WEBVTT

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- Everything around you is alive.

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We live in a world 
where the palette

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is overwhelmingly gray on blue.

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If you're lucky, you get 
a sporadic smudge of green.

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Here you can see 
the world breathe.

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Highways are replaced by streams, 
cars by canoes.

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Your eyes think that 
you're surrounded by land,

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but it's a trick.

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Underneath the growth, 
more water,

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a quiet resistance.

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You follow one path today, 
and by tomorrow it's gone.

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There is no place 
in the Philippines

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that carries more mystery
than the Agusan Marsh.

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Some people see these wetlands 
merely as ecosystems

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and important biodiverse areas.

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Others see them 
as big bags of cash,

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land to be turned 
into highly efficient farms,

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but a few people see them 
as a home.

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And this is their story.

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The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary 
stretches across

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40,000 plus hectares 
of wetlands,

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roughly the size of Manila.

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It's one of the biggest 
in Southeast Asia

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and one of the most vital 
in the Philippines.

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A Ramsar Site, globally recognized 
but barely talked about.

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It's all interconnected by lakes, 
rivers, marshes and ponds.

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It acts like a giant sponge 
during typhoon season,

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absorbing flood waters 
for the entire Agusan River Basin.

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Without it, who knows 
what would happen

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to neighbor towns like Butuan?

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It's home to rare birds, 
floating villages,

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and indigenous communities 
who've learned to live

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with the rise 
and fall of the water.

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But it's under threat.

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Pollution and climate change 
are slowly choking it.

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- Life cannot simply exist 
without the Agusan Marsh.

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The marsh protects everything here.

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When you talk 
of the Agusan Marsh,

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you got to take into account 
the bigger picture

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of the Agusan River Basin.

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Technically, that's the third 
largest river system

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in the Philippines, 
encompassing Regions XI and XIII—

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that's Davao and Caraga.

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What you have here in our town, 
your catch basin.

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And come to think of it, 
everything revolves

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around this catch basin.

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They say that life begins here.

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There can never ever be 
an Agusan del Sur

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without the Agusan Marsh.

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- What's that, Datu?

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- Walking stick.

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Datu Artemio was selected 
as one of the leaders

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due to his Lumad lineage.

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The Lumad are some 
of the first wave of people

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to settle in the Philippines, 
specifically around Mindanao.

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Their ancestral land 
is often highly sought-after,

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making them one 
of the most vulnerable

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ethnic groups in the country.

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They are also one of the few groups
that have held on

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to their pre-colonial culture.

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As in most areas 
in the Philippines,

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where there is 
a strong indigenous ancestry,

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most people with roles to play 
in the community also happen

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to have official 
government positions.

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Datu was previously 
an LGU official and now his son

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is barangay captain.

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They both lead the people 
in Caimpugan and its peatland,

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one of the many parts 
of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

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The relationship 
between indigenous religions

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and the Catholic Church 
is complex,

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marked by both historical tensions 
and reconciliation.

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Indigenous religions, 
often rooted in animism

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and oral traditions, 
are distinct from the church's

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codified beliefs and practices.

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Just like when we were colonized, 
one culture doesn't

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usually completely erase 
the other,

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parts of it are indigenized.

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So you'll find people praying 
to the Catholic God

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alongside other entities.

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Where people live with the land, 
these are still

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a common practice.

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Most of the people here 
are Catholic,

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but their own Lumad culture 
is still very strong,

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as it should be.

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These rituals are carried out 
to ensure safe passage

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and acceptance 
into the community.

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- What we have here within 
the Augustan Marsh Wildlife Santuary

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is the Caimpugan peatland.

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The peatland, it covers just 3% 
of the Earth's surface.

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But according to the ICUN, 
they believe that peatland

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conserves 30% 
of the world's carbon,

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and that is twice as much 
carbon sequestered

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as compared to all 
the rainforests combined.

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The conservation of wetlands 
is crucial because it mitigates

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the impacts of climate change.

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If it is damaged, 
it releases tons of CO2

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far greater than anything 
in order to uplift

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and protect our wetlands.

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- The people here with us now 
are under control

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when we’re here watching over.

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Unlike before when people 
kept coming in and out.

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- In order to uplift
and protect our wetlands,

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The Society for the Conservation 
of Philippine Wetlands

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mobilizes advocates 
across the Philippines

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in the world 
to facilitate conservations

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and pioneer technical assistance.

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Together with them 
is the Protected Area

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Management Office, or PAMO, 
which manages

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the overall conservation 
of the Agusan Marsh.

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One of their efforts 
includes marshaling volunteers

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across all communities 
to guard the marsh,

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birthing the fearless group
called Bantay Danao.

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- When we were kids,

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on days when we didn't have classes
in elementary school,

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we would come here and play.

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We would pick fruits from the trees—
kandiis (a sour fruit)—

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and eat them.

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We'd see monkeys here. 
Also wild pigs, and deer.

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Because back then, 
this whole place

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was still flat and untouched.

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But now, it's different.
Because of the heat.

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The weather isn't the same anymore.

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And there are people
abusing the land.

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- People never mind talking 
of climate change

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in its first inception 
before that Kyoto Protocol

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way back 2005.

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But people began realizing 
the true value of its protection

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because we had a number 
of extreme river flooding

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like never before.

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We had an extreme 
river flooding in 2014,

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followed by an extreme 
river flooding in 2017

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and just recently in 2024, 
February 6th last year.

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By having seen it 
and experienced it firsthand,

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this Agusan Marsh serves 
as nature's kind of dam,

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protecting the adjacent localities

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on all those places downstream, 
more so Butuan City.

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Believe me, 
without the Agusan Marsh,

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there wouldn't be any place 
called Butuan City at all.

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People realize that we get 
to change something

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for the better.

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For if not there would be far 
more extreme river flooding.

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within Agusan del Sur.

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- Our peatland area is so vast 
that even with regular patrols,

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we can't cover the entire place
in just a month.

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There's a huge difference 
between before and now.

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Different types of grasses
are growing now.

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It's not like before where even
from far away,

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you could already see clearly.

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Because the floods brought seeds
from over there

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and carried them here,
and now they're growing.

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It used to be much cooler
than now.

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That's why now our peatland 
has problems—

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because it catches fire.

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Before, the weather was cooler.
Now it's different.

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There are about 4 to 5 months here
that are very hot.

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Even a small problem here 
in the forest

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can easily spark a fire

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because of the heat.

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This is what burns—

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when a small piece of wood cracks,
it sparks and catches fire.

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There's not much we can do.

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By the time we get here,
the fire is already big.

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We just take pictures 
and call the local government for help.

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Because the firemen
can't get inside here.

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Sometimes we bring tools to try 
to beat the fire down.

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Like here, if it burns here,
we hit it to try to stop it—

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but when the fire surrounds you,
it's impossible.

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All you can really do is pray.

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- Experience is the greatest 
teacher of us all.

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Come to think of it, 
the Agusan Marsh is overseen

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by six localities as well.

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When you talk 
of the Augustan Marsh

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Wildlife Sanctuary, 
Talacogon is not alone.

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The LGUs of San Francisco, 
Rosario, Bunawan, Loreto, La Paz,

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engages in the protection 
and the preservation

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of the peatland.

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It is just a common thing 
that everybody is obliged

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to do their part 
because this is their way of life,

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this is our way of life.

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The Panlabuhan floating village 
is home to the Manobo tribe,

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families who've lived here 
for generations,

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moving with the rhythm 
of the water.

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Their homes rise and fall
with the marsh,

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tethered but never fixed.

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You've probably heard 
of floating villages before.

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You're picturing houses on stilts 
where the home

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is elevated enough 
that the water rarely touches

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the bottom.

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They are made to never meet—

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not here.

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The houses are built on anchored 
floating bamboo platforms.

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When a typhoon hits 
and the water volume increases,

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the houses and everything 
around them simply swell with it.

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The water level can vary 
as much as 10 meters

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and is highly unpredictable
as the flooding season

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has become erratic.

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- The Agusan Marsh is everything to me.

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I'm going to speak honestly,
no holding back—

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I was born here.

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Without the marsh, 
I wouldn't even be married.

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No woman would've agreed 
to be with me,

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because we had no wealth
to show.

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What I proudly offered my wife
was the marsh—

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this is our treasure.

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It's the gold I can present
to my family and my child.

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- This is the kind of place 
where you have no boss—

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you are the boss here.

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You go out to fish, 
and by the next day,

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you already have your catch.

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- Fishing is life here.

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They set their fish cages 
in the morning,

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leave them for the day, 
and return at dusk,

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hoping that the river 
has provided.

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Once caught, these are dried 
for consumption

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and to be sold.

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They've also dealt 
with an increase

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of an invasive 
water hyacinth species

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that clogs their passageways 
into the marsh

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and harms their livelihood.

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Daily, they fight 
for their way of life.

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Marites Babanto, 
the local tour guide,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
remembers a time 
when the marsh felt endless.

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But now it's getting smaller, 
drying up,

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and the storms 
are getting stronger.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- When I became aware, 
around six or five years old,

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this really looked like a vast sea.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And what I remember most 
is seeing what looked like

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a truly virgin area—
nothing destroyed yet,

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the water still clean, drinkable,
and there were still

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
plenty of fish.

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Because during that time, 
our ancestors were still here.

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- The Agusan Marsh 
started making headlines

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when Lolong, the world's 
largest crocodile in captivity,

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was caught here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
At 6.17 meters, he broke records

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then, just over a year later,

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died in a cage too small 
for his legend.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But long before Lolong, 
this place was already home.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Datu recalls that his grandparents 
fled here to hide

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from the Japanese soldiers 
in World War II

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
seeking refuge in the swamps.

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Marites says her grandfather, 
Lolo Pidong,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
eventually decided 
to settle here,

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who came with their families, 
attracted by the peace

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and bountiful fishing 
the marsh provided.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Their ancestors used to live 
in tree houses,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but no matter how high 
the houses were,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
their dwellings always 
got swamped during floods

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and typhoons.

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That's when they had 
the thought of building

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a house on rafts.

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Three generations later, 
their descendants are still here.

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The times have changed.

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Their ways need to adapt 
to commercial interests,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
erratic weather 
and outside influences,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but this is still their home.

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- For me, as an IP 
(Indigenous Person),

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they say IPs don't reach school—
but if that's true,

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it's only because of how hard
it is for us to get an education

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and finish school.

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All I wish—for myself
and for our children—

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is that they get to reach 
at least elementary,

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even just high school.

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What's important is 
that they learn how to read.

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Because even for me, 
I won't hide it—it's hard.

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I struggle to read English,
I struggle to speak Tagalog.

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What we do is just offer kindness
from the heart.

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What matters most is that
you live honestly and do good

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in this world, so that life 
won't be as hard on you.

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From what I've observed,
this Catholic chapel

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
has truly been a blessing.

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I'm deeply grateful 
to all those who offered help

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and donated materials.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Because our livelihood really depends
on the seasons.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- We looked for a way for us 
to be seen here,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for the problems here 
to be known.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That’s when it started—
we were oriented

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by Tuklas Katutubo Balik-Tribo

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that we should fight 
for our tribe.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That they said no one else 
can help us but ourselves.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So since then, they heard it,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
they saw what our problems were.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- What caused the damage 
was soil erosion,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
climate change, 
and abuse by some people.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
When there’s flooding, 
when the water rises,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Agusan Marsh gets damaged.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The other lakes here... 
it’s like this is the only lake left.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Because the place we passed—
Dagon Creek—is man-made.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
When the water rises, 
especially during Typhoon Pablo,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
all the wood, everything, 
all the trash comes in here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That’s because of the abuse 
by others.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If something still can be done, 
it must be done right away.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- So when you talk 
of climate changes,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by all means
the national government

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
has told us to do 
what we could,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
respectively, for the protection 
of the peatland

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
on the Talacogon Lake.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But even as we speak,
the national government

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
has yet to reconcile
what would we be doing next

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so as to effectively secure 
these areas as a protected zone

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
within the Agusan Marsh
Wildlife Sanctuary.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Nothing is permanent 
in this world but change.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We just hope that people 
would recognize more

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or people would be inclined more 
of its protection

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and conservation 
rather than exploiting it

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for commercial use.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- What we fear most here 
as a community is that

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this place will disappear.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If it reaches here, it’ll be land.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Over there, it’s already land.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We’re really afraid—
it would be such a waste.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- Being a Datu—it's something 
that makes you think twice

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about acting recklessly.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Being a Datu means 
being a parent, too.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You're expected to teach
your children the right values,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to lead by example.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's why if I were to pass
on this responsibility,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'd only give it to someone ready
to carry the weight.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because all the problems 
of the community feel like

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
they rest on your shoulders.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I've come to realize that yes,
the role is difficult—

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but it's not as hard 
when the community stands together.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- People realize that 
there is far more to gain

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by protecting it 
rather than exploiting it.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Without this Agusan Marsh,
extreme river flooding

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
would somehow inundate 
all of the localities here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So it is managed by the DENR 
and the local government units

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as well, six of it.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Now the PAMO serves 
as a foot soldier

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to check everything 
if all is well.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- There have been improvements
because the LGU supports us

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and helps us with whatever problems 
we face now.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The LGU even said 
they would install

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
an emergency water pump here,
so we'll have something

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to use when fire breaks out.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We've been trained
in rescue operations.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's what we need
to protect the area.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If we didn't care,
none of this would exist.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It would all go to waste.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So now, the kids would say,
"Dad said there used

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to be monkeys here,"
but they don't see any—

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because the place 
has already been abused.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's why we have to protect
our peatland.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We won't let it be neglected.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We keep reminding others here
not to abuse the land too much.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It shouldn't just be us 
taking care of it—

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it should be everyone.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What's really important 
is that everyone in our barangay

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
knows and follows the rules
we have here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
These were taught to us
during the training we received

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from PAMO and the LGU.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We locals don't want
to abuse the peatland.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- Why sir?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- We're already the fifth generation
living here,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
handed down from our ancestors—

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it really hurts to see it 
being destroyed.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We're thankful to PAMO
for organizing us into Bantay Danao.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So we can protect 
the environment here

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in our peatland.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We don't wait to disappear.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- That is why we get
to contribute, respectively,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for its protection.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, God is still 
the greatest architect of us all.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This land may seem idle,
but everything has its purpose.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
- We hope everyone sees the value 
of what the Lord has given.