Excitement filled me when I found out that our Environmental Science 10 class will be able to have an all-around Panay field trip. I have always been fond of road trips because of the different landscapes and the wind blowing upon my face as the vehicle goes on. Moreover, in this field trip we will stop by in selected sites so that we may be able to examine the surrounding environment.
The first stop we had gave a magnificent introduction for the whole trip. It was past five in the morning when we arrived at Tiolas, San Joaquin. Looking at the shores in front of us, it was still dark except for the yellow glow of the light coming from the boats of fishermen. The many fishermen show that the sea is an important source of livelihood for the people living in its shorelines. While waiting for dawn, we spent our time in happily taking pictures at the shore of Tiolas. When sunlight began to ascend, we saw clearly the rocky shore and the boundary that was set as a protected marine sanctuary. No one was allowed to fish within the boundary, may it be large-scale commercialized fishermen or simple small-scale ones. This is because it is where fishes and many other sea organisms reproduce and grow. Farther away from Tiolas was Lawigan, San Joaquin where we stopped by at another marine sanctuary. It has a rocky and sandy shoreline. Beside its rock formation that was rumored to be a ship, is a small grassy hill where we watched the sun slowly rising brightly. In the rocks, there were many corals, sea grasses and other plants. This means that the area is often covered by water.
On the way to Antique, we have mostly traveled near the shorelines. From the rocky shores of San Joaquin, we passed by the less rocky and more sandy shorelines of Antique. At Tibiao, Antique, we stopped by at the Tibiao Fish Spa where we enjoyed the tickle of the fishes while they cleaned the dirt from our feet. When we passed by Nabas, Aklan we saw the damage in the landscape caused by erosion. This means that the Coco-fiber Soil Erosion Control Project was not sustainable and effective.
From Nabas, Aklan we went to the Bugtong Bato Natural Mangrove Eco-park in Ibajay, Aklan. It was an estuarine area where the mangrove forest lushly thrives. While walking at the foot bridge, we saw a diverse mangrove ecosystem. It was there that I learned that there were various kinds of mangroves. There were 27 species of them in the eco-park and we were told that there was an existing 100-year old mangrove in the place. The species could be differentiated from each other through their leaves, roots, flowers and roots. Some of the species we saw were the Rhizophora mucronata or bakhaw babae, Sonneratia alba or pagatpat and Aegiceras corniculatum or saging-saging. I also learned that nipa is one of the mangrove species. In the eco-park, I noticed that most of the mangroves had very thick trunks. Every time we pass them by, our group would ask the tour guide if it was the 100 year old mangrove. The walk with the mangroves was fun and interesting. We saw some people getting mollusks in the eco-park as addition to their living. I realized that mangrove forests were as important as the other ecosystems such as coral reefs and rainforests. Aside from being homes to creatures such as mollusks, they also provide shore protection and some species are used traditionally as medicines.
After observing the natural mangrove eco-park in Bugtong Bato, we headed for the Jawili Falls in Tangalan. Most of our classmates took an enjoying bath in the pools of water of the falls. While they bathe happily, I watched the beautiful effect of the sunlight passing through the trees. At that time, I also noticed that the water had many green algae. Our next destination after the Jawili Falls was New Washington where we had spent the night in the Sampaguita Gardens.
Most of our time in the Sampaguita Gardens was spent in exploring the place, swimming, watching cable TV and taking pictures. After making the most out of the place, at noontime we left for the Bakhaw Eco-Park in New Buswang, Kalibo. It was a man-made managed mangrove ecosystem. The major species in the area was the Bakhaw Lalake and Bakhaw Babae. There were very many of them closely standing to each other, to the point that they have already become overcrowded. Because of this they have not grown as they should be based on their thin trunks. Since it was just man-made and also a managed ecosystem, it was not as diverse as the natural mangrove eco-park in Ibajay. At the very end of the eco-park was the open shore where one mangrove species was planted in straight lines.
The next destination we had was Sapian, Capiz where we observed the mangrove forests that were converted into fishponds. Capiz is known as the seafood capital of the Philippines because of the abundant catches in its estuaries. People’s need to earn more caused the conversion of many mangrove forests into fishponds. People thought that by doing so, they could produce more catch. This is true, yet fishponds cannot be sustained for a very long time. Therefore, they become less productive than natural ecosystems that are the original homes of the fishes. There was also a dried up fishpond in the area because of the El NiƱo. Near the fishponds, there was the quarrying of the soil for construction purposes which leads to soil erosion.
From Sapian, Capiz, we began to travel going to Passi City. It was where we passed by some houses that sold calcite of different sizes along the road for travelers to see. Although they looked pleasing to the eyes, people have risked theie life in quarrying them in order to earn money. Community-based quarrying became one of the sources of livelihood for the people in order to help sustain their needs.
They field trip may be tiring but in the end I enjoyed it a lot. We had gone to many places and had discovered a lot about the Panay environment. I realized that I had never known Panay and its environment this much before the trip. I learned to appreciate nature more and I had become more aware of the many environmental issues in our place. I became closer with my classmates and with the environment.