Dinagat Island Research Articles

Political Dynasties and Mining: A Toxic Mix?

Political dynasties are ubiquitous in the Philippine local government landscape, yet none more so than in the Dinagat Islands, a province where members of one family — the Ecleos — have dominated local government politics since the province was carved out of Surigao del Norte in 2006. The Ecleos were also considered as influential figures in the politics of Surigao del Norte, with one member of its clan having served as provincial governor and another member having represented the first district of the province for at least 4 terms in the post-Marcos Congress. This case study examines economic development and governance of Dinagat Islands particularly in terms of its mining industry.

Status, Challenges and Directions of Research Involvement of Teachers: A Baseline Study for Research and Development Intervention Program in Dinagat Division

DepEd through DepEd Order No. 65, s. 2003mandates the institutionalization of the research-based decision and policy making in the department. Nevertheless, in remote areas like Dinagat Islands, only few teachers, both in public and private schools, were involved in research. As baseline study for the research and development intervention program of Dinagat Division, this study aimed to find out the status, challenges and directions of research involvement of private and public school teachers in the Division of Dinagat Islands. Specifically, the study sought data on the profile of the private and public school teachers in terms of age, sex, educational attainment, length of service, and research output; the issues and challenges encountered in conducting research by private and public school teachers in the schools division of Dinagat Islands in terms of knowledge about research, financial aspect, time allotment, other motivational factors such as self-advancement, family support, and proximity/distance/accessibility; the directions of the school that would help improve research involvement of private and public school teachers as to plan of action, and technical assistance; and the significant effect of the profile of the teachers to the challenges they encountered in conducting research. The study also design a classification model discriminating the research status of the teachers as to be able to complete or not. The results of this study served as basis for a research program that would address the issues and challenges of research involvement of private and public school teachers of Dinagat Islands.The explanatory sequential design was employed and only 51 were considered as respondents of the study. The instruments used were researcher made questionnaire and a semi structured interview for teachers and school heads to suit the assessment needs of the paper. Gathered data were treated using Frequency Count and Mean, Univariate ANOVA and Discriminant Analysis. In the qualitative analysis, the researcher transcribed, coded, and analyzed the interview part for common themes.The findings revealed that both private and public school teachers encountered challenges in conducting research such as knowledge on research and financial support. In terms of school direction, motivating and mentoring/coaching are the technical assistance given to them. On the other hand, skills development, research partnerships, and rewarding are planned strategy of the school to improve the research involvement of private and public school teachers. The teachers in the public schools encountered greater challenges on time allotment in conducting research, compared to the teachers in the private schools. The teachers’ educational attainment is accounted for the expected variation of challenges they encountered on time allotment and the motivating factor family support. The knowledge and mastery of the technicalities in conducting research plays the most important contribution on discriminating the status of research of the schools in Dinagat Islands whether redssearch can be completed or not. The classification model of the status of research of the teachers based on the challenges they met in conducting researches with 76.5% accuracy is given by the functionStatus score = -0.851 Knowledge + 0.382 Financial Aspect + 0.154 Time Allotment + 0.095 Self-advancement + 0.019 Family support + 0.208 Proximity/Distance/Accessibility, where the status is classified as not completed when score is below -0.104 and identified to be able to complete when the score is above it.

Framing the Story of A Woman Politician in the Dinagat Islands, Philippines: A Post-Structural Analysis

Framing the Story of A Woman Politician in the Dinagat Islands, Philippines: A Post-Structural Analysis

<p><strong><em>Nepenthes erucoides </em></strong><strong>(Nepenthaceae), an ultramaficolous micro-endemic from Dinagat Islands Province, northern Mindanao, Philippines</strong></p>

A new species of Nepenthes—N. erucoides—is described and illustrated from a single ultramafic peak in the Dinagat Islands Province of northeastern Mindanao. It is a distinctive component of a relatively low-elevation, highly biodiverse montane elfin forest that has evolved in association with a particularly thin and extremely hostile substrate. Plant habit, and leaf, inflorescence, indumentum and peristome-column morphology appear superficially similar to those of the ultramaficolous montane species of Palawan, implicating an environmental basis for a syndrome of shared characteristics.

Medinillatheresae (Melastomataceae), a new species from ultramafic soils in the Philippines.

A new species, Medinillatheresae Fernando, from ultramafic soils on Dinagat and Mindanao Islands, Philippines is described and illustrated. The species is characterized by its terrestrial erect habit, non-setose nodes, 3-plinerved, lanceolate and coriaceous leaves arranged in whorls, cauline or axillary and pendulous inflorescences, rounded flower buds, 4-merous flowers, and straight anthers. It is compared with other similar species in the Medinillapendula Merr. complex.

Plant diversity and structure of forest habitat types on Dinagat Island, Philippines

Logging, mining and land conversion together threaten Dinagat Island. Diversity and structure of forest habitat types were determined as basis for conservation and management. Identification of forest habitat types was based on habitat's physical characteristics.Six forest habitat types were identified covered by 432 native plant species classified into 87 families and 203 genera, 40 plant species were endemic to Dinagat Island. Of the 432 species, 58% recorded in lowland evergreen forest (LEF), 16% in upper montane, 15% in forest over limestone, 6% in lower montane forest (LMF), 4% in mangrove forest, and 1% in beach forest, with average species diversity of 3.32.Trees in LEF were bigger, taller and larger in basal area as compared with other habitat types. Dominant species was Xanthostemon verdugonianus Náves ex Fern.-Vill with importance value of 9.857%.Native plant species was an asset for the mineral resource industry for site rehabilitation and conservation.

A New Species of Long-glanded Coralsnake of the GenusCalliophis(Squamata: Elapidae) from Dinagat Island, with Notes on the Biogeography and Species Diversity of PhilippineCalliophisandHemibungarus

Abstract We describe a new species of coralsnake from northern Dinagat Island, southeastern Philippines. The discovery of this new species comes as a surprise because it is phenotypically distinct from all other Philippine coralsnakes and has a close phylogenetic affinity to the blue coralsnakes of the Sunda Shelf. The new species is distinguished from all Philippine and other Southeast Asian taxa by its large body size and ventral scale counts; its black head and neck; an alternating, broadly banded color pattern of black and off-white; and a bright orange tail. We use DNA sequence data to investigate the phylogenetic placement of the new species and that of several other populations of Philippine coralsnakes with respect to other Southeast Asian and Australasian elapids. Our results corroborate the uniqueness of the new species with respect to all other Philippine and Sundaic taxa, including the species most closely related to it: Calliophis bivirgatus, C. bilineatus, C. philippinus, and C. suluensis. W...

Characteristics of a previously undescribed fishery and habitat for Manta alfredi in the Philippines

Seven species of mobulid rays occur in the Philippines, six of which, including the Giant Manta Ray (Manta birostris) are caught directly or indirectly. In the Bohol Sea, mobulids have been fished since at least the nineteenth century yet the extent is not well-understood. A second species of manta, Manta alfredi was taxonomically resurrected in 2009 and also only recently been confirmed to occur in the Philippines. This study aimed to identify and describe the presence of and fishery for M. alfredi in a previously unknown area of occurrence in the Philippines. Key informant interviews, observation of catch landings, and tissue sample collection were conducted in a fishing village off Dinagat Island. Based on morphological examination and through DNA barcoding using the mitochondrial DNA CO1 gene of tissue samples it was verified that the species targeted in this area is the reef manta ray, Manta alfredi. Local ecological knowledge of the fishers provided important information on the extent and characteristics of the fishery. This relatively recent ray fishery in the Surigao Strait is the source of mobulids during the off-fishing season in Bohol with fishers from this area transporting and selling their processed catches to Bohol. The description of this fishery and habitat for the reef manta ray in the Surigao Strait is important in the understanding of the status of the species in the Philippines and in designing a management framework.

Predictors of Scientific Literacy Among Alternative Learning System (ALS) Students: A Model

This study determined the predictors of scientific literacy among Alternative Learning System (ALS) students within the 10 districts of Dinagat Islands. The respondents of the study were the 502 ALS students in high school level and 33 mobile teachers for school year 2015-2016. The data gathered were treated using frequency, percentage count, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression. Findings revealed that scientific literacy of the respondents was described as “did not meet expectation”. The factors which significantly predict the scientific literacy of the ALS students were age, sex, and highest formal education attained by the students as well as the sex, highest educational attainment, and number of specialized trainings attended by the teachers. A model was designed in order to predict scientific literacy of the respondents. The study concluded that most of the respondents achieved low scientific literacy. Both student and teacher factors could influence the scientific literacy of the respondents. It is recommended that ALS facilitators and supervisors must be encouraged to adopt the designed model in order to predict scientific literacy and to help learners pass the ALS Accreditation and Equivalency Test.

Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Camiguin of Mindanao Province and Dinagat Island in the Philippines, with a new genus and three new species.

This paper provides the first faunal checklist for the family Cicadidae (Hemiptera) from Camiguin of Mindanao Province and Dinagat Island in the Philippines, comprising ten species belonging to nine genera. Cryptotympana shillana Lee & Mohagan sp. nov., Orientopsaltria inermis (Stål, 1870), Purana crassinotata Lee, 2015, and Huechys parvula Haupt, 1924 are recorded for the first time from Camiguin. Platypleura dinagatensis Lee sp. nov., Chremistica kyoungheeae Lee, 2010, Dundubia vaginata (Fabricius, 1787), Oncotympana pallidiventris Stål, 1870, and Philipsalta nigrina Lee, Marshall & Hill sp. nov. are newly recorded from Dinagat Island. A new genus Philipsalta Lee, Marshall & Hill gen. nov. is erected. Huechysini Distant, 1905 syn. nov. is synonymized with Cicadettini Buckton, 1889. Information on geographic distributions of the Camiguin and Dinagat species is also provided.

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND CYTOTOXICITY LEVEL OF MACROALGAE IN LORETO, DINAGAT ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

The use of macroalgae as a substitute for synthetic drugs is gaining popularity. Macroalgae is a simple and fascinating species that is a treasure chest of natural chemicals and beneficial ingredients and can be found in some areas of the marine environment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the toxicity effect through brine shrimp bioassay and presence of the secondary metabolites through phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract in selected macroalgae collected along the intertidal zone in selected areas of the Barangays in Loreto Dinagat Islands. A total of ten macroalgae were collected containing two samples for red algae, four samples for green algae and four samples brown algae. Screening of phytochemical constituents showed positive results for flavonoids, anthraquinones, saponins, tannins, steroids and alkaloids. The toxicity levels of each selected macroalgae were dosedependent. Three of the samples of macroalgae were identified as highly toxic, and seven of the selected macroalgae were identified as moderately toxic. The result of the present study confirmed that some of the macroalgae present in Loreto Dinagat Islands were rich sources of phytoconstituents which can be isolated and further screened for various biological activities. This study also supports the use of the macroalgae in the treatment of diseases in traditional medicine and also recommends the physico-chemical characterization and further biological evaluation of the macroalgae.

Rediscovery of the Dinagat Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat Crateromys australis (Musser, Heaney & Rabor, 1985) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from Dinagat Island, Philippines

The Dinagat Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat Crateromys australis belongs to the group of Cloud Rats, arboreal and folivorous nocturnal rodents endemic to the forests of the Philippines. The species, endemic to a small island Dinagat in the Philippines, was discovered and captured in 1975. Since then, despite repeated surveys, no specimen was found until 2012. It is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN Red List and was even believed to be extinct. Finally, Dinagat Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat was rediscovered in January 2012 and its presence confirmed on Dinagat Island. The rediscovery of this species underlines the local, national and international importance of Dinagat Island (or Dinagat-Siargao cluster of islands), as the most distinct subcentre of species endemism within the Greater Mindanao Faunal Region. Unfortunately, only one locally protected area exists on the whole island and none of the last remaining native forest habitats on Dinagat are currently protected at the national level. Mining and habitat destruction constitute a serious threat to this species. We believe that this rediscovery may provide some important and timely impetus and urgency to the need for a more rational, scientifically-based and island-wide, development program on Dinagat by also incorporating an island/region-wide biodiversity conservation strategy that would help ensure the effective, longer-term protection of the larger majority of the few remaining natural habitats in this region.

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Presence of Secondary Metabolites of Selected Macroalgae Along Loreto Dinagat Island

The use of macroalgae as a substitute for synthetic drugs is gaining popularity. Macroalgae is a simple and fascinating species that is a treasure chest of natural chemicals and beneficial ingredients and can be found in some areas of marine environment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the toxicity effect through brine shrimp bioassay and presence of the secondary metabolites through phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract in selected macroalgae collected along the intertidal zone in selected areas of the Barangays in Loreto Dinagat Islands. A total of ten macroalgae were collected containing two samples for red algae, four samples for green algae and four samples brown algae. Screening of phytochemical constituents showed positive results for flavonoids, anthraquinones, saponins, tannins, steroids and alkaloids. The toxicity levels of each selected macroalgae were dose-dependent. Three of the samples of macroalgae were identified as highly toxic, and seven of the selected macroalgae were identified as moderately toxic. The result of the present study confirmed that some of the macroalgae present in Loreto Dinagat Islands were rich sources of phytoconstituents which can be isolated and further screened for various biological activities. This study also supports the use of the macroalgae in the treatment of diseases in traditional medicine and also recommends the physicchemical characterization and further biological evaluation of the macroalgae. KEYWORDS Macroalgae, bioactive components, lethal concentration, Philippines.

Six new species and a new subspecies of Gomphandra (Stemonuraceae) from the Philippines

Six new species of Gomphandra (Stemonuraceae) are described from the Philippines. Gomphandra bracteata is restricted to southern Palawan, G. coi and G. psilandra are from Luzon, G. fernandoi is found in the eastern Visayan region, and G. dinagatensis and G. ultramafiterrestris occur on Dinagat Island. A new subspecies, Gomphandra luzoniensis subsp. septentrionalis, from the northern Philippines and Taiwan, is distinguished. Distribution maps and preliminary conservation statuses are provided for each taxon. A key to the Philippine species of Gomphandra is included.

The first fossil record of endemic murid rodents from the Philippines: A late Pleistocene cave fauna from northern Luzon

Excavations in Callao Cave, in the lowland (ca. 85 m elevation) Cagayan River Valley of northeastern Luzon, Philippines, have produced the first fossils of any endemic genera of Philippine murid rodents. Three dentaries dated to the Late Pleistocene, between ca. 50,000 and 68,000 BP, are referred to the genera Batomys and Apomys; the former is a member of the endemic “Phloeomys Division” of Philippine murids, and the latter of the “Chrotomys Division,” also endemic to the Philippines. Batomys is currently known from five extant species from Luzon, Mindanao, and Dinagat islands; the two species known from Luzon differ in size and dental and mandibular morphology from the two fossil mandibles, and both occur only at elevations above 1350 m. Apomys is currently known from two subgenera on Luzon; the fossil is a member of the nominate subgenus, which contains two species on Luzon, one of which, Apomys microdon, is conspecific with one fossil. We hypothesize that the Batomys fossils represent a different species from the living taxa, but we do not name it due to the fragmentary nature of the specimens. These Apomys and Batomys represent the first fossil small mammals from the main body of the Philippine archipelago (east of Huxley's Line), and the Batomys are the first suspected extinct Pleistocene small mammal from the Philippines. The fossils indicate greater species richness and broader distributions than at present within this distinctive and diverse endemic radiation of mammals.

A new species of Batomys (Mammalia: Muridae) from eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines

Abstract Murid rodents of the endemic genus Batomys are diverse and geographically widely distributed in the Philippines. Four species have been recognized: B. dentatus and B. granti on Luzon, B. salomonseni on several islands comprising the Mindanao faunal region, and B. russatus on Dinagat Island. A recent survey of small mammals in eastern Mindanao recorded the presence of Batomys on Mt. Hamiguitan, the only other documented occurrence of this genus on Mindanao Island outside of Mt. Kitanglad. Comparison of external morphology as well as cranial and dental features of the Hamiguitan Batomys with available specimens of congeners indicates that although it is closely allied to B. salomonseni, a number of distinct traits separate it from all its congeners, and we describe it as a new species, B. hamiguitan. This species corroborates the hypothesis that the island of Mindanao is comprised of multiple centers of endemism, of which the southeastern highland of Mt. Hamiguitan is one.

A New Species of Crateromys (Rodentia: Muridae) from Panay, Philippines

A new species of Crateromys is described from seven individuals, all of which were collected from the Mount Baloy-Mount Madja-as Range in western Panay, Philippines. The new species is compared with C. schadenbergi , the largest species in the genus and restricted to the highlands of northern Luzon, with C. paulus , the smallest in over-all proportions, from Ilin Island off the southwestern coast of Mindoro, and with C. australis , from Dinagat Island off the northeastern coast of Mindanao. The latter two species are known only from the holotypes. Notes on the behavior of five captive animals also are presented.