Bringing attention to massive deforestation through stories

Globe has reinforced its partnership with Hineleban Foundation to drive awareness on the importance of planting more endemic trees and protecting the forests in view of the estimated 47,000 hectares of forest cover that the Philippines loses annually due to the destructive effect of deforestation.

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To engage the public—most especially the younger generation—and teach them about rainforestation, Globe introduced stylized Philippine folktale characters: the tikbalang, nuno sa punso, diwata, engkanto, engkantada, and the aguila. These characters represent the now-homeless mythical creatures who were displaced from their natural forest habitat.

“The state of our Philippine rainforests are highly critical.  In fact, they are almost gone.  This campaign intends to revive our Filipino folklore so that our young people can get to know them again.  Using artistry from our partner HMT Studios, we want activities and conversation around reforestation to go mainstream so that together we can all contribute to preserving and protecting our rainforests,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

Kapre is a “gentle giant”, sweet and very warm. He serves as the leader of the forest creatures who look up to him for guidance and direction. When their home in the forest got destroyed from deforestation, he got lost trying to protect his friends. Now he is in the city, feeling out of place, as he is forced to spend his life alone with the noise, pollution, and cruelty of the city.

Kit is the kind-hearted tikbalang who lost the love of his life along with his family when their forest home was destroyed. Now he wanders in the city crying and looking for his loved ones.

Tatang is the nuno sa punso who never thought he would outlive even the youngest of his clan but illegal loggers came and attacked his home, causing devastation to his community. He followed the men to the city to find justice, forcing him to live alone, building a punso from the city’s trash.

There is also Debbie, the diwata known for her enchanting beauty. When she lost her dwelling due to kaingin (slash and burn), she was forced to live in the city but the pollution and gunk made her lose her beauty.

Joining Debbie are Enzo and Erika, the engkanto and engkantada of the group, respectively. Enzo likes going around the forest, playing around nooks and corners but massive deforestation made him lose his way as he played, leading him to a foreign land: the city. Erika, on the other hand, is known for her alluring voice, and uses her singing to communicate. Creatures in the forest would listen to her sing every day until illegal logging forced her into the city where noise pollution drowned out her voice.

Finally, there is Aguila, who brought to life the first man and woman, Malakas and Maganda, when he cracked open a bamboo trunk. As he sees his beloved forest being destroyed by people, he feels responsible for giving life to them and vowed to stay in the sky and never land, watching what remains of the forests and helping the remaining forest creatures. But with pollution contaminating the sky, Aguila is finding it more and more difficult to stay amongst the clouds.

Weaving interesting stories around the mythical characters help tell the story of a harsh reality that lesser trees  means lesser water stored in aquifers, heightened risk of losing animals living in the forests, and increased soil erosion and siltation. Deforestation also greatly contributes  to climate change, an increased amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, drier soil that cannot grow crops, and instant flooding during heavy rains.

To help replenish the Philippine primary rainforests so that Kit, Tatang, Debbie, Enzo, Erika, and Aguila can return to their homes, start planting a tree via www.hineleban.org/donate/. Each P100 donation is equivalent to one tree which will be planted under the donor’s name.

To follow important updates about the campaign through Globe Bridging Communities, go to www.facebook.com/GlobeBridgeCom/. #GlobeOfGood #HelpThatGrows