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 flood waters
for the entire Agusan River Basin.

Without it, who knows
what would happen

to neighbor 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 threat.

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?

- 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
in order to uplift

and protect our wetlands.

***- Ang tao rito sa amin sa ngayon nakokontrol pag nandito na kami nakabantay. Di katulad palagi noon na tao labas pasok.

- 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,

engages 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.

***- Ito ang lugar na tinatawag na wala kang boss, ikaw lang ang boss dito. Mag-ano ka ng pangingisda tapos pagkabukas, meron ka ng huling isda.

- 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.

***- Nung nagkamalay ako, mga six or five years, pinakamalawak pa talaga tong parang dagat. Tapos ang pinakamemory ko yung nakikita ko talaga yung parang virgin area pa talaga, wala pang nasisira, yung tubig malinis pa, mainom pa, tapos marami pang isda. Kasi nung time na yun nandiyan pa yung ninuno namin.

- 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.

- 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.

***- Yung nakasira yung soil erosion, climate change, inaabuso ng ib ang tao. Pagkabaha, pag tumataas ang tubig, ang madadamage itong Agusan Marsh. Ang ibang leak

***- Humanap kami ng paraan na paano kami makikita rito, pano malalaman ang mga problem dito. Yun nagsimula, naorient kami ng Tuklas Katutubo Balik-Tribo na dapat ipaglaban niyo ang tribo niyo. Yung sabi na walang sinumang makatulong sa inyo kundi mismo kami. Kaya simula noon, narinig na nila, nakita na nila kung ano yung mga problema namin.