Applying GIS to Natural Resource Mapping in Babatngon

The past few weeks, I have been trying to combine my knowledge of GIS and Mapping with the coastal resource mapping here in our host site, Babatngon. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an area of mapping and software that uses different datasets such as infrastructure, topography, property boundaries, and the like to create maps and modeling for use in areas such as disaster preparedness and landuse planning, not to mention hundreds of other applications that are being studied and used in other sectors (apart from the environment).

In the early '90s, GPS technology, something used in the U.S. military, was opened up for public use, and has since become a huge part of mapping and using remote sensing to manage large spatial areas. In the United States, we have lots of data on everything now, from forest cover types mapped with GPS units, to city blocks delineated with underground infrastructure and specific addresses of houses, to school groups using the technology for Geocaching for scavenger hunts. Every year or so, new satellite imagery becomes available for every inch of the united states. We update topographic maps often, for higher resolution, or to depict land use changes, or to include information with higher precision. It is insane how much data is out there for use in GIS and spatial planning in the United States.

Then there's the rest of the world. The Philippines is listed as one of the top 2 if not the most disaster prone country in the world. The combination of liquifaction (landslides), volcanoes, fault areas and earthquake-prone areas, as well as low-lying populated coastlines, typhoon potential, as well as other threats makes for a very tenuous situation here. For that reason, extensive mapping, while incredibly good to have for places like the United States, is downright crucial in a country such as this. However, there exists very little spatial data in the Philippines. I have taken it upon myself to begin collecting information from a host of government agencies to develop some semblance of a database for this mapping information. Hurdles to this process are usually inept government officials who don't know where to send me for the informaiton, or the fact that different agencies don't communicate, so even if there was a GIS file for faults of the Philippines at the Department of GeoHazards, the The National Land Mapping agency knows nothing of it. It's frustrating to say the least. I have walked down many a Filipino street in hopes of getting information of this sort, just to leave an hour later bathed in the awesomeness of air conditioning, but empty handed.

The national mapping agency tasked with compiling disaster preparedness data is working on a comprehensive product and has made lots of progress, but when I look at what data they now have available, large sections of the country have not been started. These sections, as you would expect, are the poorest areas of the country usually, and even the 1950's topographic maps have been scanned in to begin the process. Read that again if it didn't hit home, that means maps from 60 years ago are the only resource for land-use planning in over half of a country where 92 million people live. Forget satellite imagery, forget spatial information on infrastructure, power grids, telephone lines, water mains, septic systems, drain fields, reservoirs, none of that. The only repository of spatial information in the 21st century are Topographic maps from the 1950's, maps made, believe it or not, by the United States Military.

Enter Pete. For the past few months, I have been working with these scanned topographic maps, georeferencing those maps to display in GIS, and beginning to try and fill a 60-year mapping void. Additionally, I'm trying to convince Peace Corps central office to begin using geospatial software so that they can plan for potential disasters for volunteers in vulnerable places. That though, is for another blog, another day. I rode a jeep one sunny day about 8 months ago to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Tacloban in hopes of getting a hard copy of one of the U.S. Army maps. An hour later, a man came out from a dilapidated map room, dusty map in hand, rolled up, bound with twine, with signs of never being studing before. I paid 200 pesos for the map of Babatngon, and left, happy with my loot. I've been able to get most of the barangay (village) borders and start looking at infrastructure, health clinics, elementary schools, rice mills, waiting sheds for the jeeps, and most importantly for my project, mapping of natural resources. This has been the fun part.

At 7 a.m. on days where it's hubas (low tide), I meet Edwin at the shoreline and we head off to map corals, mangroves, seagrass areas, and try to ground truth what United States soldiers mapped 60 years ago. With that old map in hand, and Edwin, the captain at the helm, we go to all of the dots on the map where some old soldier long ago said there was coral, demarcated with a squiggly line. Most times, the coral is all gone, signs of years of overfishing apparent, and we snorkel, diving to find seagrass beds the locals claim are there. Sometime's though, we come upon areas that are nearly pristine, schooling fish circle, and dead coral has live buds, signs of rehabilitation. We map mangrove stands, and record the Waray Waray and latin names of all the species using antiquated field guides, hopefully creating a repository that will be used in the future to see what's left. We take pictures, I take notes, and we move on, hoping to hit all of the high points of Babatngon's nearly 40 kilometers of winding, mountainous shoreline. While I snorkel, estimating dead and live percentages of coral, or looking at striations on seagrass and leafscars on mangrove twigs, Edwin anchors the boat, and walks the shore looking for shellfish to take home to his family. Some places we find are suitable for protection, and would be fairly easily managed as a no-fishing area, so I deliberate with Edwin, a born fisherman, why the areas would or would not be good for protection, in the eyes of the locals who depend on them for livelihood. Sometimes I will find a good clam or mussel or abalone when snorkeling, and I will swim to Edwin, hold out my hand, and drop the shell in his hand. Our eyes will meet briefly, his raised eyebrows mean thank you, that the shellfish is a good find. At the end of the day, I take our data that we've collected, and enter it into the GIS database I'm creating, and overlay 60-year-old map data with mine and Edwin's 2011 information. Edwin is very street smart, but if I tried to explain the process to him, he wouldn't understand having never worked with a computer, but he is part of a pr that project that is bridging data from 2 centuries, spanning decades. I think that is pretty neat.

We're about a third of the way done with the survey of the shore areas at this point. We have found 3 or 4 50-hectare areas so far that will make for good protected areas in the future, areas that will hopefully lead to a healthier fishery and higher yields for the fishermen in the future.

Saging is For Loving

The Philippines, as is the case with many other tropical nations, abounds with many different fruits of all shapes and sizes. They have pineapples, papayas, watermelon, rambutan, lanzones, jackfruit, and many others. Among their plethora of fruits is the Saging, or banana. Now, before arriving here, I was under the erroneous assumption that there was but 1 type of Banana, but now I realize what a fallacy that was. Being the ever abundant fruit that it is here, a banana is regarded as a pretty paltry commodity, and usually costs around a peso apiece. They grow everywhere, and you can make out their big, flat leaves along any roadside. The leaves are used as a picnic blanket when you eat out in the forest, and many times, during an unexpected downpour, you'll see many people walking around without an umbrella, but instead shielded from the weather by one of the gigantic leaves. Bananas have big, beautiful red blossoms that grow in the center of the short trees. Many times we'll go to the canteen to have lunch, and the 'Bukad nga Saging' or blossom of the banana will be cooked in a spinach-type concoction, and served with coconut milk. Some bananas are hard, harvested while still unripe, and are boiled, and eaten like a boiled potato. Some of those are sweet, and some are just plain hard, and if you're like me, you'll find yourself at many a Filipino gathering, eyes wide and watering, forcing yet another boiled banana down, wondering how some little tribesman ever stumbled upon this crappy food. There are also the small bananas, about 5 inches long and very sweet called 'kadulce' or 'candy-like' by the locals. They're really very good and I go through them pretty quick. They draw ants pretty quickly though, so when you are offered these in a person's home for snack, you'll notice that these little treats are often sprinkled with little specks of protein. The other main variety of banana's here are the big ones, much like those that you would find at the supermarket at home. They cost 2 pesos (4¢) apiece, are seasonal, and are generally better than any of the bananas that you would get at home. Often when I stoop under the awning of a little tiny Sari Sari store to get a banana, I'm reminded of my granddad and how he'd always be on the lookout for deals on bananas. I'm reminded of how he'd always have to get a few pounds of bananas when they were on a 30¢-per-pound sale. Well Granddad, eat your heart out.

Bananas, like the coconut, are cherished here, and are a part of the culture. Coconut trees are called 'kahoy nga lubi' or 'Tree of Life,' and their byproducts, the coconut wine, the shells of the fruit, the coconut meat, even the fibers of the outer shell are all integral parts of the livelihood here. In much the same way, the leaves, fruit, and blossoms of banana trees are crucial to people here and how they live. An old lady was telling me about how detrimental it is for unwed partners to sleep in the same room and said that it would lead to all the Banana trees being cut down. Honestly, I don't know what she was talking about, but she was making a connection, I thought, between an immoral situation and the grief she would feel if all of the bananas were removed from her home. Sex and giving life is not taboo at all here as it is in the states, so even the most devout old men and women at fiestas will hold a banana up, smile really big, and say "Saging is for loving," phallic innuendo intended.

Sling Shot

Some of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I recently got together for a 'Men's weekend.' Although those of us who are married enjoy the constant companionship of our wives, it is really good sometimes to just have some 'guy time.' We didn't get very rowdy, but hung out in a big hostel bedroom, talking about man stuff. That didn't take too long, and after about an hour of wondering what to say, we all decided to go out and get food, and follow that up with some good ol' men's weekend drinking. Some of us are more overzealous drinkers than others, and by some of us, I mean someone that wasn't me. So, we all got back to the pension sometime that morning and rose to a gloriously hot Philippine morning the next day when I decided that I needed something. I couldn't decide quite what that something was until I saw someone looping a rubber band around toothpaste and a toothbrush and heard the familiar snap of rubber's recoil. I threw on pants and a shirt and headed downtown to get a slingshot, to fill that void that had been throbbing now for months, the need which I had been unable to identify. My companions and I asked at several little establishments with wooded wares. We finally came upon the store I'd been in search of. Tens if not hundreds of little coconut-lumber slingshots hung from a wire, flimsy rubber bands holding the main rubber cords taught, ready for action. For 20 pesos, I got one with red rubber bands. Although mens weekend was fun, my excitement at my purchase drowns the rest of the experience.

This week, I started by replacing flimsy rubber cords with intertube cords for maximum accuracy and effect. The first shot I landed was on one of the hundreds of feral cats that haunt our residence. It was a direct hit, and I have rarely been as successful since. I carefully select stones that I imagine sailing through the air unimpeded by sharp corners or flaws that would reduce aerodynamics. My first assumption was that the slingshot would be used only for feral cats and rats, but rats are so darn fast and nocturnal, that I have had to replace that void with chickens as the need arises. I continue trying to perfect my weapon, increasing tension, finding good rocks, shaving the 'V' in the middle of the slingshot down, so as to allow for larger ammunition. I recognize my preoccupation with bigger, faster, and more efficient weaponry as symbolic of one of the overarching reasons for international nuclear proliferation. Maybe Iran or North Korea just wants bigger, better projectiles, just like me. It's a scary thought.

As a personal note to family and friends at home, yes, I am still working hard and doing what I'm supposed to be doing here. At the same time though, I am getting to be a mean sling-shotter.

Philippine Workday

This is a real-time blog, as I like to call it, or I'm writing the thoughts as they form in my head. I don't know if it's a good writing strategy, but there's no one here to tell about this, so I'm left to write a blog about it, purging overwhelming anxiety as it develops.

I got in to work today at the Municipal Agriculture Office around 8:20. There was no one here except Mano Odic, a really skinny guy with gaudy glasses sitting at his little desk, hands folded in front of him, desk clear of any papers, staring out into space. I came into the back room, where my materials have been placed, and plugged in the extension cord to my computer. Rats have eaten though all of the electrical connections in the building except for one outlet, in the ceiling of the main office. The extension cord is strung though to the room where I am currently sitting, offering me some semblance of work, since then I can plug things in. At 8:35, one of the flamboyantly feminine male mayor assistants came by and stuck an electrical cord through the window, and asked me to plug it in to the power strip I am using. I had to extend the extension to reach so as to plug the mystery appliance in. As soon as the plug found current and I saw the familiar spark that signals electrical connection here, a large sound rocked the building and I jumped from my seat.

As incredibly loud '80s remixes started pouring from some sort of amplification system I had just abetted, the gay dude looks at me, winks, and then walks over to a spot 10 feet from the window, and proceeds to dance, fluidly swaying his hips from side to side, eager for his colleagues to join him.

Now it is 9:10. One person of the 12 that work here has actually come into the office. Most of the remaining employees here have driven motorcycles into the parking lot, begun the walk into the office, but, upon hearing the music emanating from the sound system, have been lulled into a semi-catatonic state where they are compelled to sing along to all the songs, top of their lungs, and yes, dance alongside their very colorful colleague, the arbiter of the happiness.

'What holiday is it?' you ask. 'What celebrated occasion is the source of all of this mirth?' We have a fiesta coming up in 16 days and they are just doing sound checks for the equipment. One sound check is not enough though; while we have the equipment out, may as well use it to its fullest. Yesterday, everyone took the day off because it was the Monday after Easter, and everybody knows you're sleeping the day away on the Monday after Easter. It's almost compulsory here.

Oops, the sound system just broke. So sad.

Going Viral

Just the other day, I met another PCV in the coffee shop where we do all of our internet dealings on Saturdays. We sat side by side for a half an hour or so, and becoming bored with my to do list, my eyes wandered to her screen where I saw she was watching something on You Tube while talking to a friend on skype. I was curious, and avoiding my work, asked her if there's any good You Tube stuff that I've been missing, since I've been out of 'the know' for some time now. She said not really, but one video had become quite popular over the past 6 months in the states, and that I should download it and watch. The You Tube sensation was one that I'm sure everyone has heard of by now, 'Double Rainbow' a filming of a double rainbow in Yosemite National Park after a cloudburst. For 3 minutes, the guy goes on and on about the double rainbow, its magnificence, how he's never seen one so complete and 'awesome.' She watched the video with me, telling how popular it had become, we laughed at how over-the-top the video was, and then went back to what we had been doing.

I thought the video funny for the length of time that the man went on, and the level of emotion he had about this seemingly benign natural occurrence, but couldn't wrap my head around why, out of all the videos on YouTube, all the freaks and bloopers and misfits out there, this video of YosemiteBear had made it so far. Well, this week, as with most every week here, I have had ample time to hash it out. So here goes:

It may be precocious of me to suggest, especially for those who have spent much longer away from the US than I, but I feel like I have been away from the states and 'our' communities long enough to have gotten a pretty objective view on our culture. Every day, I see people acting in a way that's radically different than how I would imagine people at home acting. There's good things and bad things; for example, people here tend to be misleading and indirect so as not to offend, people at home are direct and to-the-point so as to avoid miscommunication and unintended mistakes. These cultures are equally offensive, it just so happens that one culture's attributes lead towards a social culture of interwoven relationships and families, but little progress, while the other culture's attributes leads towards a much more efficient, progressive culture with a dwindling social element. Six of one, one half dozen of the other, as my brother would say.

So what does this all have to do with the quack in Yosemite? Well in the Philippines, I don't think that video would have ever gone viral. I think a lot of the Filipinos here would, in the video, see a man who may have a chemical imbalance, but they would not find his passion about the rainbow absurd, as I'm sure many of the States' YouTube watchers probably did. Television programs here routinely are very dramatic, almost sickening to my American sensibilities.

On a website with everything from T & A dances from Beyonce, to the inebriated ramblings of a little boy returning from a dentist appointment, what made this particular clip get so much attention? I posit YosemiteBear is an old, white man, which, whether deserved or not, is a very attractive demographic in our society to ridicule. Might be a little hard to swallow, but who, other than an aging caucasian male, could garner such widespread disparagement in the U.S.? Secondly, and most importantly, our society is so pragmatic, so removed from 'primitive' emotions and appreciation for simplicity, that the extreme passion that this man recorded for the world was unsettling for the American public. Instead of arousing wonder, amazement at the emotions of this old wanderer, the video incited ridicule, pity for such a lost soul.

YosemiteBear probably needs help, and he should learn not to set up his tent on a hill, but he may be tapping into a profound love for nature and an understanding of the basics that our myopic culture has lost.

Commencement 2011

**The other day, I was asked by a friend who teaches at a local high school to give the commencement address there. I've helped out at the school on various projects, and gotten to know some of the kids, so decided that I would be honored to try and give a respectable address. Knowing that most of the students have only a rudimentary understanding of English, I know that it didn't get through to some of those in attendance, but given my small vocabulary in the local dialect, any speech attempted in pure Waray Waray would have been less than an inspiration. I inserted some Waray explanation where I could, but below is the speech I delivered. This post is at the bequest of family who wanted to read what I said, so if you're not into reading this, you can move on, guilt free, to the next blog post. If, infact, you decide to read this, keep in mind the fact that this speech was given in a very rural village community, only accessible by motorcycle. In the free world of the United States, parts of the message are rather benign, but in the Oligarchical society of the Philippines, some of the prose I'm sure is a bit provocative. **

 

Maupay Nga aga ha iyo nga tanan. Damo nga salamat para ha namon nga invitatione dinhi. Ako hi Peter H. Barlow, taga ha Virginia, United States. Pasentia, pero dire ako maaram damo damo nga Waray Waray, so I will be speaking mostly in English this morning. So, again, good morning Dr. Kalingag, my good friend Kuya Nic, esteemed teachers, politicians, good friends, and most importantly, our graduates.

First of all, let me say how honored I am to speak with all of you, to be able to greet you all, the graduates of San Augustin's national high school with some final words of advice before you all move into the next phase of your journey.

As many of you already know, I was born in Western Virginia, and grew up in a small, rural town called Montezuma, a place with lots of hills, lots of farms, and lots of wonderful, nice people.

After serving in the military, my father worked for 35 years for the government finding jobs for disadvantaged people, people who were poor, or people who were disabled. My mom counseled married couples and troubled people, and tried to help them to have better lives.

From my parents, I learned the importance of honesty and loyalty, and of serving other people.

My brother Ben lives in Maryland and is an attorney. His wife, Monica is a great writer and editor for the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Team. Both of them are very smart, warm people.

My wife, Selena, whom I met in college is my best friend. We do everything together and are lucky to have found each other. She is the wisest person I have ever met. Her parents, my mother and father in law are extremely supportive, kind people as well. Now you all know about me. (Pause)

When I looked at the program for today's event, I was impressed by the theme. The graduates: Partners toward a transformational society, an answer to social change.

So, what is social change? Why is it important enough that it would be the theme of this commencement celebration? Social Change is progress of entire communities towards a better future. It is the change that takes place when a person makes a decision to keep going, remaining honest, remaining loyal to what they know is right, in the face of hardship and adversity, in order for the whole community to benefit. Social change is difficult, but it is crucial to the welfare of everyone, and integral to a transformational society. Social change is honesty, transparency, hard work, and ingenuity. Without these four things, Social change will not happen. Look around. We have signs that say 'Honesty is the best policy' and to be honest even if others are not, to drive with caution, to stop, slow down, be respectful, pay the fee, be transparent with funds, report all earnings, pay the taxes. Are these signs just suggestions? Are they meant to be read, but not taken to heart? Are they just here to nag us into being nice people?

No! We have signs saying to be honest and laws to be transparent because that is how a functioning society works. If we do not abide by certain principals as a whole, if we do not all work together with industry, and if we do not use God-given talents for ingenuity, we cannot achieve social change. You, the graduates of San Augustin high school of Babatngon, Leyte, Philippines, have completed your secondary education. You now have the knowledge to go to college, or become a business man, or business woman, or tradesman or tradeswoman, or whatever you desire. Along with that privilege, you also have the responsibility of being partners and leaders in your communities toward Social Change. As high-school educated young people, you are the economic and political leaders of tomorrow. The future is up to you. Now it is time to decide if you will lead towards social change, the honesty, transparency, hard work, and ingenuity that comes with it, or if you will not. The Babatngon of the future depends on your leadership.

Finally, I would like to say that I have gotten to know many of you. Through teaching a few classes here, and in Juan Tismo National High School, as well as at St. Vincent Ferrer, I have seen what students here are capable of. Before serving here in the Peace Corps, I taught at high schools and a University in the United States and got to know many of the students there. I am here to tell you that there is no difference between you and students in the United States, or Canada, or France, or Italy. You are just as smart, just as beautiful, and have just as much potential as any other students anywhere. I know that for a fact. There is no difference. The only difference is whether or not you are willing to keep pushing to get to the top. So that's it. No excuses. You can do whatever you want to do, if only you are willing to work for it. If you need money, apply for a scholarship, if you need food, grow it, if you need fare, earn it, but never ever give up. Corazon Aquino said, "I would rather die a meaningful death than to have lived a meaningless life." So think as you go and prepare for the next step of your life's journey, what will you do to make your life meaningful? With the tools that a high school education gives you, how will you now help to lead your community to social change?

Thank you all for your time, and I wish the graduates the best as they continue learning.