Sierra Madre trekkers chronicle tribute to Leonard Co on Facebook

A group of trekkers conquered the Northern Sierra Madre mountains in a seven-day journey as a tribute to slain botanist Leonard Co and chronicled their adventure on Facebook. The group, called the "Palanan Sierra Madre Trek," is composed of 18 family and friends of Co. In fulfillment of Co's last wish, the group took a week-long journey starting on April 19 along the Sierra Madre mountains -- said to be the Philippines last great forest -- and scattered his ashes in Palanan, Isabela. It was Co's wish for his ashes to be scattered in the 16-hectare forest dynamics plot he built and worked on in Palanan before he died. Co was a renowned plant biologist from the University of the Philippines in Diliman and president of the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society. He was killed in a reported crossfire between government forces and the New People's Army in November last year in Leyte. Satellite phone Using a satellite phone and a Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminal provided by telecom firm Smart Communications, Inc., the group submitted reports and observations to their Manila support team, who posted their activities online. The team would make regular calls at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to their support group, and sent e-mail messages narrating their experiences while navigating the 47.3-kilometer stretch of thick forest. "Communication has gone to a place where you can communicate in real time what is happening in remote places," said Mark Dia, the group's designated "communications officer." Dia wrote in the team's blog two entries aiming to “take readers into the area, for them to imagine how it looks and experience firsthand what is happening in the forest and the effects of climate change." On the side, some team members conducted a rapid biodiversity assessment along the trail, and made note of the different species of flora and fauna they discovered inhabiting the mountain range. They also reported personal observations and anecdotes about trekking with the Dumagats, an indigenous tribe inhabiting the Sierra Madre and touted as the stewards of its vast wilderness.

Moral support Aside from being a venue to share expedition updates to their friends and family, the group's online pages also became a means for their peers to offer calls of support, admiration and enthusiasm for the group's cause. “Guys, I have been dying to visit this place since we decided to retire in Isabela. Thank you for all the information and pics and I look forward to reading all the rest of your post," wrote one John Cockell on the group's Facebook page. Maria Net Long, whose brother Eric Cantuba was part of the expedition, talked about how proud she was of her brother: "...the youngest of ten children, you will be the only one to set foot on our mother’s birthplace. Isn’t that a feat? Take care bro and the whole team!" Noel Malacad, also a part of the team, got cheerleaders out of his four kids: "Daddy you’re the best! We love you. God bless and see you soon!" "It was good to get feedback from an online audience, kung ano ang impression nila," shared David Andrade, the overall deputy trek leader. "And we were happy to note that people were keeping track, sharing hope and expectations." Well-liked The expedition drew widespread interest among Filipino Internet users here and abroad. Following the expedition, the trek participants posted "post-trek imprints" on the Facebook page, detailing their personal discoveries and lessons learned during the trip. To date, the group's page already has 616 likes from fans, and has already been viewed more than 200,00 times throughout the duration of the trek, even in the days following it. Some people are asking the group about the schedule of their next trek and if they could participate in the group's cause. In the end, the group fulfilled Co's last requests and sparked curious interest among many people, an achievement that Co would surely have been proud of. - VVP, GMA News