An Encounter with an Eco-warrior

and Earth Healer

by Art Tibaldo

We have been hearing a lot of politics and talks about climate

change, global warming and earth restoration. We are flooded

with gazillions of discussions on how to save the worsening

state of mother earth. Many are already sick and tired if not

resigned to listening to these subjects as it is just a repetitious

topic playing like a worn-out vinyl record. To some, these

natural and man-made occurrences have become a scholarly

subject discussed in much hyped conferences if only to build

one’s academic distinction. Others simply do not mind any of

these at all.

Very few individuals have distanced from personal glorification

and opted to walk-their-talk as an earth saver. While many

honoris causa degree holders are resting on their laurels with

voluminous publications to their credit, this exemplary friend of

mine does not only fulfills his personal advocacy with selfless

passion, he is also determined to save the earth in whatever

way he can….meet Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan.

Michael writes for the Panos News and Features and formerly

with the Gemini News Service in London, UK; Brunei Times,

Onislam, formerly with DEPTHNews of the Press Foundation

of Asia and with now with Earth Times and Environmental

News Service. He holds a journalism diploma from Kalmar Uni-

versity, Sweden as Fellow of the Swedish International Devel-

opment Agency (SIDA).

He is also the Director of the Cordillera Ecological Center

(PINE TREE) based La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines that is

presently developing local solutions for global environmental

problems. Its goal is to promote conservation and environ-

mental justice for the environment and the rural poor.

As a non-profit group operated by environmental volunteers,

PINE TREE develops and implements sustainable conserva-

tion practices and livelihood opportunities through education,

research, trainings and information dissemination. Bengwayan’

s non government organization strongly promotes and sup-

ports community based seedbanking and anti-biopiracy activi-

ties.

PINE TREE also trains science journalists & environmental vol-

unteers while promoting organic home-gardening, Arabica cof-

fee farming, reforestation with Nitrogen-fixing multi-purpose

trees & establishments of man-made forests. With a project

called Afforestation, Bengwayan’s group seeks to establish

new forests by seeding or planting on non-forested areas.

A European Union Fellow and product of many inter-

national schools such as; Rutgers University, Univer-

sity of Leuven, Kalmar University, and University Col-

lege Dublin among others, Bengwayan earned vari-

ous scholastic distinctions in Non-Profit Organiza-

tional Development · Social Entrepreneurship, Envi-

ronmental Science · Conservation and Sustainable

Development and Journalism · Science Investigative

Reporting among others. He also holds a masters de-

gree in Rural Development Studies with a Bachelors

Degree in Agriculture.

With his over 20 years experience in journalism as contributor to several national and national dailies including

wire bureaus, Michael A. Bengwayan had working stints in India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Ireland, Tanzania as agri-

culturist, environmental officer and writer.

In his blog at http://michaelbengwayan.wordpress.com, Bengwayan simply introduced himself as having

studied in Baguio, Manila, La Trinidad, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland and the United States and a communitarian

environmental worker, journalist, writer and educator.

There is much to be highlighted in Dr. Bengwayan’s professional career from a Training Specialist in the De

partment of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute of

the Cordillera Region to a world class farmer-writer an

able resource person on bio-diversity, global warming

and climate change.

Having a female dominated family with wife Grace who

just finished her doctoral degree in Rural Development

on Migration Studies, eldest Abigail (UP Baguio), the

secretary general of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance,

Grail, a teacher at Saint Vincent, Baguio City, Phyllis,

who graduated with honors equivalent to magna cum

laude in medicine, Michael Jr., an Information Technol-

ogy graduate with distinction and Frances who will be

taking up BS Biology.

Much to learn about bio-diversity

The more or less 20 minute drive from the heart of Ba-

guio and few kilometers away from the famous arts and

culture haven Tamawan Village, one can reach Michael

Bengwayan’s residence and farm in Barangay Puguis La

Trinidad Benguet through a diversion road more known

as Long-long. The short morning visit gave me and my

volunteer assistant Menandro Ulanday a rare experience

as we witnessed a petroleum nut that emits a flammable

substance capable of putting a stack of wood aflame

when ignited.

Among the interesting projects and advocacies being undertaken by Bengwayan’s organization is the devel-

opment of Community-Based Seed banking, Anti-Bio-piracy Campaign and Petroleum Nut as Sustainable

Bio-fuel and alternative to fossil fuels.

Bengwayan’s organization, PINE TREE was awarded a $75,000 prize from Toyota’s Environmental Activities

Grant Program to help provide energy to farms and households in the upland Cordillera Region of the Philip-

pines. According to him, what took millions of years to make, this petroleum tree does in five years.

According to Bengwayan, the petroleum nut or Pittosporum resineferum is an indigenous uncultivated tree

that grows wild in some areas of the province of Benguet and Mountain Province in the Cordillera region. The

Petroleum tree is endemic in the northern Philippines and it is the country’s most promising bio-fuel treasure

and perhaps the best in the world. The Benguet based environmentalist said that the extract from the petro-

leum nut has an octane rating of 54 which is higher than the 41 of Jatropha curcas which means it can re-

place the use of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking, can be used for lighting and it can also fuel engines.

PINE TREE has already produced thousands of seedlings and is training farmers how to plant the trees.

Bengwayan added that the tree does not displace people especially indigenous peoples, nor does it threaten

food security as it is best planted in the natural forests. Also, it helps reduce global warming because the

plant is a very good carbon sink, according to Bengwayan.