It was all over the radio, television, and newspapers. Rowena Romano and her cousin Jennifer Daga-as were rowing their wooden banca home in Lake Mihaba, barangay San Marcos, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur when a saltwater crocodile suddenly attacked them.
For the information of the uninformed, saltwater crocodiles are considered the largest living among crocodilians and reptiles on Earth. Its average size is 17 feet.
According to reports, the crocodile bumped the banca, causing it to capsize, and caught the 12-year-old Romano by the head, before bringing her down into the water. A fisherman, who was following the two young girls, rescued the other girl.
“When I was a kid accompanying my parents, the crocodiles then were even afraid by the mere sound of human voice and engines of motorboats,” 57-year-old Manobo tribal leader Bae Ligaya Daga-as told newsmen who visited the area. “Now, they are not afraid anymore.”
So when Sonny Dizon asked me if I wanted to join the group in a nature trip going to Agusan Marsh – of which Lake Mihaba is a part of – I had a second thought. But then, he is the man behind the Davao Crocodile Park and those thrill adventures like wild water rafting, zip line, and the giant water slide in Samal, I decided to come along.
After more than four hours of travel from Davao City to Agusan del Sur, we finally arrived at the town of Bunawan, the starting point our trip to Agusan Marsh. Rey O. Calderon, president of the people’s organization that monitors some parts of the marsh, welcomed us and provided us some necessary information.
“There are several lakes found in Agusan Marsh,” Calderon told us. “But we will be going to the most nearest lake – Lake Mihaba.” Hearing those words made my spine tingling. What if the killer crocodile attacks us? Or, so I thought.
When I counted the people who were going, I found there were thirteen of us. I am not suffering from triskaidekaphobia but the number is a bad omen. Remember Jesus Christ and the twelve disciples? Judas committed suicide while Jesus was crucified. Will the same fate happen to us? But before we boarded, Sonny said our driver will be staying to watch over our things. I was relieved!
The perilous boat trip following the chocolate-laden Cebulao River (which seems not flowing at all) to Agusan Marsh took us about one hour and forty-five minutes. To some, the voyage may be boring but I tried to open your eyes and marvel at the floating houses along the riverbanks and alluvial junctions. It was also along this trip that I got the first hoard of exotic and migratory birds gracefully flapping their wings as they transferred from one tree to another in search for their food.
Before we knew it, we arrived at Lake Mihaba, one of the 56 lakes found in Agusan Marsh. The marshland, which is said to be similar to the Everglades of Florida, “acts like a sponge,” to quote the words of 106 scientists who attended a consultative meeting held in Butuan City. It buffers “downstream towns and cities from devastating floods.” This wetland soaks up excess water from a yearly rainfall of four meters plus nine rivers that slice through the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Compostela Valley.
The marshland, which covers an area of 14,835.989 hectares, was declared as a protected area by the former President Fidel V. Ramos. The area harbors unique and pristine habitats like the sago and “peat swamp forest.” In the very heart of the marsh is a semi-permanent lake where many square kilometers of lily pads, hyacinths and other aquatic plants spread out like an enormous green quilt.
In the dark tea-colored waters live untold numbers of catfish, carp, soft-shell fresh water turtles called dinata, and sailfin lizard. In fact, some parts of the marsh are used for traditional fish ponds and rice paddies.
During the rainy season, when the water rises to create large lakes, vast numbers of ducks come to Agusan Marsh to nest. The wetland also serves as the refuge of the rare Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster), purple swamp hen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and the threatened Philippine hawk eagle, spotted imperial pigeon and rufous-lored kingfisher.
In the dry months, thousands of birds come from as far as Japan, China and Russia to escape the chilly winter winds of Northern Asia. Over 200 individual species have been known to spend at least part of the year in the marsh, making it one of Asia’s most important transit points for wild birds.
More importantly, It harbors the most diverse assemblage of reptiles and amphibians and supports the largest remaining population of the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and is also believed to harbor the endangered Philippine crocodile (C. mindorensis).
Some 42,000 hectares of the marshlands has been declared as a “world heritage center” by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) due to “its floral and faunal diversity with seven habitat types.”
As the protected area is so huge, you won’t be surprised to see several floating communities within its lakes. Most of those who have made their permanent homes deep within the marsh, living on floating homes, are mostly ethnic Manobos. The small houses made of bamboo and nipa lashed to hard wood logs, freely rise or fall with the level of the marsh itself.
The Manobos have their own dialect, which is a mixture of a native dialect and an acquired foreign language. The name “Manobo” is influence by the Malay river people. These people are called “Mansuba” from the word suba, the Malayan term for river. Literally, “Mansuba” means “people living near or in the river.” Later on, Mansuba is shortened to Manuba, which eventually took its masculine gender, which is Manobo.
What we failed to visit during our visit was the so-called “Wonderland,” where you can see natural bonsai trees crafted by nature. My source said that it can be reached from barangay Caimpogan or from barangay New Visayas in the municipality of San Francisco.
By the way, have I told you that Agusan Marsh is one of the largest and the most contained freshwater catch basin wetland in the Philippines? It stores more than 15 percent of the fresh water resources in the country.
For the information of the uninformed, saltwater crocodiles are considered the largest living among crocodilians and reptiles on Earth. Its average size is 17 feet.
According to reports, the crocodile bumped the banca, causing it to capsize, and caught the 12-year-old Romano by the head, before bringing her down into the water. A fisherman, who was following the two young girls, rescued the other girl.
“When I was a kid accompanying my parents, the crocodiles then were even afraid by the mere sound of human voice and engines of motorboats,” 57-year-old Manobo tribal leader Bae Ligaya Daga-as told newsmen who visited the area. “Now, they are not afraid anymore.”
So when Sonny Dizon asked me if I wanted to join the group in a nature trip going to Agusan Marsh – of which Lake Mihaba is a part of – I had a second thought. But then, he is the man behind the Davao Crocodile Park and those thrill adventures like wild water rafting, zip line, and the giant water slide in Samal, I decided to come along.
After more than four hours of travel from Davao City to Agusan del Sur, we finally arrived at the town of Bunawan, the starting point our trip to Agusan Marsh. Rey O. Calderon, president of the people’s organization that monitors some parts of the marsh, welcomed us and provided us some necessary information.
“There are several lakes found in Agusan Marsh,” Calderon told us. “But we will be going to the most nearest lake – Lake Mihaba.” Hearing those words made my spine tingling. What if the killer crocodile attacks us? Or, so I thought.
When I counted the people who were going, I found there were thirteen of us. I am not suffering from triskaidekaphobia but the number is a bad omen. Remember Jesus Christ and the twelve disciples? Judas committed suicide while Jesus was crucified. Will the same fate happen to us? But before we boarded, Sonny said our driver will be staying to watch over our things. I was relieved!
The perilous boat trip following the chocolate-laden Cebulao River (which seems not flowing at all) to Agusan Marsh took us about one hour and forty-five minutes. To some, the voyage may be boring but I tried to open your eyes and marvel at the floating houses along the riverbanks and alluvial junctions. It was also along this trip that I got the first hoard of exotic and migratory birds gracefully flapping their wings as they transferred from one tree to another in search for their food.
Before we knew it, we arrived at Lake Mihaba, one of the 56 lakes found in Agusan Marsh. The marshland, which is said to be similar to the Everglades of Florida, “acts like a sponge,” to quote the words of 106 scientists who attended a consultative meeting held in Butuan City. It buffers “downstream towns and cities from devastating floods.” This wetland soaks up excess water from a yearly rainfall of four meters plus nine rivers that slice through the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Compostela Valley.
The marshland, which covers an area of 14,835.989 hectares, was declared as a protected area by the former President Fidel V. Ramos. The area harbors unique and pristine habitats like the sago and “peat swamp forest.” In the very heart of the marsh is a semi-permanent lake where many square kilometers of lily pads, hyacinths and other aquatic plants spread out like an enormous green quilt.
In the dark tea-colored waters live untold numbers of catfish, carp, soft-shell fresh water turtles called dinata, and sailfin lizard. In fact, some parts of the marsh are used for traditional fish ponds and rice paddies.
During the rainy season, when the water rises to create large lakes, vast numbers of ducks come to Agusan Marsh to nest. The wetland also serves as the refuge of the rare Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster), purple swamp hen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and the threatened Philippine hawk eagle, spotted imperial pigeon and rufous-lored kingfisher.
In the dry months, thousands of birds come from as far as Japan, China and Russia to escape the chilly winter winds of Northern Asia. Over 200 individual species have been known to spend at least part of the year in the marsh, making it one of Asia’s most important transit points for wild birds.
More importantly, It harbors the most diverse assemblage of reptiles and amphibians and supports the largest remaining population of the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and is also believed to harbor the endangered Philippine crocodile (C. mindorensis).
Some 42,000 hectares of the marshlands has been declared as a “world heritage center” by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) due to “its floral and faunal diversity with seven habitat types.”
As the protected area is so huge, you won’t be surprised to see several floating communities within its lakes. Most of those who have made their permanent homes deep within the marsh, living on floating homes, are mostly ethnic Manobos. The small houses made of bamboo and nipa lashed to hard wood logs, freely rise or fall with the level of the marsh itself.
The Manobos have their own dialect, which is a mixture of a native dialect and an acquired foreign language. The name “Manobo” is influence by the Malay river people. These people are called “Mansuba” from the word suba, the Malayan term for river. Literally, “Mansuba” means “people living near or in the river.” Later on, Mansuba is shortened to Manuba, which eventually took its masculine gender, which is Manobo.
What we failed to visit during our visit was the so-called “Wonderland,” where you can see natural bonsai trees crafted by nature. My source said that it can be reached from barangay Caimpogan or from barangay New Visayas in the municipality of San Francisco.
By the way, have I told you that Agusan Marsh is one of the largest and the most contained freshwater catch basin wetland in the Philippines? It stores more than 15 percent of the fresh water resources in the country.
