142 



CONSERVATION 



state that half of the timber has been 

 destroyed in these parts of the island 

 by this cause alone. 



While there can be and is no objec- 

 tion to allowing these people all of the 

 land which they need for agricultural 

 purposes, the wanton destruction of 

 timber such as has been going on in the 

 past, and still continues, cannot be tol- 

 erated much longer if the valuable for- 

 ests of Mindoro are to be saved. Not 

 only does the destruction entail a large 

 direct loss, but it affects as well the dis- 

 tribution of the water supply. 



The problem is a difficult one. The 

 object should be to prevent caingins 

 rather than punish offenders, since the 

 latter course would only tend to make 

 the Mangyanes more timid and would 

 not repair damage done. As an illus- 

 tration of their timidity and simplicity 

 of nature, the writers recalls an in- 

 stance when he was camped and work- 

 ing daily in their territory for a month. 

 The first day he saw a group of three, 

 but after that saw no more until just a 

 few days before his departure, although 

 he noticed numerous houses, trails, 

 fish-traps, and other signs of their re- 

 cent presence. When at last a few were 

 encountered accidentally, close ques- 

 tioning elicited the information that 

 they had been told by some visiting 

 Tagalog that they would be shot if seen 

 by the "Americano." Upon being as- 

 sured that such was not the case they 

 asked if they would be permitted to live 

 in their old homes, and seemed sur- 

 prised and pleased upon being told that 

 the Americans were not only willing 

 but anxious for them to do so. The 



futility of attempting to arrest and pun- 

 ish such people in the usual way is self- 

 evident, even though the law so provid- 

 ed, as, rightly, it does not. 



It is believed that, could the Man- 

 gyanes be induced to live in permanent 

 homes, a long step would be taken in 

 solving this problem. The work of or- 

 ganizing Mangyan villages has now 

 been commenced by a man detailed 

 from the Bureau of Education, and ten 

 small villages have already been 

 formed. The Bureau of Forestry will 

 cooperate with him in this work, and 

 lay aside a tract of suitable land near 

 each village, upon which the Mangyans 

 will be permitted to make the clearings 

 they may desire, leaving the allotment 

 of individual places entirely with their 

 local leaders. For instance, with a vil- 

 lage of forty families, an allotment of 

 i, 600 hectares would be made, which 

 would allow sixteen hectares per family 

 after providing for a growth to 100 

 families. By selecting areas not cov- 

 ered with the best forest growth, these 

 settlements could be made without se- 

 riously affecting virgin stands. By care- 

 fully explaining the system to them, 

 and by leaving the individual allotments 

 and the punishment of offenders almost 

 entirely with their own officers, who 

 have great power and influence, it is be- 

 lieved that much can be done to prevent 

 future damage. 



A few impressive boundary notices in 

 the Tagalog dialect, stating their rights 

 and privileges, should be posted to lend 

 dignity to the transaction and for the 

 information of visiting Tagalogs. 



