Mindanao Island Research Articles

Ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular authentication of medicinal plants used by the Manobo and Mamanwa tribes of Surigao del Sur, Philippines

Abstract. Ilagan VAD, Alejandro GJD, Paraguison DJB, Perolina SMW, Mendoza GR, Bolina AB, Raterta R, Vales MB, Suarez GJD, Blasco FA. 2022. Ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular authentication of medicinal plants used by the Manobo and Mamanwa tribes of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 3185-3202. Mindanao Island is renowned for its rich biodiversity and various ethnolinguistic groups with diverse histories and cultures. The Mamanwa and Manobo live in close proximity, resulting in merging beliefs and cultural practices. This study aims to assess the various medicinal plants using ethnopharmacological indices, determine their relationship to their users, and molecularly confirm unidentifiable plants used by the tribes. Ethnomedicinal data were gathered from 127 key informants representing both tribes through semi-structured interviews. Family Importance Value (FIV) and Use Value (UV) were quantified and revealed a total of 48 species utilized by both tribes belonging to 26 families and 42 genera. These plants are used in 32 diseases within 10 categories, and the most utilized family belongs to Apocynaceae (FIV= 20% for both tribes). Respiratory illness has the greatest contribution to the utilization of medicinal plants (ICF= 0.92, 42%). The most utilized plant part is the leaves and mainly prepared by decoction and administered orally. Integrative molecular confirmation led to the identification of the 5 morphologically unidentifiable plants to be Elaeocarpus serratus Benth., Uncaria lanosa Wall., Aglaonema crispum (J.R. Pitcher & Manda) Nicolson, Canthium tetraphyllum Baill., and Timonous timon (Spreng.) Merr..

MABEL COOK COLE'S PHILIPPINE FOLK TALES: AN ETHNOASTRONOMICAL ANALYSIS

Although anthropologists, and more recently astronomers, have studied and published on the astronomical beliefs and practices of different Philippine ethnic groups, one other source of information available to ethnoastronomers is the astronomical data contained in myths and legends. This paper analyses the astronomical stories contained in the book <italic>Philippine Folk Tales</italic>. These stories were compiled and annotated by the American anthropologist Mabel Cook Cole and published in 1916, and they focus on indigenous views of the Sun, the Moon and the stars. Most of the 'folk tales' in Cole's book derive from northern Luzon and ethnic groups in the Davao district on the island of Mindanao.

The Philippines' snapshot situation of pregnancy-related and child feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundMaternal, infant and young child health and nutrition are affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.AimThis study aimed to present the snapshot situation of maternal health practices of pregnant women including infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices of children under two during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA rapid nutrition assessment survey (RNAS) was conducted through phone interview in nine selected areas from November 3 to December 3, 2020. A multi-stage sampling design was employed in the selection of areas with low, medium, and high risk categories across the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the Philippines. A total of 792 mother-child pairs, and 148 pregnant women were covered.ResultsMajority (84.5%) of pregnant women availed pre-natal check-ups, 82.4% of them had micronutrient supplements, of which 20.5% took IFA tablets. Almost 60.0% of children under two were currently breastfed during the pandemic, with 60.8% of infants less than 6 months receiving breastmilk exclusively. Appropriate complementary feeding practices based on this study were not drastically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, access to pregnancy-related information, along with breastfeeding and complementary feeding messages and advice were disrupted during the community lockdown.ConclusionAlthough maternal and child feeding practices were unchanged, innovative delivery of community health and nutrition services such as tele-visits by midwives, and community health workers are some of the ways to move forward in improving the health and nutrition of women and children in the wake of the pandemic and during subsequent waves.

Bioclimatic modeling for the prediction of the suitable regional geographical distribution of selected bright-spored myxomycetes in the Philippine archipelago

Abstract. Limbo-Dizon JE, Almadrones-Reyes KJ, Macabago SAB, Dagamac NHA. 2022. Bioclimatic modeling for the prediction of the suitable regional geographical distribution of selected bright-spored myxomycetes in the Philippine archipelago. Biodiversitas 23: 2285-2294. Myxomycetes communities in the Philippines have been well studied in terms of diversity patterns projected by their enigmatic fructifications. To predict potential suitable geographical distributions of three different bright-spored myxomycetes with known variations in its occurrences, namely, Arcyria cinerea, Perichaena depressa, and Hemitrichia serpula, species distribution modeling was utilized. Three different modeling approaches employing MaxEnt were performed in this study and have calculated high model performances based on the AUC values generated (0.778-0.873). In all of the modeling approaches, the three myxomycetes species were predicted to have an expansion of their localized fundamental niches pointing to the influence of isothermality (BIO3) as an important macroclimatic predictor for modeling approaches 1 and 2. Highly suitable habitats for the three bright-spored species were discovered primarily in terrestrial landscapes on the regions of Luzon Island, as well as in small parts of the Visayas and Mindanao Islands. The predicted models in this study do not tell missing geographical information but rather may use as tools for the exploration of potentialities, such as understanding the possible distribution patterns of the three bright-spored myxomycetes species in the Philippines. This can serve as a useful baseline to enhance the conservation efforts for most habitats in the country that are directly affecting microbial communities due to rampant habitat loss and rapid urbanization.

Macrosolen zamboangensis (Loranthaceae), a new mistletoe species from Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines

Macrosolen zamboangensis, a new mistletoe species from the Zamboanga peninsula of the island of Mindanao (Philippines), is described. The new species is a member of the widespread M. melintangensis species complex, but differs from the previously described species in this complex in having a conspicuously papillose corolla head. It is also the only species in this complex that displays a combination of papillose pedicels, calycula and fruits, at least 3–4 inflorescence axes grouped at a node, and relatively small flowers that are clustered at the apex of a raceme (a subumbel) instead of being more evenly distributed along the inflorescence axis. The conservation status of this new species is considered Vulnerable (V).

New Insights into the Morphology and Distribution of the Poorly Known Philippine Endemic Hoya josettae (Apocynaceae, Marsdenieae) with Notes on its Conservation Status

Hoya josetteae is a poorly known Philippine endemic species described by Milton Medina and Dale Kloppenburg in 2016 based on a single specimen collected from Maharlika, Marilog District, Davao City. In May 2021, we have serendipitously recollected the species in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, extending its distributional range northward of Mindanao island. Here, we provide a detailed description of H. josetteae based on our recent collection, comparison with its allied species, color photographs to aid easy identification, updated geographical distribution information, ecology, phenology, and an IUCN conservation assessment.

Odonatofauna in the freshwater system of Kibalabag, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines

Abstract. Guadalquiver DME, Nuneza OM, Villanueva RJT. 2022. Odonatofauna in the freshwater system of Kibalabag, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 1857-1863. Despite the critical importance of freshwater ecosystems to human populations and biodiversity, many anthropogenic practices continue to imperil such habitats. An excellent way to monitor the integrity of these ecosystems is through bioindicator organisms like insects of order Odonata, which are highly sensitive to environmental changes. In Malaybalay City, Philippines, the freshwater system in barangay Kibalabag is the primary source of potable water. Thus, to gain insight into its integrity and health, the present study seeks to determine adult Odonata species composition and diversity in the area. Opportunistic sampling using sweep netting and handpicking was conducted in four sampling sites. Twenty-five species were identified, comprising 230 individuals under nine families and 21 genera. Endemism of 65% (17 species) was recorded, with five species exclusive to Mindanao Island and three species classified as threatened. A high ratio of Zygopterans to Anisopterans, indicative of pristine conditions, was observed. Computation of biodiversity indices revealed that Site 2 (Wetland) is the most diverse (H’: 2.582) due to habitat variability. Cluster analysis also showed that Sites 1 (Kibalabag falls) and 2 were most similar. Species assemblage in these sites and high richness in Site 1 demonstrated high habitat integrity and good water quality, whereas the species assemblage in Sites 3 and 4 connotes habitat disturbance. The high endemicity and moderate diversity showed that the area is a healthy and suitable habitat for Odonata, emphasizing the need for its conservation and proper management.

GIS Mapping of Salt Farms and Salt Supply Chain Actors in the Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines

The 2010 survey of the Nutrition Council of the Philippines (NCP) revealed dramatic changes in the level of participation of the salt supply chain actors and their production, processing, and marketing activities. Among the industry’s biggest challenges are: salt remains excluded from the list of priority commodities of the government; the changes in weather patterns due to climate change which adversely impact the production cycle; prominence of traditional methods of production; and low productivity of local farms. While remote sensing technologies including geographic information system (GIS) mapping have been widely adopted for the improvement of agricultural productivity in the Philippines, use of such in research that focuses on salt production and supply chain is still very limited. GIS maps are perceived as effective information library and decision support tool that can help the supply chain of the neglected salt industry. This study focused on the mapping of salt farms and their supply chain actors from selected salt production sites in the Visayas and Mindanao islands. Eleven provinces were included in the surveys of market intermediaries and end-consumers who were traced from salt producers. Their geographic coordinates were recorded and satellite and Google Earth images of the supply chain actors were digitized in ArcGIS 10.5 software to generate the maps, physical characteristics of which were examined for possible patterns. Results show that in Mindanao, the market areas (or the salt traders) are concentrated in Zamboanga del Sur particularly in Aurora and Zamboanga City, but the producers are in Alubijid and El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental. In the Visayas, traders are more scattered and are greater in number than in Mindanao.

Mapping Submarine Geomorphology of the Philippine and Mariana Trenches By an Automated Approach Using GMT Scripts

Abstract This paper presents a geospatial analysis of two oceanic trenches using a GMT (Generic Mapping Tools) cartographic method that exploits the scripting approach to visualisation of their geometric shapes. To this end, the research applies the high-resolution datasets GEBCO and ETOPO1 and ETOPO5 for modelling of the submarine relief. This allows taking into account the 2D and 3D shape deviations in the geomorphology of the two selected segments of the trenches by transecting a series of the cross-section profiles. A scripting algorithm of spatial data processing based on the GMT techniques visualised the topography of the submarine objects in 2D and 3D forms and extracted the topographic data from raster grids for statistical analysis of depth using the cross-section transect profiles of both trenches. The bathymetry of the Mariana Trench was evaluated in the southern segment located near the Challenger Deep area, southwest of Guam Island, in comparison with the segment of the Philippine Trench, which was transected in the surroundings of Mindanao Island. The study presented a comparative submarine geomorphic modelling and spatial analysis of the Philippine Sea basin area. The bathymetric analysis of the relief in the Mariana and Philippine trenches showed effective performance of the GMT scripting toolset in advanced cartographic data analysis and visualisation.

Who is Copying Who? Similarities of Words between Bahasa Melayu and Maranao: An Ethnographic Study

This research came to its realization during my PhD studies in Brunei Darussalam. Since the past decade, it has been theorized that the Malay language of Nusantara region, now Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, Philippines, Singapore, Southern Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations originated from the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family. The Malay language is spoken by the Malays in Southeast Asia. However, due to the sporadic nature of Southeast Asia consisting of chains of numerous islands and islets, the Malay language has developed and evolved across various localities, islands, and regions. In Philippines alone, there are 7, 641 islands and islets and the country is home to more than 150 languages, which all evolved from the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family. The Maranao language is one of the major languages of the Philippines. Maranao is the lingua franca of the Maranaos in Mindanao island. Whereas, Bahasa Melayu or Malay is the language of the Malays in Brunei Darussalam. To pave the pace with the agenda of the research, the research was carried out using ethnography as a research method to find out the similar words between the Maranao language and Bahasa Melayu. Geographically, Brunei Darussalam is strategically closer to Mindanao, Philippines.&#x0D; Keywords: Bahasa Melayu, Brunians, ethnographic research, Maranao language, Malay

Three new species of Pachyrhynchus Germar 1824, (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae) from Mindanao Island, The Philippines, with taxonomical notes

Three new species of Pachyrhynchus Germar, 1824 are described from Mindanao Island, The Philippines: P. similis sp. nov., P. subanon sp. nov., and P. chrysomaculatus sp. nov. For each new taxon habitus photographs of male and female, and illustrations of male genitalia are provided. The author also proposes to consider the above species together with the closest ones as belonging to the new atrocyaneus species group.

Three new species of the genus Metapocyrtus Heller 1912, subgenus Orthocyrtus Heller 1912 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini), from Mindanao Island, Philippines.

Three new species of genus Metapocyrtus Heller, 1912, subgenus Orthocyrtus Heller, 1912 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini) from Mindanao Island, Philippines are described: M. (O.) regalissp. nov., M. (O.) tbolisp. nov., and M. (O.) reaganisp. nov. Photographs of their habitus and male genitalia are presented.

Island Stories: Mapping the (im)mobility trends of slow onset environmental processes in three island groups of the Philippines

There is an immediate lack of people-centred empirical evidence investigating how slow onset events influence human (im)mobility across the globe. This represents an important knowledge gap that makes it difficult for climate policy to safeguard vulnerable populations (whether on the move or left behind). In this study, 48 qualitative focus group discussions in the Philippines elaborated around people’s (im)mobility pathways in the context of slow onset events. The selected collective storytelling approach effectively mapped out the (im)mobility trends of 12 different origin- and destination locations involving the perceptions of 414 women and men across six provinces on Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao islands. The research findings delicately outlined people’s translocality and its interlinkage with their personal (im)mobility experiences. People described how slow onset events such as longer-term soil and water degradation often contributed to reduced livelihood sustainability that influenced their decisions to move or stay. At the very core of people’s narratives were the ways that the environmental changes and (im)mobility experiences influenced people’s wellbeing. Some people described how temporary migration could increase their social status and boost wellbeing after returning home. Others described adverse impacts on their mental health during their migration experiences due to loss of place, identity, food, and social networks. The research findings show how policy can better support those moving, hosting, or identifying as immobile, as well as where (geographically and socially) more assistance is needed.

Archaeology of Calumat Open Site: Dating the Burial and its Archaeological Implication

The Calumat Open Site (COS) is in the Municipality of Alubijid, Province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. The site, situated on top of a hill, was considered the first settlement of the people in Alubijid. The 2019 archaeological excavation conducted by the University of the Philippines – Archaeological Studies Program addressed the chronology of the site’s antiquity. Relative dating indicated that the area may have been occupied as early as the Neolithic period (ca. 3000 BC) until the coming of the European Recollect missionary in 1622. One of the interesting archaeological finds was the discovery of the human burial in Trench 2. Grave goods (celadon bowl, metal blade and worked shell artifact) were found associated with the burial along with dental modification. These grave furniture or “pabaon” were thought to accompany the deceased into the afterlife and ensure the safety of their spiritual journey. In this study, collagen samples were extracted from the bones, found in the burial, by gelatinization. Bones were subjected to radiocarbon dating using accelerator mass spectroscopy. The result suggested that burial may be dated between 774 and 1030 AD with reference to the relative dating of the funerary goods and dental modification, which are significant in interpreting and understanding the socioeconomic activities in the first millennium AD. The findings from the COS contribute to the knowledge of the archaeology of the island of Mindanao and the archipelago in general.

Vaccinium carmesinum (Ericaceae), a new species of blueberry from Mt. Tago Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines

Vaccinium carmesinum is described as a new species of Ericaceae from Mt. Tago Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. It is similar to V. platyphyllum Merrill and V. luzoniense S.Vidal but is distinct from the former by longer and wider leaves, longer racemes, longer bracts, glabrous corollas, and glabrescent fruits, and from the latter by longer petioles, leaf glands distributed along the blade margin, glabrous rachis, and lanate filaments. Vaccinium carmesinum bears the widest leaves among Philippine Vaccinium. Its discovery increases the number of Vaccinium species recognized in the Philippines to 37.

Effect of the Intensified Sub‐Thermocline Eddy on Strengthening the Mindanao Undercurrent in 2019

AbstractThe northward‐flowing Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) was directly measured by acoustic Doppler current profilers from a subsurface mooring at about 8°N, 127°E during 2 years (November 2017–December 2019). Its depth covers a range from 400 m to deeper than 1,000 m with its core appearing at around 900 m. The mean velocity of MUC's core was approximately 5.8 cm s−1 with a maximum speed of about 47.6 cm s−1. The MUC was observed as a quasi‐permanent current with strong intraseasonal variability (ISV) with a period of 70–80 days. Further analyses with an eddy‐resolving circulation model output suggest that the ISV is closely related to sub‐thermocline eddies (SEs). In this study, two types of SEs near the Philippine coast are disclosed: the westward propagating SE (SE‐1) and the quasi‐stational SE southeast of Mindanao Island (SE‐2). The SE‐1 has both cyclonic and anticyclonic polarities with the propagation speed of 7–8 cm s−1, while the SE‐2 is an anticyclonic eddy that moves erratically within 4–8°N, 127–130°E with the mean translation speed of about 11 cm s−1. Even though the SE‐1 plays an important role in modulating the MUC, our results show that the observed strong MUC event (May–July 2019) is evidently induced by the intensified SE‐2 that moves northwestward. This study emphasizes that the SE‐2 when intensified, receives more energy from the strengthened New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent and loses the energy northward along the Philippine coast by intensifying the MUC.

Missionaries and Commanders: The Jesuits in Mindanao, 1718–68

Abstract In the Philippines, at the fringes of the Spanish empire, the Society of Jesus took on a difficult task, the mission and pastoral work on the Island of Mindanao, which was ruled mostly by Muslim polities. In the frontier zone between Spanish and Islamic spheres of influence, Jesuit missionaries, in symbiosis with Spanish and native Christian troops, tried to expand their zone of influence and force Islam back. Thereby, the priests participated actively in defensive and offensive military tasks. This article gives an overview of the Jesuits’ presence in the south of the Philippines and then, by studying printed Jesuit sources, analyzes the image cultivation of the local members of the order. Putting the topic in the context of the anti-Jesuit discussion in Europe, the article reasons that the communication strategy of the Jesuits in the middle of the eighteenth century was particularly aimed at highlighting the usefulness of the missionaries to the colony and the empire in general.

“Against Muhammad’s Perfidy”: The Jesuit Francisco Combés and His Relación de las islas Filipinas (c.1654)

Abstract This article analyzes the centrality of the Jesuit missionaries as indispensable agents in re-establishing negotiations with the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulu. In doing so, I discuss an unpublished Jesuit report: the Relación de las islas Filipinas (Manila, 1654) by the Jesuit Juan Francisco Combés (1620–65), which willfully conflated religious conversion with military intervention and conquest in the interests of securing a permanent base of operations in the southern Philippines. Spanish hegemony in the region was always contested. Therefore, Jesuit superiors strove to convince the civil authorities of Manila, and particularly the governor of the Philippines, don Sabiniano Manrique de Lara (in office 1653–63), to leave definitively the military strongholds in the Moluccas and instead to reinforce the military presidios located in the southern islands of Mindanao as the best way to stop the Muslim raids. Finally, the postscript analyzes the martyrdom of the Jesuits Alejandro López (1604–55) and Juan de Montiel (1632–55) as a propagandistic tool to cement the Jesuit contribution to the Spanish conquest and identify it with Catholic evangelization.

Biodiversity of ethnomedicinal plants from the B’laan Tribe in Mount Matutum Protected Landscape, Southern Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract. Alinsug MV, Estandarte MHG, Somodio EMN, Sabarita MJJ, Deocaris CC. 2021. Biodiversity of ethnomedicinal plants from the B’laan Tribe in Mount Matutum Protected Landscape, Southern Mindanao, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 554-563. Mount Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL) is one of the key biodiversity areas in Mindanao Island, Philippines, and is part of the ancestral domains of 18 indigenous peoples. The present study aims to establish a comprehensive inventory of the medicinal flora at MMPL according to the traditional healing practices of the B'laan, a tribal community whose cultural heritage is anchored to their interactions with nature and with a rich and understudied ethnomedicinal system. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews of the tribal healers from five tribal communities revealed 101 medicinal plants belonging to 33 families were identified. The plant species have therapeutic uses for 19 disease categories. Roots and leaves are the most utilized parts which are made into a decoction, the most common preparation for oral intake. Tawal-ulad (Lunasia amara Blanco), which is used as a treatment for snake bites, dengue, dysmenorrhea, constipation, rabies, and hypertension has the highest use value (UV). Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) analysis revealed that cholera, scabies, viral infections, warts, beriberi, diabetes, gastric ulcer are the most common diseases treated with medicinal plants by the B'laan tribal healers. The biodiversity of medicinal plants, although some remain unidentified at the species level, reflects the centuries-old ethnomedicinal knowledge of the B'laan Tribe. Our study is the first comprehensive documentation of the ethnomedicinal knowledge of the B'laan Tribe residing at MMPL.

Species Composition, Local Status and Endemism of Sphingidae Moth in the two vegetation types of Mt. Musuan, Long-term Ecological Research Site, Bukidnon, Philippines

One of the biggest groups of moths in the Sphingidae family is the hawk moth, often known as the sphinx moth, a nocturnal pollinators and bio indicators. They stand out from other moths by having large wings, thick bodies, and longest tongues. There are 1,450 species of Sphinx moth all over the world and 117 of them existed in the Phillippines and Mindanao Island has 62 of them. Mt. Musuan, is one of the remarkable landmark of Central Mindanao University has been subjected to numerous studies of flora and fauna for several years. There were significant studies conducted on Hawkmoths but there were no published report about the species in this locality. This research was carried out on the two vegetation types of Mount Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon in order to collect data on the composition, endemism, and local status of Hawkmoths. Sphinx moths were successfully collected using transects walks and light trap sampling in the two proposed vegetation sites using a white thin cloth and 500-watt light bulbs. A total of 9 genera and 14 species were recorded. The following are Acosmeryx socrates, Ambulyx bakeri, Ambulyx johnsoni, Ambulyx staudingeri, and Ambulyx wilemani. These were all endemic to the Philippines. There was 1 uncommon species and 13 common species recorded in their local status. The 14 species of sphinx moths comprised 35.7% endemism and these can be found on Mt. Musuan's two vegetation types.