THIS IS NO ORDINARY CROWD that I am
facing today, April 7, 2018. This is the cream of the crop of Philippine
mountaineering and the legends of the Philippine underworld. I should be
intimidated, shaking with stage fright, but I feel nothing. Instead, I sense
kinship with these guys as if I am on home ground.
The Iloilo Mountaineering Club
(IMC) is one of the oldest mountaineering organizations in the Philippines. It
was established in 1970 and became one of the original founding clubs that
signed the charter of the National Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines,
now known as the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc. (MFPI).
IMC is quite active despite their
preference to be in an inactive status, for the time being, from the MFPI. In
fact, they are in the midst of euphoria after they have finally completed the
Panay Trilogy, a project that took them many decades to accomplish. This is
their banner year and I could feel the energy of everyone flowing.
The Panay Trilogy is the crowning
glory of IMC. It comprises Mount Madia-as, Mount Nangtud and Mount Baloi Daku,
spanning all the four provinces of Panay Island. The final and successful
expedition lasted 18 days and involved the entire club either as the
exploration team, the four supply teams or the standby reserve team.
The Western Visayas Caving Association
(WVCA) covers both Iloilo and Negros and was established in 1995. WVCA is one
of the founding clubs of the Philippine Speleological Society (PSS). WVCA is
very active in explorations, trainings, assessments and participation in the
annual PSS Congress. Their strict adherence to caving safety, ethics and
ecology protection created the benchmarks on how caves ought to be managed.
IMC and WVCA are feathers from the
same parents. Their members could do both mountaineering and caving with ease.
Credit that to the founding fathers who are all close friends like Vic Pison,
Dodot Pison and Fred Tayo Jr. for IMC and Fred Jamili for WVCA. This is a great
community of passionate people who love the outdoors.
Today is the first day of the Araw
ng Kagitingan Wilderness Survival Camp which would end on April 9. All would
sit and listen to me talk and discuss the BASIC WILDERNESS SURVIVAL COURSE.
Most of these guys had been to the mountains for a long time and each could
have personally collected their own knowledge about survival. This training
would refine that and guide them to the best practices of survival.
I would be assisted by Ernie
Salomon and Jonathaniel Apurado who both came all the way from Cebu with me.
Carrying us here last night is Randy Salazar of IMC and WVCA, driving his
Nissan Strada, and would probably also help me if I need his expertise. Then
Derek Manuel of Derek’s Classic Blade Exchange would also have a part during
the training. Together we represent the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild.
After an opening address by Sir
Vic, this blogger proceed to explain the purpose of the training. It is
designed for tropical wilderness settings of dense jungles and rugged
highlands, which I first offered to the mountaineering community in October
2013. It is open to all individuals or groups of any interests and purpose. The
training is done inside a local resort of Alimodian, Iloilo.
The first chapter is Introduction
to Survival. Survival situations demand that you stay tough after the initial
impact. Mental stability and toughness are very important characteristics of a
survivor. You must develop a survival mindset. Do not engage in prolonged mind
games of fantasy and false hopes. You should rein in your mind so you would not
release excess adrenaline and cause you more confusion in a very stringent
moment.
The best thing to do is stay still
and fill up your lungs with oxygene. Your brain needs it most to help you
process thoughts. You are now in a high state of agitation and so does your
brain. Your brain will be in hyper mode, collating and processing many thoughts
all at the same time which is beyond human capacity. We can do so one thought
at a time. Just stay still and breathe regularly, supplying your blood system
with oxygene.
In the hierarchy of needs and of
nutrition in a survival situation, water is always on the top of the scales of
both. Rightly so, for we are in the tropics and humidity plays a big role. With
that, we surrender perspiration by the acts of our exertions and by what the
climatic conditions imposed on us. Along with the lost moisture, is our body
heat which we let go without our knowing.
When you stay still in one place,
you lessen wastage of moisture and body heat. Then you confine the latter by
setting up a shelter (if you still have one) or make one from scratch. That is
the second need. The third would be food then warmth. Although food, and even
water, would give you warmth, but heat from a naked flame or from the rays of
the sun or from a person’s body is solace. Last is security which would
complement well with the rest.
Our body has four hypothetical
storage tanks that need to be replenished from time to time during survival.
First is constant rehydration that would offset dehydration. Second is food
that would give you nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins. Third is sugar which
is converted by enzymes for your adrenaline rush. Fourth is fat, hardest to
find in the tropics yet are wrapped as tissues in our body.
The topic for the next chapter is
about Water Sanitation and Hydration. The first chapter had mentioned
the importance of water during survival. Water could be sourced from natural
springs, water seeps, man-made water holes, flowing streams, the atmosphere and
from plants. It could be refined through boiling, by chemicals, exposure to
heat, through filtration and by desalination. It is wise to cache water in your
survival camp or just travel early and take advantage of shady places and
breeze if you happen to have less.
We move on to the third chapter
which is about Knife Care and Safety. The knife is a tool and should not
be used to what it was not designed for like digging holes and as pry bars. It
is a vital piece of equipment that should be properly handled and cared for
because it is your link to your surviving. In all my training, knife etiquette
is learned first before you touch a knife, so as to lessen accidents.
Besides that, there is a knife law
that forbids the display, even of concealed carrying, in public places unless
you are in a lawful activity, which we are in right now. A knife should be in a
sturdy sheath when travelling and should be unsheathed when at home to keep it
from rust. There are many kinds of knives and it is important that you know the
parts, blade shapes, grind styles and the tang designs. You must also learn how
to field sharpen a knife.
During this moment, Derek added his
specialty to the lecture by showing the participants the different shapes and
the different grinds. Derek further illustrate with a graph what are the most
popular and the best grinds and what are the tools to grind or hone an edge. He
also discuss how a knife edge behave when being grounded and the best way to
remove burrs.
I was able to finish three chapters
in the morning and noonbreak is mandatory when the clock struck twelve. There
is no cooking as food is prepared by the family-run resort. After lunch, the
hammock is an inviting proposition and I sneaked into its comfortable grip for
a quick nap. I needed the rest since I did not feel well and the participants
would be handling knives later. Refreshed after 45 minutes of siesta, I
continued with the activity.
After the much appreciated
instructions about the knife in the morning, we moved on to Survival Tool
Making. Using a tool is essential in survival or even when not in that
situation. I showed them the most basic of tools like the digging stick, traps
and snares from pieces bamboo that I prepared, and the batoning stick. I let
each carve a spoon on bamboo to practice their dexterity with a knife while
supervising the practical exercise.
Following this is the chapter on Notches.
There are five basic notches that are used regularly in bushcraft. These are
applicable in shelters, furniture and tools. Again, this is another exercise in
knife dexterity but it can only be achieved with the use of another tool, the
baton stick. On a single stick that served as an art canvas, each participant
carved their five different notches, starting with the easiest up to the most
complicated.
At the last hours of daylight, the
first day lecture ends. We have accomplished much for the day, simply because
we started at 09:00. After supper, the socials on Campfire Yarns and
Storytelling proceed. The evening start with individual introductions and,
fueled by moderate supply of alcoholic drinks, it metamorphosed into funny
tales which progressed towards the scary ones as the night approach midnight.
The second day, April 8, start with
Customizing the Survival Kit. It is better that survival kits are made
from scratch than bought commercially because a survival kit’s size and its
components depends upon the type of the activity you are indulging in and the
kind of environment you are going to visit. Your personal preference still
matters. The components should include the medical kit, the replenishment
pouch, the repair kit and a small knife. It could all be integrated in one
container and should be waterproofed.
At this juncture, Jonathan, Ernie,
Randy and Derek lent their survival kits to the lecture. Each one describe the
items and how it could complement with the other items with little ingenious
hacks. The individual survival kits came in different sizes, which ranged from
a kit which focused more on first aid and to another which is for everyday
carry (EDC).
Next is Fire, Fuel and Campfire
Safety. You cannot make a fire if one or all elements are not present,
namely: fuel, heat and air. Lately, they added a fourth element – chemical
reaction. Fire-making is 80% common sense, 10% skill and 10% perspiration. We
are talking about the friction methods. Your fire can start if you can acquire
and identify the right tinder, if you are in a dry place, and if you have the
patience.
Aside from friction, there are the
conventional methods which are matchsticks, lighters, ferro rods and the flint
and steel. Then there is solar magnification which can be done with any lens,
reading glasses, water and even ice. Then you have pressurized air, exemplified
by the fire piston. I first give a demonstration of the flint and steel, which
I paired with charclothe, and then with the ferro rod.
Everyone tried the flint-and-steel
and the ferro rod but they were much successful with the latter, simply because
it is much easy to achieve. Embers caught on soft fuel became instant flames
and it was a smoke-filled mid-morning affair. Then I showed them how a tinder
bundle is made. Popularly called as a “bird’s nest”, it is the material by
which you transfer ember or a small flame so it would progress into a useful
flame..
I start with the bow drill method
and showed them how it is made and spun. Unfortunately, I could only make thick
smoke as sawdust embers refused to light up my tinder. Humidity plays a big
role here since it rained many minutes ago. I let others try the bowdrill. Three
teams tried their best coaxed by morale-boosting chants but all to no avail. I
tried with the bamboo method but I also failed until Randy came at the right
moment and saved the day.
Noonbreak came but there is no meal
prepared. Everyone is on fasting. It is part of the training. Everyone will
have to experience the pangs of hunger during survival situations. When you are
hungry, you get irritated by the humidity, the warmth, the uncomfortable
position, crawling insects and you tend to be sleepy. Fighting off that demands
great concentration and will power. All will avail of food right after the
fruits of their night foraging later.
After a one-hour siesta, the
participants go back to listen to the next topic which is about Foraging and
Plant Identification. Foraging food in the wilderness or on unfamiliar
terrain can be very taxing to the mind. When you are stressed and hungry, you
tend to remove all caution. Looks can be very deceiving in the tropics like
fruits, leaves, nuts, roots, flowers and mushrooms. Likewise, you need to evade
harmful plants while travelling your way in a jungle.
Short term food would be grub, tree
snails, fresh-water shrimps and crabs and frogs. These can be picked by hand.
Cook it if you must to remove parasites and bacteria. Long term foods are meat
from mammals, fish, birds and reptiles. For that, you must use a weapon or
traps and snares. Traps could be anything designed to lure prey into a simple
contraption of a hollow bamboo or a dam of rocks. It must work with the terrain,
with gravity and the habits of creatures, including its anatomy design.
Snares are more complex. It has a
spring-and-trigger mechanism which would be initiated by the prey. Showed the
students a very common snare employing a pressure-trigger mechanism. It could
catch anything from birds to goats. Another is a tube snare. You must use bait
so prey would be lured to set it off. A single trap or a single snare would not
yield you a catch but a trap line of 20 to 30 of these, after ascertaining
where prey would most likely pass or visit.
Related to these is the chapter on Food
Preservation and Cooking. If you can eat a deer all in one setting, well
and good. You are very fortunate to still possess a healthy appetite. Meat rots
in a short span of time. During survival, meat can be preserved and its
edibility can be extended for a few more hours to several months. You can boil
it. You can dry it. You can smoke it. Or you can cook it with its own oil from
its fat.
Fish can be preserved by drying and
by smoking. Fruits can be digested after a drying session and provide you
natural sugar. Common rootcrops has high starch value and should be cooked, by
all means possible, to remove toxins. Famine crops need to be immersed in
running water for five days before cooking. Salt and vinegar are good food
preservatives. Vinegar can be sourced from any palm.
Since there is still a few hours of
daylight, I collected bamboo poles and teach them how to create an improvised
cooking vessel, specifically designed to cook anything save frying with oil. I
employ my Trailhawk System for this which also includes how rice is cooked,
which is so different from the rest of the country. It is a Visayan technique
which finds its origin in cooking milled corn.
After assigning them into seven
groups of six persons each, the participants begin the process of making bamboo
cooking vessels and, as a community; they use one firepit to cook all seven
bamboos in a line. Everyone lend their hands for their group by feeding more
firewood or peering into the chamber to observe the tell-tale bubbles. I leave
them to their devices and seek out the comfort of my hammock. I am so
tired.
When I receive news that the rice is
all cooked, we proceed with Nocturnal Hunting. There is an assigned area for this
and all would hike in darkness with headlights and hand torch looking for
edible tree snails. After an hour, each group returned empty-handed. There is
not much left. I was hoping even though our camp is near human habitations. I
later found out that the area is a man-made forest of introduced trees which no
indigenous fauna would make home.
Anyway, the catering service
provided Plan B and everybody made amends with their hungry stomachs while half
of them made many trips to the buffet table. A campfire is lighted up early by
the youngsters when we went foraging leaving us with just a few firewood to
start another Campfire Yarns and Storytelling. We decide to ditch this night
activity so all could sleep early and recover from the torture of a hungry day.
The final day, April 9, is the one
marked as an official holiday. Before, it commemorates the Fall of Bataan, and
was named as Bataan Day. Then they changed that to Araw ng Kagitingan,
which is “Day of Courage” if you translate it into English. To honor our fallen
heroes, we raise the Philippine Flag and sing the National Hymn. We follow it
up with the Oath to Flag and Country.
After the formalities, the Blade
Porn begins. I have never seen so many blades before when I started my
bushcraft camps eight years ago. The whole of Panay, comprising the provinces
of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique produce their own distinctive battle and
utility blades which are laid before me side-by-side with branded blades and
those from other regions. It filled to the brim one 8-ft. by 8-ft. laminated
nylon sheet and needed another sheet to accommodate more. It is a collector’s
delight.
I have to finish the rest of the
topics and proceed with Navigation and Understanding Trails. This is
more on traditional navigation which use the natural terrain, shadows and the
sky fixtures for travel; avoiding obstacles and exposed areas; and knowing how
to identify signs on trails made by both animals and humans.
Following that is Understanding
Cold Weather. During survival, exposure to the elements is expected. There
are five physical mechanisms that steal away body heat and the things that we
should do to keep us constantly warm.
Last topic is Outdoors Common
Sense. This is based from my yet unpublished book, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT.
It is about trail courtesy and behavior while on the trail; choosing the best
campsites; practicing stealth camping; increasing individual safety and
security; wildlife encounters; and introduce people to the idea of Blend, Adapt
and Improvise.
After the training, there is the
giving of training certificates for the participants and the certificate of
appreciation for me, Randy, Derek, Jonathan and Ernie. Then the most awaited
part, the giveaways, is raffled off to the participants. At the top of the
ladder is a beautiful Schrade knife, courtesy of Classic Blade Exchange. Then
you have more ESEE knives, Marbles Arkansas stones, survival items by SOL and
UST from CBX.
More blade giveaways came from the
Knifemaker of Mandaue City and locally-made blades courtesy of Filipino
Traditional Blades begun to find new owners, as well as camping and hiking
accessories from Silangan Outdoor Equipment and from PAC Gear. This is the
highlight of the day and, after lunch, everyone break camp and made it to their
cars and pickups.
I have a long day ahead tomorrow
with Randy, Ernie and Jonathan but it would be another adventure and another
article, perhaps. My grandfather’s journey came full circle as I delivered the
survival instructions for IMC and WVCA, which I came to understand was the most
I handled in my many years teaching this. I counted and signed 49 certificates.
Oh, I almost forgot. My grandfather
taught me these skills when I was 6 years old until I was 8. He was from
Lambunao, Iloilo. He left his hometown when he was 12 on a one-way trip to
Cebu. He lived by his own wits there and almost fought in Europe during World
War I as a Philippine Scout; he became a three-term municipal councilor, a
lawyer, started a family, a professor and survived World War II as a
most-wanted guerrilla officer in Bohol.
I cut my teeth under him. He is no
other than the late Gervasio Lavilles, the wellspring that made Cebu a
Chartered City. It is an honor to impart what I learned from him back to his
native soil. It came at a most appropriate time, Araw ng Kagitingan. He
was an unsung hero.
Document done in LibreOffice 5.3
Writer
Photos courtesy of JM Alabe
Mejorada of IMC/WVCA
