One of the many perks of being a motoring journalist is discovering our many wonderful islands. Recently, Isuzu Philippines brought a select group of media practitioners to Coron island to test drive their increasingly popular SUV, the mu-X. From there, we had to take a pump boat to Calauit island in north Palawan, part of the Calamian group of islands which also includes Busuanga. Though I have been to Coron before, I never had the chance to visit Calauit, and the experience was nothing short of remarkable.
Calauit, all of 3,700 hectares of forest land, was envisioned to be a game reserve and wildlife sanctuary and proclaimed as such through Presidential Proclamation no. 1578 by former President Ferdinand Marcos in the ’70s. Legend has it that Marcos “commandeered” the island as the private playground of the young Bongbong, which is probably why up to now people are wary of poking into this territory. The truth is, a non-profit organization called Conservation and Resource Management Foundation took charge of this forest preserve and wildlife sanctuary. At the behest of the International Union of Conservation of Nature through then Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta to save the threatened African wildlife, President Marcos responded positively and agreed to provide this small island for the conservation effort. I understand that international grants poured in to transform Calauit into an exciting safari park much like what they have in Kenya.
At that time, some 250 families occupied Calauit and the government relocated them to Halsey Island which is about 40 kilometers away. Under the former dictator’s decree, a boatload of animals was brought into the island to save them from extinction in March 1977. The project was funded by the Office of the President during the Marcos regime.
Giraffes, porcupines and Grevy’s Zebras, considered the most endangered of the world’s three zebra species were brought in, along with gazelles, impalas elands, waterbucks, bushbacks and topis. The waterbucks and impalas thrived well, but the topis and gazelles did not, and by 1999, these two species died out.
The African wildlife animals mingled freely with our own indigenous animals like the Calamian deer (that I mistook for a large dog from afar), mousedeer, bearcats, crocodiles, wild pigs, peacock pheasants, porcupines, sea eagles, wildcats, scaly anteaters and pythons. The island waters are also home to dugongs, sea turtles and giant clams. The rich diversity in the island, sustained by the grasslands and mangrove swamps, is enough for the Filipino people to take a serious look at preserving this sanctuary and giving these animals a better home.
When we arrived at Calauit, we were loaded into an old dilapidated jeep to bring us to the animals’ area. The jeep, the only means of transport available for any tourist or guest to use was in such a sorry state that it did not even have the proper brakes—sorry, no brakes at all. Deft manuevering by the skilled and experienced driver was necessary to get us through the short trip safely.
I had a field day hand-feeding the giraffes with fresh leaves, and walking among the friendly animals with one of the staff as guide who, knowing that I was part of a media group, decided to share the sorry state of Calauit with me. The conservation foundation is badly in need of funds. The animals do not have enough budget for food and medical attention, the staff is small and underpaid. The former island residents have been emboldened to try to reclaim the island, though they have not succeeded. The islanders, though, often raid Calauit at night and, under cover of darkness hunt and kill the Palawan deer for food for their families, but more for the handsome profit the deer’s meat commands in the local market. When the conservation project was started, the population of the Palawan deer was only at 25. Bred in captivity, their population grew to 1,200 as of 2005. Today, this number is down to four hundred, unless the authorities do something quickly.
There is an agency called the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development that administered the Calauit reserve during the Marcos regime. Another Executive Order (No. 722) was ratified in December 2008 that effectively transferred the administration of this area from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development to the provincial government of Palawan in March 2009. This same executive order also officially changed the name of the sanctuary to Calauit Safari Park.
Obviously, much potential lies in this island rich in natural resources. Although it is now run as a safari where local and foreign tourists can have a safari experience for a fee, there is still much to be desired if we are to make it a serious eco-tourism destination. We can make it world class, not third-world. For starters, maybe we can have a fleet of those colourful Sarao jeepneys that can provide the local color for tourism purposes, a pretty sight when tourists step out of their pump boats. The boats can also stand some uplift, and though the boatmen were cordial enough, they can be further trained to act like secondary tour guides. More funding is needed for the upkeep of the animals – they need food and skilled veterinarians and animal experts who can help in the breeding of these animals to sustain the reserve. The staff there is just a handful—it would be great if we can professionalize the administration of the park so that we have knowledgeable tour guides and administration personnel in crisp uniforms, not just a rag tag group of volunteers. I must admit though that the volunteers are fiercely dedicated to their mission of preserving the animals. And finally, we need to provide security for the park which is raided almost nightly by unscrupulous villagers. Appropriate punishment should deter these huntsmen. The national government is no longer directly in charge of this park — it is the local government of Palawan. I am sure that, given the natural beauty of this serene island, many environmental or NGO groups will be happy to work with the local government unit to restore Calauit to its old glory.
We have faith that Palawan Governor Pepito Alvarez will see this as an opportunity not only to restore the island, but to develop it to a more profitable world-class eco-tourism destination. Or it could be a novel pursuit, a social responsibility that would have a positive impact not only on the local community, but also on a global environmental campaign that the Philippines would be proud to be a part of.
Mabuhay!!! Be Proud to be a Filipino.
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