𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 -- 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗼 𝗔𝘄𝗲𝗴 (𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀): 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻-𝗧𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱

Did you know that volunteers have been behind our rivers' water quality monitoring since 2005? For almost 17 years, youth volunteers from indigenous communities of Obu-Manuvu, Bagobo, and Ata have been conducting monthly community-based water monitoring.

Begun in 2005, the Bantayo Aweg was an offshoot of a series of environmental trainings conducted by IDIS. The name, taken from the Bagobo dialect, means 'Water Guardians'. It is a role that this group has taken into heart, judging by the fact that the monitoring has been consistent since the year they were founded.

Kenneth Capadosa (19-year-old) and Julieto Blanco (20-year-old) have been part of Bantayo Aweg volunteers for years. Every once a month, rather than playing mobile games, these youngsters, together with their fellow young volunteers, make their way to Panigan and Tamugan rivers to conduct on-site water monitoring by assessing the water quality and physical parameters at three monitoring sites. Carrying a toolbox full of hand-held devices and reagents, Bantayo Aweg volunteers systematically collect samples and measure the needed parameters for on-site monitoring. Like any serious environmental scientist, they carefully measure both chemical and physical parameters such as river's dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate (N), phosphate (P), acidity level (pH), colour and observe the flow's discharge rate through float method. The data is then carefully tabulated in a notebook for synthesis and later collation.

Davao City relies its drinking water from groundwater resources (99%), according to Davao City Water District. The rising demand from a growing population won't be enough to meet the city's future drinking water needs. Hence, the next option is to collect surface water, particularly Tamugan River. This means that the Bantayo Aweg has an essential role in protecting and preserving the Panigan-Tamugan River, as this will be the future water source in Davao City.

In 2019, Kenneth began volunteering after being motivated by his father's enthusiasm and commitment to work as a Bantay Bukid volunteer. Julieto began volunteering in 2015, working alongside other volunteers to monitor the river. Additionally, they stressed how crucial it is to protect the Panigan-Tamugan River for future generations.

“Ang among pag volunteer, gina dedicate namo ni para sa atong kinaiyahan, kay kani atong saligan pag abot sa panahon. Ang kinaiyahan mabuhi ra kung wala ta, pero dili kita mabuhi kung wala ang kinaiyahan”, they said.

After more than three and five years of volunteering, Kenneth and Julieto have no plans on quitting as Bantayo Aweg. As years passed by, they became more dedicated to continuing what their parents started as former Bantayo Aweg and became an inspiration to other youth to fight for the protection of our environment. Both of them and other volunteers represent the third generation of water watchers. Their generation's elders were the first batch of volunteers who took on the task of monitoring the health conditions of the river system to help protect the quality of the water.

“Magpabilin mi sa pagtabang ug pag volunteer hangtud sa among makaya, aron sa pag protekta sa atong tubig saluran para sa mga umaabot pa na henerasyon” they said.

Let's extend our appreciation and support to Julieto, Kenneth, and the Bantayo Aweg for their efforts and dedication. Indeed, these young men and the rest of the Bantayo Aweg are our new heroes, as they have been instrumental in bringing about transparent and sustainable growth in our community.

Want to give your share? Put those talents and skills into good use, invest in protecting our water sources! Join Bantayo Aweg (Water guardians) in their monthly community-based water monitoring of Panigan and Tamguan Rivers, Davao City's next source of drinking water.