The Make It Makiling! (MIM!) 2026 Steering Committee gathered on 15 April 2026 for the post-event assessment. For MIM! 2026, 5,850 visitors, including campers and solo hikers, were welcomed within the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve ASEAN Heritage Park (MMFR AHP). The primary objective of the meeting was to evaluate the…
On 07 May 2026, the Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) welcomed the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) for their educational visit, which aims to strengthen research and academic initiatives in environmental science, particularly in ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation, and agroforestry systems. The visit was coordinated by Dr. Nelson Pampolina, a…
Among the trees growing at the Makiling Botanic Garden, few capture the imagination quite like balsa — a giant that can soar to 30 meters tall, yet produces one of the lightest and most versatile woods known to humanity. Getting to Know Balsa Native to the Americas, balsa (Ochroma pyramidale)…
The Mount Makiling Forest Reserve ASEAN Heritage Park is home to an incredible array of biodiversity. For the month of May 2026, the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) is proud to spotlight a small but vital avian resident of our forest canopy: the Red-Keeled Flowerpecker (Dicaeum australe). If you’ve…
This month, the Makiling Botanic Gardens features a remarkable climbing plant known for one of nature’s most elegant seed dispersal mechanisms: kabatete (Alsomitra macrocarpa (Blume) Roem.), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family that produces winged seeds capable of gliding through the forest canopy. Where It Grows Kabatete is native to…
The Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) is pleased to announce the addition of its new special policeman, Mr. Deomar Carlos O. Magkawas IV, who will be joining the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve Protection and Regulation Unit (PRU) of the center. Mr. Magkawas took his oath at the MCME Director’s…