Marine Protected Area advocate

Raz Climaco is a marine biology graduate from the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences involved in the conservation of the northeastern Palawan marine protected area (MPA) network. The areas under his watch are the municipalities of Roxas, Taytay, El Nido, Linapacan, Dumaran and Araceli.

Cambari Island, where the photo was taken, is part of the municipality of Araceli. He monitors the area regularly, determining baseline scenarios, and works with local government and coastal communities, educating them and establishing sustainable protocols and practices.

Rangers of Ursula Island

Ursula Island, off Bataraza in southern Palawan, is a densely forested island with fine white sand and crystal clear waters. Rangers patrol this protected area, a sanctuary for rare endemic birds. Visitors of this island must secure a special permit from the Provincial Environmental Office (PENRO).

NBI’s Disaster Victim Identification effort

More than 2,200 bodies were recovered in Tacloban City following the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. To prevent public health hazards, many of the bodies were placed in temporary or permanent mass burial sites, such as those in Barangay Suhi and Barangay Basper, with plans for future exhumation. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) led the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process. NBI forensics teams were tasked with processing the recovered remains that had not yet been identified and were in advanced stages of decomposition. If a fingerprint could be taken, a body bag would be opened, and they would check the cadaver. Otherwise, a look at the teeth They examined the teeth as a last resort. If the teeth cannot be identified, the femur will be sawn off. They processed bodies one after the other, but more body bags came in, and the piles never seemed to decrease.

Bantay-Dagat of Aborlan

Illegal fishing and logging are combated by bantay-dagat and bantay-gubat personnel, who, despite lacking resources, possess a strong resolve to enforce the law. The tragic death of a ranger in El Nido underscores the perpetual risks faced by those on the frontline.

The coastal waters of the municipality of Aborlan in Palawan are designated as marine protected areas. This includes the Seven-line Reef, which extends for 14 kilometres and encompasses an area of 12,000 hectares. Illegal fishermen operating small boats from nearby municipalities, as well as trawlers from Navotas, are known to encroach upon these waters. The sole defense against these activities is the municipality’s bantay-dagat team.

Ian Antaran. Volunteer.

Ian, a nurse for Miami-based Carnival Cruises, was in Manila for his two-month vacation leave when “Yolanda” struck. Yet he chose to spend his time in Leyte rather than on the sandy shores of Boracay or Palawan. Patients were at ease with him, and his huddle always seemed like a scene from a sit-com. Kids gravitated towards him, and his work area always seemed festive.  While tending the leg wound of a female patient, he asked how it happened. The girl answered, “Bildo (mirror or glass in the vernacular).”

Ian exclaimed, “Ano? Dildo?!?”

Everyone (including the patient) was in stitches.

Hope among the ruins

Four medical teams RTR/Med Central deployed four medical teams in Tanauan, Leyte after Yolanda struck. In one of the affected baranggays, a woman went into complicated labor and would have died giving birth were it not for the timely presence and intervention of volunteer doctor Andrew Adarna. The baby was delivered in a makeshift shelter.

The mother named her son after the doctor.

#ProjectLarawan. Profiles of the Filipino. One portrait at a time.

Project Larawan is an initiative of Gabriel “Gabby” Malvar, a documentary filmmaker, writer and photographer, whose narratives are nuanced with unique, inventive perspectives to provoke an inquisitive look at his favorite subject, the Philippines. Become a part of Filipino identity every other Saturday on the DAILY TRIBUNE.