tourism destinations. Atty. Gomez said that their office strengthened its I-Tree project and integrated the Behavior Change Communication (BCC) campaign as among its activities under i-Tree: Story Beyond Trees.
He explained that i-Tree is a mainstay project of the City ENRO supported by United States Forest Service (USFS) and USAID. Efforts to shift environmentally-destructive human behavior are at the crux of many conservation interventions. Protecting the environment, and conserving the remaining wildlife species has been an enormous challenge for the government and various stakeholders.
The Puppet show and other campaign tools have been considered as an important approach to help reduce wildlife poaching and other destructive practices and activities that cause pressures to the environment.
The City ENRO persuasions and influence for the younger generations’ values and behavior towards the natural environment, is considered as a catalyst of change to help maintain balance the ecosystem and biological diversity despite numerous threats ahead.