PLUNDER OF PARADISE: THE HISTORY OF FOREST DENUDATION OF MASBATE ISLAND, THE PHILIPPINES, 1870-1946
Keywords:
Masbate Island, colonization, environmental history, forest denudationAbstract
This study is an inquiry on the forest denudation of Masbate Island in the Philippines from the perspective of environmental history. Masbate was once likened to a paradise because of its pristine luxuriant forest that practically covered the whole island prior to colonization. This island had been the haven for various types of flora and fauna which are not endemic in other islands in Central Philippines.
In the course of history, however, Masbate’s forest had been seriously denuded paving the way for the loss of its biodiversity. Extensive grassland (savanna) emerged after forest cover had been removed paving the way for the emergence of grazing industry which was monopolized by the elite population of the province.
The study argues that Masbate’s forest denudation was perpetrated by the Spaniards and Americans who colonized Philippines. The loss of forest reserves in Masbate can be clearly attributed to the colonizers’ insatiable appetite for wealth.
Downloads
References
Bankoff, G. (2007), One Island too Many: Reappraising the Extent of Deforestation in The Philippines Prior to 1946. Journal of Historical Geography, vol. 33, no.2, pp. 314-334.
Bay-Petersen, J. (1981), Shifting Cultivation in Prehistory: Economic Change in Masbate. In Adaptive Strategies and Change in Philippine Swidden-Based Societies. Edited by Harold Olofson. Laguna: Forest Research Institute, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines-Los Baňos.
Bay-Petersen, J.(1982), Excavations at Bagumbayan, Masbate, Central Philippines: An Economic Analysis. Asian Perspectives, vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 67-98.
Bay-Petersen, J. (1982),Textile Impressions on Iron Age in Masbate, Philippines. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol. 10, pp. 261-268.
Blair, E. and Robertson, J. A. (eds.), (1903-1909). The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 (Vol. 41) Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur Clark Company.
Bolinao, M. D. (2005), Perhutanan: Mga Patakarang Kolonyal Hinggil sa Kagubatan ng Malaya at Pilipinas, 1900-1940. PhD Dissertation, Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman.
Cavada A. M. (1879), Historia Geographica, Geologica y Estadistica de Filipinas. Condatos geograpicos, geologicos y estadisticos de las islas de Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao y Jolo, y lo que corresponden a las islas Batanes, Calamianes, Balabac, Mindoro, Masbate, Ticao y Burias, situadas al N So y de Luzon. Manila: Imprenta de Ramirez de Giraudier, vol. 2.
Conklin, H. (1957), Hanunuo Agriculture: A Report on the Integral System of Shifting Cultivation in the Philippines. Rome; Food and Agriculture Organization.
De Bevoise, K. (1995), Agents of Apocalypse: Epidemic Disease in the Colonial Philippines: Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, Chapter 6.
Dery, L. C. (1987), From Ibalon to Sorsogon: Prehistory to 1905. PhD Dissertation, Department of History, University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Dery, L. C. (1997), The Kris in Philippine History: A Study of the Impact of the Moro Anti-Colonial Resistance, 1571-1896. Published by the Author, pp. 193.
Eugenio, D. (2011), Philippine Folklore Literature: The Myth: (6 vols.) Quezon City, Philippines: The University of the Philippines Press.
Fernandez, L. and Zafra N. (1924), Stories of the Provinces: A Brief History of Each of the Provinces of the Philippine Islands: Manila: The Manila Times.
Grego, F. (1967), Masbate: Visayan by Location But Bicol by Association”. Provincial Progress Report 1967.The Weekly Nation, pp. 30-34.
Gerona, D. (1988), From Epic to History: A Brief Introduction to Bicol History. Naga City: Ateneo De Naga University Press.
Hopkinsville Kentuckian, (USA), p. 20, July 3, 1900.
Jenkins, S. (1954), American Economic Policy toward the Philippines. U.S.A: Stanford University Press.
Jocano, F. L. (2000), Filipino Prehistory: Rediscovering Pre-colonial Heritage. Metro Manila: PUNLAD Research House, Inc.
Kendrick, A. E. (1988), Hanapbuhay: Survival Strategies of Coastal Households in Masbate, the Philippines. M.A. Thesis, Cornell University, USA.
Kipte, Pasifico (2009). Dalipe, Cawayan, Masbate (Personal Interview).
Mallari, F. (1990), Ibalon Under Storm and Siege: Essays on Bicol History, 1565-1990. Cagayan de Oro: Xavier University Press.
Maohong, B. (2012), Deforestation in the Philippines, 1946-1995. Philippine Studies, (60): 117-130.
Orillos, M. F. (1999), Inspeccion General de Montes: Isang Institusyunal na Kasaysayan (1855-1898), Master’s Thesis, Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman.
Pelorina, R.N. (2012), Pedro Kipte and the Pulahanes in Masbate, 1898-1902. PhD Dissertation, Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman.
Pelorina, Fortunato (2009). Luna, Placer, Masbate, (Personal Interview).
Peritos, Isaias (2009). Guiom, Cawayan, Masbate, (Personal Interview).
Philippines (1952), Historical Data Papers-Masbate, Manila: National Library of the Philippines.
Returan, Edwin (2009). Masbate City, Masbate, (Personal Interview).
San Agustin, G. (1998), Conquest of the Philippine Islands, 1565-1615. Translated by Antonio Maneru. Manila: San Agustin Museum.
Sanciangco, G. G. (1975), The Progress of the Philippines. Manila: National Historical Institute.
Scott, W. H. (1990), Sixteenth Century Visayan Food and Farming. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol. 18, pp. 291-311.
Scott, W.H. (1992), Looking for the Pre-hispanic Filipino and Other Essays in Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
Scott, W.H. (1994), Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
Seachon, R. (1976), A Survey of the Cattle Industry in the Province of Masbate and Its Contribution to the National Economy. MBA Thesis, Department of Business Administration, University of San Carlos, Cebu City.
Solheim II, W. (1947), Outline of Philippine Archaeology by Islands and Provinces. Philippine Journal of Science, vol. 22, pp. 265-266; 257-358.
Solheim II, W. (1955), Notes on the Archaeology of Masbate. The University of Manila Journal of East Asiatic Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 47-50.
Solheim II, W. (1959), Further Notes on the Kalanay Pottery Complex in the Philippine Islands. Asian Perspectives, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 157-165.
Solheim II, W. (1968), The Batungan Cave Sites, Masbate, Philippines. Eight Pacific Congress Proceedings, ed. by W.G. Solhiem II, Honolulu: Social Science Research Institute, Asian and Pacific Archaeology Series No. 2, pp. 20-62.
Solheim, II, W. (1957), The Kalanay Pottery Complex in the Philippines. Artibus Asiae, vol. 20, pp. 279-288.
U.S.A., Census of the Philippine Islands 1903 (1905). (Mortality, Defective Classes, Education, Families and Dwellings), Bureau of Census (1903) Vol.4, pp.605-607.
U.S.A. (1944), Terrain Handbook 36. Masbate Province, Philippine Series, Allied Geographical Section, Southwest Pacific Area.
Wernstedt, F. and Spencer, J.E. (1967), The Philippine Island World: A Physical, Cultural and Regional Geography. Berkeley and Los Angles: University of California Press, 1967.
Wilcox, W. B. and Sargent, L. R. (1900) Trip Through the Island of Luzon. Letter from the Secretary of the Navy. Senate Hearing 5th Session, Document No. 196.
Worcester, D. (1899), Philippine Islands and Their People. A Record of Personal Observation and Experience, With a Short Summary of the More Important Facts in the History of the Archipelago. New York: The Macmillan Company.
