10 years since the arrival to the Philippines. It all started in Subayon, Bohol
Hi, good morning, my name is Filip Wojciechowski. Some of you already know me, I’m sure those of you who follow the Kahibalo Foundation’s social profiles know me. As you know, I founded the Kahibalo Foundation because I already had the opportunity to live in the Philippines. The year 2024 is a special year for me, due to the fact that July 24 of this year is the 10th anniversary of the first time I flew to the Philippines, to the island of Bohol, to the village of Subayon. Therefore, today I would like to tell you how I have tied my life to the Philippines over these 10 years and what our Foundation dreams are!
I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me and the Foundation throughout this time – whether mentally, financially or otherwise, by making their skills available and donating their time. I would also like to thank the partners of the Kahibalo Foundation. Over the 1.5 years of its operation, we have been able to achieve quite a lot, thanks to fantastic cooperation.
What did I do in the Philippines?
As you’ll see from the photos I’d like to share with you, I was surrounded by a forest. This forest is home to the Philippine tarsiers, a primate that is found only in the Philippines, including the island of Bohol, where I ended up at the very beginning. This particular species was (and still is) the apple of my eye. Over the course of 10 years, I managed to carry out (along with collaborators, because it’s a team effort) 8 research projects focused on this species. My adventure began specifically in the village of Subayon, in the municipality of Bilar, right on Bohol. It lies about 42 km from the island’s capital Tagbilaran City, in the central part of the island.
The village is special because it is still mostly covered by forest. Thus, there are many species of animals there, in addition to tarsiers, including Philippine colugos, civets, macaques and many interesting species of birds. This is not the only key element here. The village of Subayon, along with several others, lies between two protected areas – the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape and the Loboc Watershed Forest Reserve. This makes Subayon an extremely important point on the conservation map.
Why did I start the Foundation?
The Kahibalo Foundation was established to protect Philippine nature. But not only! The word “kahibalo” in the Cebuano language means “knowledge/awareness,” and this is the goal of our foundation – to increase environmental awareness, not only here in the Philippines, but also in the European Union, especially in Poland. We will be pursuing this through numerous meetings in schools, online classes and lectures, and numerous events for a wider public.
Another part of the foundation’s activities is the study of wild fauna in the Philippines, i.e., the Philippine tarsiers, colugos, or civets. We are currently conducting such research in Bohol, and will soon expand our research area. I encourage you very much to watch and support!
Subayon research station
You can’t see it, but we’re in the village of Subayon today. As I mentioned, this is where my first home in the Philippines was located. It was a modernized version of the so-called ‘nipa hut’, a hut on stilts built with local materials and covered with the leaves of a plant called ‘nipa’. Today, my former hut in Subayon is still standing, but not necessarily suitable for settlement. This is all due to Typhoon Odette, which did considerable damage in the area.
One of the foundation’s goals is to rebuild the research station in Subayon. My former hut could house scientists – researchers of local flora and fauna. In front of the hut was an outdoor kitchen. In the future, it could be a place where researchers and local people could sit and share experiences together. There are also plans for a space for children to learn about nature in the wild. The palm grove, in turn, could become a workshop for local women creating everyday items from recycled materials.
This is my dream, which I am pleased to share with you! I hope that thanks to the activities of the Kahibalo Foundation, such a research and education station will be established in Subayon. Once again, thank you all very much for your support! Salamat daghang!
Author: Filip Wojciechowski (Kahibalo Foundation)
