0:00:01.268,0:00:03.158
- Everything around you is alive.

0:00:04.988,0:00:06.343
We live in a world [br]where the palette

0:00:06.343,0:00:08.838
is overwhelmingly gray on blue.

0:00:09.191,0:00:11.748
If you're lucky, you get [br]a sporadic smudge of green.

0:00:12.979,0:00:14.915
Here you can see [br]the world breathe.

0:00:16.932,0:00:20.708
Highways are replaced by streams, [br]cars by canoes.

0:00:20.890,0:00:23.308
Your eyes think that [br]you're surrounded by land,

0:00:23.308,0:00:24.099
but it's a trick.

0:00:24.099,0:00:26.137
Underneath the growth, [br]more water,

0:00:26.137,0:00:27.640
a quiet resistance.

0:00:28.179,0:00:31.505
You follow one path today, [br]and by tomorrow it's gone.

0:00:32.329,0:00:33.869
There is no place [br]in the Philippines

0:00:33.869,0:00:36.706
that carries more mystery[br]than the Agusan Marsh.

0:00:37.059,0:00:40.295
Some people see these wetlands [br]merely as ecosystems

0:00:40.295,0:00:42.889
and important biodiverse areas.

0:00:43.389,0:00:45.978
Others see them [br]as big bags of cash,

0:00:45.981,0:00:49.273
land to be turned [br]into highly efficient farms,

0:00:49.501,0:00:52.047
but a few people see them [br]as a home.

0:00:53.738,0:00:55.866
And this is their story.

0:01:03.364,0:01:05.929
The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary [br]stretches across

0:01:05.929,0:01:08.481
40,000 plus hectares [br]of wetlands,

0:01:08.481,0:01:10.657
roughly the size of Manila.

0:01:10.657,0:01:12.778
It's one of the biggest [br]in Southeast Asia

0:01:12.790,0:01:15.321
and one of the most vital [br]in the Philippines.

0:01:15.597,0:01:19.569
A Ramsar Site, globally recognized [br]but barely talked about.

0:01:20.040,0:01:24.179
It's all interconnected by lakes, [br]rivers, marshes and ponds.

0:01:25.016,0:01:27.935
It acts like a giant sponge [br]during typhoon season,

0:01:27.935,0:01:31.593
absorbing flood waters [br]for the entire Agusan River Basin.

0:01:31.593,0:01:33.488
Without it, who knows [br]what would happen

0:01:33.488,0:01:35.287
to neighbor towns like Butuan?

0:01:35.846,0:01:38.435
It's home to rare birds, [br]floating villages,

0:01:38.435,0:01:41.122
and indigenous communities [br]who've learned to live

0:01:41.122,0:01:43.423
with the rise [br]and fall of the water.

0:01:44.388,0:01:45.556
But it's under threat.

0:01:46.698,0:01:50.422
Pollution and climate change [br]are slowly choking it.

0:01:55.023,0:01:58.877
- Life cannot simply exist [br]without the Agusan Marsh.

0:02:02.376,0:02:05.494
The marsh protects everything here.

0:02:08.169,9:59:59.000
When you talk [br]of the Agusan Marsh,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you got to take into account [br]the bigger picture

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the Agusan River Basin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Technically, that's the third [br]largest river system

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the Philippines, [br]encompassing Regions XI and XIII—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's Davao and Caraga.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What you have here in our town, [br]your catch basin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And come to think of it, [br]everything revolves

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
around this catch basin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They say that life begins here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There can never ever be [br]an Agusan del Sur

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
without the Agusan Marsh.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- What's that, Datu?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- Walking stick.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Datu Artemio was selected [br]as one of the leaders

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
due to his Lumad lineage.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Lumad are some [br]of the first wave of people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to settle in the Philippines, [br]specifically around Mindanao.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Their ancestral land [br]is often highly sought-after,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
making them one [br]of the most vulnerable

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
ethnic groups in the country.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They are also one of the few groups[br]that have held on

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to their pre-colonial culture.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As in most areas [br]in the Philippines,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where there is [br]a strong indigenous ancestry,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
most people with roles to play [br]in the community also happen

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to have official [br]government positions.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Datu was previously [br]an LGU official and now his son

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is barangay captain.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They both lead the people [br]in Caimpugan and its peatland,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
one of the many parts [br]of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The relationship [br]between indigenous religions

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the Catholic Church [br]is complex,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
marked by both historical tensions [br]and reconciliation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Indigenous religions, [br]often rooted in animism

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and oral traditions, [br]are distinct from the church's

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
codified beliefs and practices.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Just like when we were colonized, [br]one culture doesn't

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
usually completely erase [br]the other,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
parts of it are indigenized.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So you'll find people praying [br]to the Catholic God

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
alongside other entities.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Where people live with the land, [br]these are still

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a common practice.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Most of the people here [br]are Catholic,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but their own Lumad culture [br]is still very strong,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as it should be.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These rituals are carried out [br]to ensure safe passage

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and acceptance [br]into the community.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- What we have here within [br]the Augustan Marsh Wildlife Santuary

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is the Caimpugan peatland.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The peatland, it covers just 3% [br]of the Earth's surface.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But according to the ICUN, [br]they believe that peatland

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
conserves 30% [br]of the world's carbon,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that is twice as much [br]carbon sequestered

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as compared to all [br]the rainforests combined.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The conservation of wetlands [br]is crucial because it mitigates

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the impacts of climate change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If it is damaged, [br]it releases tons of CO2

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
far greater than anything [br]in order to uplift

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and protect our wetlands.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- The people here with us now [br]are under control

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when we’re here watching over.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Unlike before when people [br]kept coming in and out.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- In order to uplift[br]and protect our wetlands,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Society for the Conservation [br]of Philippine Wetlands

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
mobilizes advocates [br]across the Philippines

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the world [br]to facilitate conservations

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and pioneer technical assistance.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Together with them [br]is the Protected Area

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Management Office, or PAMO, [br]which manages

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the overall conservation [br]of the Agusan Marsh.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
One of their efforts [br]includes marshaling volunteers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
across all communities [br]to guard the marsh,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
birthing the fearless group[br]called Bantay Danao.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- When we were kids,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
on days when we didn't have classes[br]in elementary school,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we would come here and play.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We would pick fruits from the trees—[br]kandiis (a sour fruit)—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and eat them.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We'd see monkeys here. [br]Also wild pigs, and deer.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because back then, [br]this whole place

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
was still flat and untouched.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But now, it's different.[br]Because of the heat.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The weather isn't the same anymore.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And there are people[br]abusing the land.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- People never mind talking [br]of climate change

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in its first inception [br]before that Kyoto Protocol

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
way back 2005.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But people began realizing [br]the true value of its protection

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because we had a number [br]of extreme river flooding

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like never before.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We had an extreme [br]river flooding in 2014,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
followed by an extreme [br]river flooding in 2017

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and just recently in 2024, [br]February 6th last year.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
By having seen it [br]and experienced it firsthand,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this Agusan Marsh serves [br]as nature's kind of dam,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
protecting the adjacent localities

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
on all those places downstream, [br]more so Butuan City.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Believe me, [br]without the Agusan Marsh,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there wouldn't be any place [br]called Butuan City at all.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
People realize that we get [br]to change something

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for the better.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
For if not there would be far [br]more extreme river flooding.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
within Agusan del Sur.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- Our peatland area is so vast [br]that even with regular patrols,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we can't cover the entire place[br]in just a month.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There's a huge difference [br]between before and now.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Different types of grasses[br]are growing now.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's not like before where even[br]from far away,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you could already see clearly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because the floods brought seeds[br]from over there

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and carried them here,[br]and now they're growing.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It used to be much cooler[br]than now.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That's why now our peatland [br]has problems—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because it catches fire.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Before, the weather was cooler.[br]Now it's different.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are about 4 to 5 months here[br]that are very hot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Even a small problem here [br]in the forest

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
can easily spark a fire

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because of the heat.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is what burns—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when a small piece of wood cracks,[br]it sparks and catches fire.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There's not much we can do.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
By the time we get here,[br]the fire is already big.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We just take pictures [br]and call the local government for help.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because the firemen[br]can't get inside here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Sometimes we bring tools to try [br]to beat the fire down.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like here, if it burns here,[br]we hit it to try to stop it—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but when the fire surrounds you,[br]it's impossible.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All you can really do is pray.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- Experience is the greatest [br]teacher of us all.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Come to think of it, [br]the Agusan Marsh is overseen

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by six localities as well.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When you talk [br]of the Augustan Marsh

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Wildlife Sanctuary, [br]Talacogon is not alone.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The LGUs of San Francisco, [br]Rosario, Bunawan, Loreto, La Paz,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
engages in the protection [br]and the preservation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the peatland.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is just a common thing [br]that everybody is obliged

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to do their part [br]because this is their way of life,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is our way of life.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Panlabuhan floating village [br]is home to the Manobo tribe,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
families who've lived here [br]for generations,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
moving with the rhythm [br]of the water.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Their homes rise and fall[br]with the marsh,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
tethered but never fixed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You've probably heard [br]of floating villages before.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You're picturing houses on stilts [br]where the home

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is elevated enough [br]that the water rarely touches

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the bottom.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They are made to never meet—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The houses are built on anchored [br]floating bamboo platforms.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When a typhoon hits [br]and the water volume increases,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the houses and everything [br]around them simply swell with it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The water level can vary [br]as much as 10 meters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and is highly unpredictable[br]as the flooding season

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
has become erratic.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- The Agusan Marsh is everything to me.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm going to speak honestly,[br]no holding back—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I was born here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Without the marsh, [br]I wouldn't even be married.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No woman would've agreed [br]to be with me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because we had no wealth[br]to show.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What I proudly offered my wife[br]was the marsh—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is our treasure.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's the gold I can present[br]to my family and my child.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- This is the kind of place [br]where you have no boss—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you are the boss here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You go out to fish, [br]and by the next day,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you already have your catch.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- Fishing is life here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They set their fish cages [br]in the morning,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
leave them for the day, [br]and return at dusk,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hoping that the river [br]has provided.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Once caught, these are dried [br]for consumption

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and to be sold.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They've also dealt [br]with an increase

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of an invasive [br]water hyacinth species

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that clogs their passageways [br]into the marsh

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and harms their livelihood.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Daily, they fight [br]for their way of life.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Marites Babanto, [br]the local tour guide,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
remembers a time [br]when the marsh felt endless.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But now it's getting smaller, [br]drying up,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the storms [br]are getting stronger.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- When I became aware, [br]around six or five years old,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this really looked like a vast sea.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And what I remember most [br]is seeing what looked like

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a truly virgin area—[br]nothing destroyed yet,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the water still clean, drinkable,[br]and there were still

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
plenty of fish.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because during that time, [br]our ancestors were still here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- The Agusan Marsh [br]started making headlines

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when Lolong, the world's [br]largest crocodile in captivity,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
was caught here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
At 6.17 meters, he broke records

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then, just over a year later,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
died in a cage too small [br]for his legend.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But long before Lolong, [br]this place was already home.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Datu recalls that his grandparents [br]fled here to hide

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from the Japanese soldiers [br]in World War II

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
seeking refuge in the swamps.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Marites says her grandfather, [br]Lolo Pidong,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
eventually decided [br]to settle here,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who came with their families, [br]attracted by the peace

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and bountiful fishing [br]the marsh provided.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Their ancestors used to live [br]in tree houses,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but no matter how high [br]the houses were,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
their dwellings always [br]got swamped during floods

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and typhoons.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That's when they had [br]the thought of building

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a house on rafts.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Three generations later, [br]their descendants are still here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The times have changed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Their ways need to adapt [br]to commercial interests,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
erratic weather [br]and outside influences,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but this is still their home.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- For me, as an IP [br](Indigenous Person),

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they say IPs don't reach school—[br]but if that's true,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's only because of how hard[br]it is for us to get an education

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and finish school.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All I wish—for myself[br]and for our children—

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is that they get to reach [br]at least elementary,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even just high school.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What's important is [br]that they learn how to read.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because even for me, [br]I won't hide it—it's hard.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I struggle to read English,[br]I struggle to speak Tagalog.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What we do is just offer kindness[br]from the heart.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What matters most is that[br]you live honestly and do good

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in this world, so that life [br]won't be as hard on you.

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From what I've observed,[br]this Catholic chapel

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has truly been a blessing.

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I'm deeply grateful [br]to all those who offered help

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and donated materials.

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Because our livelihood really depends[br]on the seasons.

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- We looked for a way for us [br]to be seen here,

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for the problems here [br]to be known.

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That’s when it started—[br]we were oriented

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by Tuklas Katutubo Balik-Tribo

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that we should fight [br]for our tribe.

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That they said no one else [br]can help us but ourselves.

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So since then, they heard it,

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they saw what our problems were.

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- What caused the damage [br]was soil erosion,

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climate change, [br]and abuse by some people.

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When there’s flooding, [br]when the water rises,

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the Agusan Marsh gets damaged.

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The other lakes here... [br]it’s like this is the only lake left.

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Because the place we passed—[br]Dagon Creek—is man-made.

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When the water rises, [br]especially during Typhoon Pablo,

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all the wood, everything, [br]all the trash comes in here.

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That’s because of the abuse [br]by others.

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If something still can be done, [br]it must be done right away.

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- So when you talk [br]of climate changes,

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by all means[br]the national government

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has told us to do [br]what we could,

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respectively, for the protection [br]of the peatland

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on the Talacogon Lake.

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But even as we speak,[br]the national government

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has yet to reconcile[br]what would we be doing next

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so as to effectively secure [br]these areas as a protected zone

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within the Agusan Marsh[br]Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Nothing is permanent [br]in this world but change.

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We just hope that people [br]would recognize more

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or people would be inclined more [br]of its protection

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and conservation [br]rather than exploiting it

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for commercial use.

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- What we fear most here [br]as a community is that

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this place will disappear.

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If it reaches here, it’ll be land.

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Over there, it’s already land.

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We’re really afraid—[br]it would be such a waste.

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- Being a Datu—it's something [br]that makes you think twice

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about acting recklessly.

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Being a Datu means [br]being a parent, too.

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You're expected to teach[br]your children the right values,

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to lead by example.

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That's why if I were to pass[br]on this responsibility,

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I'd only give it to someone ready[br]to carry the weight.

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because all the problems [br]of the community feel like

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they rest on your shoulders.

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I've come to realize that yes,[br]the role is difficult—

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but it's not as hard [br]when the community stands together.

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- People realize that [br]there is far more to gain

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by protecting it [br]rather than exploiting it.

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Without this Agusan Marsh,[br]extreme river flooding

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would somehow inundate [br]all of the localities here.

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So it is managed by the DENR [br]and the local government units

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as well, six of it.

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Now the PAMO serves [br]as a foot soldier

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to check everything [br]if all is well.

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- There have been improvements[br]because the LGU supports us

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and helps us with whatever problems [br]we face now.

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The LGU even said [br]they would install

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an emergency water pump here,[br]so we'll have something

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to use when fire breaks out.

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We've been trained[br]in rescue operations.

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That's what we need[br]to protect the area.

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If we didn't care,[br]none of this would exist.

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It would all go to waste.

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So now, the kids would say,[br]"Dad said there used

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to be monkeys here,"[br]but they don't see any—

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because the place [br]has already been abused.

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That's why we have to protect[br]our peatland.

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We won't let it be neglected.

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We keep reminding others here[br]not to abuse the land too much.

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It shouldn't just be us [br]taking care of it—

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it should be everyone.

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What's really important [br]is that everyone in our barangay

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knows and follows the rules[br]we have here.

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These were taught to us[br]during the training we received

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from PAMO and the LGU.

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We locals don't want[br]to abuse the peatland.

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- Why sir?

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- We're already the fifth generation[br]living here,

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handed down from our ancestors—

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it really hurts to see it [br]being destroyed.

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We're thankful to PAMO[br]for organizing us into Bantay Danao.

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So we can protect [br]the environment here

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in our peatland.

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We don't wait to disappear.

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- That is why we get[br]to contribute, respectively,

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for its protection.

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Well, God is still [br]the greatest architect of us all.

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This land may seem idle,[br]but everything has its purpose.

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- We hope everyone sees the value [br]of what the Lord has given.