The Mysterious Water World of the Philippines (Agusan Marsh)

- Everything around you is alive.

We live in a world
where the palette

is overwhelmingly gray on blue.

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

Here, you can see
the world breathe.

Highways are replaced by streams,
cars by canoes.

Your eyes think that
you're surrounded by land,

but it's a trick.

Underneath the growth,
more water,

a quiet resistance.

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

There is no place
in the Philippines

that carries more mystery
than the Agusan Marsh.

Some people see these wetlands
merely as ecosystems

and important biodiverse areas.

Others see them
as big bags of cash,

land to be turned
into highly efficient farms,

but a few people see them
as a home.

And this is their story.

The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary
stretches across

40,000-plus hectares
of wetlands,

roughly the size of Manila.

It's one of the biggest
in Southeast Asia

and one of the most vital
in the Philippines.

A Ramsar Site, globally recognized
but barely talked about.

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

It acts like a giant sponge
during typhoon season,

absorbing floodwaters
for the entire Agusan River Basin.

Without it, who knows
what would happen

to neighboring towns like Butuan?

It's home to rare birds,
floating villages,

and indigenous communities
who've learned to live

with the rise
and fall of the water.

But it's under threats.

Pollution and climate change
are slowly choking it.

- Life cannot simply exist
without the Agusan Marsh.

The marsh protects everything here.

When you talk
of the Agusan Marsh,

you got to take into account
the bigger picture

of the Agusan River Basin.

Technically, that's the third
largest river system

in the Philippines,
encompassing Regions XI and XIII—

that's Davao and Caraga.

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

And come to think of it,
everything revolves

around this catch basin.

They say that life begins here.

There can never ever be
an Agusan del Sur

without the Agusan Marsh.

- What's that, Datu?

- For defense.

- Walking stick.

Datu Artemio was selected
as one of the leaders

due to his Lumad lineage.

The Lumad are some
of the first wave of people

to settle in the Philippines,
specifically around Mindanao.

Their ancestral land
is often highly sought-after,

making them one
of the most vulnerable

ethnic groups in the country.

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

to their pre-colonial culture.

As in most areas
in the Philippines,

where there is
a strong indigenous ancestry,

most people with roles to play
in the community also happen

to have official
government positions.

Datu was previously
an LGU official and now his son

is barangay captain.

They both lead the people
in Caimpugan and its peatland,

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

The relationship
between indigenous religions

and the Catholic Church
is complex,

marked by both historical tensions
and reconciliation.

Indigenous religions,
often rooted in animism

and oral traditions,
are distinct from the church's

codified beliefs and practices.

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

usually completely erase
the other,

parts of it are indigenized.

So you'll find people praying
to the Catholic God

alongside other entities.

Where people live with the land,
these are still

a common practice.

Most of the people here
are Catholic,

but their own Lumad culture
is still very strong,

as it should be.

These rituals are carried out
to ensure safe passage

and acceptance
into the community.

- What we have here
within the Augustan Marsh

Wildlife Santuary
is the Caimpugan peatland.

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

But according to the ICUN,
they believe that peatland

conserves 30%
of the world's carbon,

and that is twice as much
carbon sequestered

as compared to all
the rainforests combined.

The conservation of wetlands
is crucial because it mitigates

the impacts of climate change.

If it is damaged,
it releases tons of CO2

far greater than anything.

- The people here with us, for now,
are controlled

because we’re already here
as Bantay Danao.

Unlike before when people
kept coming in and out.

- In order to uplift
and protect our wetlands,

The Society for the Conservation
of Philippine Wetlands

mobilizes advocates
across the Philippines

in the world
to facilitate conservations

and pioneer technical assistance.

Together with them
is the Protected Area

Management Office, or PAMO,
which manages

the overall conservation
of the Agusan Marsh.

One of their efforts
includes marshaling volunteers

across all communities
to guard the marsh,

birthing the fearless group
called Bantay Danao.

- When we were kids,

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

we would come here and play.

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

and eat them.

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

Because back then,
this whole place

was still flat and untouched.

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

The weather isn't the same anymore.

And there are people
abusing the land.

- People never mind talking
of climate change

in its first inception
before that Kyoto Protocol

way back 2005.

But people began realizing
the true value of its protection

because we had a number
of extreme river flooding

like never before.

We had an extreme
river flooding in 2014,

followed by an extreme
river flooding in 2017

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

By having seen it
and experienced it firsthand,

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

protecting the adjacent localities

on all those places downstream,
more so Butuan City.

Believe me,
without the Agusan Marsh,

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

People realize that we get
to change something

for the better.

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

within Agusan del Sur.

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

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

There's a huge difference
between before and now.

Different types of grasses
are growing now.

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

you could already see clearly.

Because the floods brought seeds
from over there

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

It used to be much cooler
than now.

That's why now our peatland
has problems—

because it catches fire.

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

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

Even a small problem here
in the forest

can easily spark a fire
because of the heat.

This is what burns—

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

There's not much we can do.

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

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

Because the firemen
can't get inside here.

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

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

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

All you can really do is pray.

- Experience is the greatest
teacher of us all.

Come to think of it,
the Agusan Marsh is overseen

by six localities as well.

When you talk
of the Augustan Marsh

Wildlife Sanctuary,
Talacogon is not alone.

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

engage in the protection
and the preservation

of the peatland.

It is just a common thing
that everybody is obliged

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

this is our way of life.

- The Panlabuhan floating village
is home to the Manobo tribe,

families who've lived here
for generations,

moving with the rhythm
of the water.

Their homes rise and fall
with the marsh—

tethered but never fixed.

You've probably heard
of floating villages before.

You're picturing houses on stilts
where the home

is elevated enough
that the water rarely touches

the bottom.

They are made to never meet—

not here.

The houses are built on anchored
floating bamboo platforms.

When a typhoon hits
and the water volume increases,

the houses and everything
around them simply swell with it.

The water level can vary
as much as 10 meters

and is highly unpredictable
as the flooding season

has become erratic.

- The Agusan Marsh is everything to me.

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

I was born here.

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

No woman would've agreed
to be with me,

because we had no wealth
to show.

What I proudly offered my wife
was the marsh—

this is our treasure.

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

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

you are the boss here.

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

you already have your catch.

- Fishing is life here.

They set their fish cages
in the morning,

leave them for the day,
and return at dusk,

hoping that the river
has provided.

Once caught, these are dried
for consumption

and to be sold.

They've also dealt
with an increase

of an invasive
water hyacinth species

that clogs their passageways
into the marsh

and harms their livelihood.

Daily, they fight
for their way of life.

Marites Babanto,
the local tour guide,

remembers a time
when the marsh felt endless,

but now it's getting smaller,
drying up,

and the storms
are getting stronger.

- When I became aware,
around six or five years old,

this really looked like a vast sea.

And what I remember most
is seeing what looked like

a truly virgin area—
nothing destroyed yet,

the water still clean, drinkable,
and there were still

plenty of fish.

Because during that time,
our ancestors were still here.

- The Agusan Marsh
started making headlines

when Lolong, the world's
largest crocodile in captivity,

was caught here.

At 6.17 meters, he broke records

and then, just over a year later,

died in a cage too small
for his legend.

But long before Lolong,
this place was already home.

Datu recalls that his grandparents
fled here to hide

from the Japanese soldiers
in World War II

seeking refuge in the swamps.

Marites says her grandfather,
Lolo Pidong,

eventually decided
to settle here,

who came with their families—
attracted by the peace

and bountiful fishing
the marsh provided.

Their ancestors used to live
in tree houses,

but no matter how high
the houses were,

their dwellings always
got swamped during floods

and typhoons.

That's when they had
the thought of building

a house on rafts.

Three generations later,
their descendants are still here.

The times have changed.

Their ways need to adapt
to commercial interests,

erratic weather
and outside influences,

but this is still their home.

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

for the problems here
to be known.

That’s when it started—
we were oriented

by Tuklas Katutubo Balik-Tribo

that we should fight
for our tribe.

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

So since then, they heard it,

they saw what our problems were.

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

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

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

and finish school.

All I wish—for myself
and for our children—

is that they get to reach
at least elementary,

even just high school.

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

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

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

What we do is just offer kindness
from the heart.

What matters most is that
you live honestly and do good

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

From what I've observed,
this Catholic chapel

has truly been a blessing.

I'm deeply grateful
to all those who offered help

and donated materials.

Because our livelihood really depends
on the seasons.

- What caused the damage
was soil erosion,

climate change,
and abuse by some people.

When there’s flooding,
when the water rises,

the Agusan Marsh gets damaged.

The other lakes here...
it’s like this is the only one left—

Kaningbaylan Lake.

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

When the water rises,
especially during Typhoon Pablo,

all the wood, everything,
all the trash comes in here.

That’s because of the abuse
by others.

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

- So when you talk
of climate changes,

by all means
the national government

has told us to do
what we could,

respectively, for the protection
of the peatland

on the Talacogon Lake.

But even as we speak,
the national government

has yet to reconcile
what would we be doing next

so as to effectively secure
these areas as a protected zone

within the Agusan Marsh
Wildlife Sanctuary.

Nothing is permanent
in this world but change.

We just hope that people
would recognize more

or people would be inclined more
of its protection

and conservation
rather than exploiting it

for commercial use.

- What we fear most here
as a community is that

this place will disappear.

If it reaches here, it’ll be land.

Over there, it’s already land.

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

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

about acting recklessly.

Being a Datu means
being a parent, too.

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

to lead by example.

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

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

because all the problems
of the community feel like

they rest on your shoulders.

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

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

- People realize that
there is far more to gain

by protecting it
rather than exploiting it.

Without this Agusan Marsh,
extreme river flooding

would somehow inundate
all of the localities here.

So it is managed by the DENR
and the local government units

as well, six of it.

Now the PAMO serves
as a foot soldier

to check everything
if all is well.

- There have been improvements
because the LGU supports us

and helps us with whatever problems
we face now.

The LGU even said
they would install

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

to use when fire breaks out.

We've been trained
in rescue operations.

That's what we need
to protect the area.

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

It would all go to waste.

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

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

because the place
has already been abused.

That's why we have to protect
our peatland.

We won't let it be neglected.

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

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

it should be everyone.

What's really important
is that everyone in our barangay

knows and follows the rules
we have here.

These were taught to us
during the training we received

from PAMO and the LGU.

We locals don't want
to abuse the peatland.

- Why sir?

- We're already the fifth generation
living here,

handed down from our ancestors—

it really hurts to see it
being destroyed.

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

So we can protect
the environment here

in our peatland.

We don't want it to disappear.

- That is why we get
to contribute, respectively,

for its protection.

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

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

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