Aired (March 30, 2025): Ano nga ba ang malaking banta na kinahaharap ng mga buhay-ilang sa Dinagat Island? Alamin ‘yan sa video na ‘to.
‘Born to be Wild’ is GMA Network’s groundbreaking environmental and wildlife show hosted by resident veterinarians Doc Nielsen Donato and Doc Ferds Recio. #BornToBeWild #GMAPublicAffairs #GMANetwork
Watch it every Sunday, 9 AM on GMA
Network. Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
‘Born to be Wild’ is GMA Network’s groundbreaking environmental and wildlife show hosted by resident veterinarians Doc Nielsen Donato and Doc Ferds Recio. #BornToBeWild #GMAPublicAffairs #GMANetwork
Watch it every Sunday, 9 AM on GMA
Network. Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
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FunTranscript
00:00Just last night, we saw an accident on the road.
00:12It's huge. It's a new rat snake.
00:16It's head is gone.
00:19We're going to eat it.
00:21Oh my God, it's a rat.
00:24It's a rat.
00:27But this is not the only dark story on the islands of Dinagat.
00:36Before it gets dark, the panikis are getting ready.
00:42Some of them are even getting lazy to wake up.
00:48Until they think of finding a way to survive.
00:58This wolf snake is also starting to look for food.
01:06If you're diligent, you'll be lucky.
01:10But it looks like it's hard to find food for the wolf snake.
01:19Let's hide for now.
01:22Meanwhile, the freshwater shrimp is just relaxing.
01:28Using its long claws, it's ready to defend itself from the enemy.
01:36This is what Mark often sees and gets from their watershed.
01:42A resident who loves to take pictures of snakes.
01:47Through his pictures, they are more familiar with the life on their island.
01:56We are in an isolated island. It's called Dinagat Island.
02:00We have Mark with us. He's our guide.
02:04A few moments later.
02:07It's a small Philippine viper.
02:11This is the first pit viper we've seen since we were kids.
02:15It looks like it's in good condition.
02:18You can feel the heat in my face.
02:22This is how it hunts. You can feel the heat.
02:27You can feel the heat.
02:34Mark was asked about snakes.
02:38The color is black. It can kill people.
02:44There are a lot of snakes with black color.
02:48There's a vanakon.
02:51It has a black color when it's still young.
02:58Until we saw the black snake.
03:02It's a wolf snake.
03:04I caught it right away because I knew it wouldn't run away.
03:09It's trying to escape.
03:12It's moving around.
03:15Look at that. It's a beautiful wolf snake.
03:18It released a smelly mask.
03:21The only wolf snake I've seen has white color on its head.
03:25But this one is pure black.
03:27Don't try to imitate me because you might regret it later.
03:31It's dangerous.
03:34You should hold it lightly so it won't run away.
03:38Usually, it eats bugs and insects.
03:45As the night deepens,
03:49we saw something in the watershed.
03:53What did you catch?
03:55Wow!
03:56It's a juvenile sailfin lizard.
03:59It's color is bluish.
04:03Normally, it's green.
04:05But this one is blue.
04:08And it's playing dead.
04:14It bit me.
04:15It's strong.
04:16It's bite is very powerful.
04:19Usually, it eats insects at this age.
04:24The true beauty of the island can be seen in the morning.
04:29But we saw something else.
04:34The island is under threat of destruction.
04:38The province is included in the declared mineral reserve of the Philippines.
04:43This is where the nickel and other minerals used to make cell phones and laptops originate.
04:51According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Dinagat Islands,
04:57there is no declared watershed on the island yet.
05:00There is a community watershed that is known under the Effective-Based Conservation Measures.
05:06So far, only 24 barangays in Dinagat have such an ordinance.
05:13However, the number of mining companies on the island is increasing to more than 60.
05:23That's why the residents want to protect their forest and watershed.
05:30This is where they get their drinking water.
05:34It's more than their community watershed.
05:41That's why every step in mining must be considered.
05:45It's against human rights to access fresh water.
05:52Why is it declared as a mineral reserve?
05:55Let's not talk about that.
05:58The time has changed.
06:01The direction has changed.
06:03But the law that was provided for way back at the time when we didn't talk about biodiversity.
06:11With the help of PENCAS, the islands of Dinagat will be saved
06:16so that it won't be completely destroyed due to mining.
06:20This is a law that was passed in 2024
06:25so that we can determine the value of other parts of nature.
06:32All of the benefits that it gives us.
06:36It's also in the law that nature has the right to exist.
06:41Inherent right of nature to exist.
06:44This also includes environmental impact assessment or monitoring of mines.
06:50It's stated in PD 1151 section 4
06:53that we should look for alternatives for mining.
06:58The Environmental Management Bureau will decide which is the most environmentally friendly.
07:03At the moment, more than half of the islands are being mined.
07:08The Philippine Mining Development Corporation is one of the miners in Dinagat Islands.
07:14What we do to be secure or have a plan for biodiversity
07:23is to undergo permitting process.
07:27Not only permitting process in DNR or other LGUs,
07:31you also need to get a permit from the community.
07:35We will distance it from 3 kilometers away or more from the protected areas.
07:43In mining, when it's in operation, we have what we call sustainable mining practices.
07:48After mining, it should look like this.
07:54We tried to get permission from the DNR Central,
07:58but they have nothing to say about this.
08:03Mark hopes to find a solution to his fear of losing his island from mining.
08:11For him, every living thing is important.
08:16There is a place that can be considered his home,
08:19whether it's an animal or a human.
08:22Mining is a place where you can get a lot of things.
08:28It's hard to lose it because it's being mined.