Pista Y Kagueban 2013

Though it may be a little late (it usually happens on the 3rd Saturday of June), the Pista Y ang Kagueban (Cuyuno term for Feast in the Forest) pushed through last July 27, 2013 in Sitio Impapay, Irawan, Puerto Princesa. Irawan is the watershed of Puerto Princesa. Pista Y Kagueban is annual reforestation activity of more than two decades (it started in 1991). I attended it together with Dimithri, a graduate student of Asia-Pacific University. We have to get up early at 4 o'clock in the morning to join the annual celebration. 

We joined the crowd along with representatives from various government, private and non-government organizations taking pictures and videos as we walked. It took us almost an hour to get to the planting site. We saw hundreds of participants queue to get their seedlings at one corner of the road. After getting the seedlings, we climbed up the steep side of the hill to find vacant holes previously dug for the purpose. It was a bit shady so I wondered if my seedling will be able to get enough sunshine.

It took me time to convert the videos into smaller flash video format. Finally, I saw a free video converter and uploaded the files to youtube. Below are footages of the tree-planting activity.

1. Unloading of truckloads of participants, mostly students, in Sitio Impapay early in the morning (about 5:00 am)

2. Throng of participants walking towards the planting site

3. The tree-planting program

4. Release of butterflies

5. Mayor Bayron highlighting the tree-planting activity by planting trees with councilors

6. Dimithri's share of the tree-planting activity ending with a short prayer