Sulu Garden Foundation, Inc.

01/09/2026

𝗦𝘂𝗹𝘂 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿-𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝗟𝗛𝗖𝗡)!

Recently, Mr. Salvador ‘Jun’ Acsay, SGF Advisor for Heritage & History, represented us at the LHCN 13th General Assembly in Biñan, Laguna. The event was a valuable opportunity to build relationships with peer organizations nationwide.

During the assembly, Mr. Acsay shared our community-based heritage work in Miagao, Iloilo.

“It was great to see so much interest from other attendees in visiting our museum dioramas and learning about our archaeological research. He also noted how conference sessions—like a presentation from an Indonesian guest speaker on historical Moro attacks—directly validate the relevance of SGF's current historical projects.

This accreditation from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) formally integrates SGF into the national historical framework. We are excited to collaborate with the LHCN Visayas Cluster on their upcoming women-focused initiatives!”

Read more about our participation here: https://sulugardenfoundation.org/sulu-garden-foundation-secures-nhcp-accreditation-as-official-member-affiliate-at-13th-lhcn-general-assembly/

27/08/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Every night in Miag-ao, Iloilo, hundreds of sounds are recorded as one fruit bat colony begins its nightly activity.

And these sounds may reveal patterns that our eyes alone cannot observe.

Sulu Garden Foundation is conducting a long-term acoustic monitoring project to better understand the activity and behavior of a local fruit bat colony roosting in a raintree by Sulu Garden.

Using a Song Meter Mini 2 acoustic recorder, we can capture hours of sound throughout the night, from the bats' activity such as just before sunset, their mass migration at dusk, and their eventual return to the roost before sunrise.

More than 105 bats were counted at the raintree as of June 2026.

Based on previous observations, the colony may include the Island Flying Fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) and Large Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus).

Because multiple species may share the same roost, the recorded calls cannot yet be confidently assigned to individual species. Instead, this project focuses on understanding the collective acoustic activity of the colony.

Through spectrograms and audio analysis, recordings can be examined and over time, this growing archive may help researchers identify patterns in bat activity and better understand how fruit bats interact with the Miag-ao landscape.

Sometimes, studying wildlife begins not by watching, but by listening. 🦇🌙

Acoustic Monitoring of the Fruit Bat Colony in Miag-ao, Iloilo
Sulu Garden Foundation
Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines

27/08/2026

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧

Exciting news from our SGF research team!
A new study co-authored by Kim Alunan, Ma. Angela Magarzo, Justin Tiu, and Executive Director Jonathan Matias has just been published in the journal Discover Plants.

Our team successfully verified the scientific identity of the local balunos vine—a crucial component in the traditional budbud salt-making process of Miag-ao, Iloilo—as 𝘔𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 (Lour.) Spreng.
By bridging folk knowledge with scientific taxonomy, this research highlights the vital link between cultural heritage, local craftsmanship, and biodiversity conservation.

Read the full study here:
Alunan, K.A., Magarzo, M.A.T., Tiu, J.L.M., Matias, J.R. Morphotaxonomic verification of the ‘balunos’ vine used in the artisanal budbud salt of Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines. Discov. Plants 3, 358 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44372-026-00838-z

18/08/2026

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗮𝗴-𝗮𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲!

An entire year of monitoring, mapping and conservation action capturing years of coexistence between people and fruit bats at the heart of our town. These flying foxes, locally called 𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘸, are vital seed dispersers and indicators of forest health.

Read the highlights and join us as we move forward into 2026 and beyond!

LINK: https://sulugardenfoundation.org/bats-of-miagao/

Copyright © 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝘂 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Front and back cover photos by: Matt Vincent S. Leonoras
Design and layout: Kim A. Alunan
Content by: Kim A. Alunan, Ma. Angela T. Magarzo, Jonathan R. Matias

Get in touch:
www.sulugardenfoundation.org
[email protected]

13/08/2026

𝗦𝘂𝗹𝘂 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁

Sulu Garden Foundation, Inc. (SGF) welcomed the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) evaluation team for a full-day accreditation visit at its Miag-ao headquarters on August 7, 2026. The assessment validated SGF’s institutional governance, fiscal transparency, and science-driven community programs spanning reforestation, biocultural agroforestry, heritage preservation, and free surgical missions.

SGF’s leadership and board engaged in in-depth governance and operations reviews, highlighting the foundation’s commitment to ethical management, research excellence, and inclusive partnerships. The evaluation marks a milestone in SGF’s 2025–2030 strategic plan to secure national NGO accreditation and expand sustainable development initiatives across Panay Island.

Read more: https://sulugardenfoundation.org/sulu-garden-foundation-highlights-governance-conservation-and-community-impact-in-philippine-council-on-ngo-certification-evaluation-visit/

05/08/2026

Did you know that the fruit bats right here in Miag-ao might be "talking" to each other? 🦇💬

Every night between 5:30 and 6:30 PM, over 105 bats take flight from a rain tree behind Sulu Garden, located right within the Miag-ao town center. This makes our mixed-species colony—which includes the island flying fox and the large flying fox—one of the rare, documented town-center roosting bat populations in the world! They also play a massive role in our ecosystem, dispersing more than 7,100 fruit bats from over 120 tree species within the town of Miag-ao.

But before they leave, and when they return at dawn, they are incredibly vocal! Fruit bats use distinct calls for everything from courtship to warning each other of danger. To understand them better, the Sulu Garden Foundation is running an exciting new acoustic monitoring project. We are using a special wildlife sound recorder to safely listen to our colony and uncover the secrets of their communication.

Want to hear what a bat colony sounds like up close? 🎧

Visit our website to listen to actual recordings and learn more about how we are protecting our local wildlife!

https://sulugardenfoundation.org/acoustic-monitoring-of-the-fruit-bat-colony-in-miag-ao-iloilo/

28/07/2026

ROBIN HAYWOOD. THE FACE HUNTER. . ROBIN DIED TODAY, JULY 28, 2026. We knew and worked with Robin for a decade now to find children in Panay with cleft deformities and bring them to the Cleft Surgical Missions.

THIS VIDEO SHOWS HIS LEGACY ---THE THOUSANDS OF CLEFT DEFORMED CHILDREN HE FOUND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF PANAY AND HOW HE CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER.

A LIFE WELL LIVED.

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦...

19/07/2026

𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼: 𝗦𝗚𝗙 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗢 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼

On July 16, the Sulu Garden Foundation (SGF) and the Iloilo Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) held a convergence meeting in Miagao to strengthen collaboration between the “Tanum Iloilo for MoRProGRes” campaign and SGF’s “Re‑Greening of Panay” initiative.

The event gathered representatives from local government units, DENR Region VI, and UP Visayas to discuss seed sourcing, pilot sites in Miag-ao, San Joaquin, Igbaras, and Tubungan, and opportunities for carbon finance and community livelihood projects. Participants toured SGF’s facilities for a demonstration of seedball production, highlighting how innovative restoration methods can complement traditional reforestation. Together, SGF and PGENRO aim to build a replicable model for restoring forest cover and creating sustainable livelihoods across Iloilo and Panay Island.

Read more: https://sulugardenfoundation.org/sgf-pgenro-convergence-meeting/

15/07/2026

SGF receives recognition as SPEARHEAD PARTNER FOR PEACE from Major General Michael G. Samson, 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, Philippine Army, during the ceremony (PASIDUNGOG 2026) held at Casa Real, Iloilo Provincial Capitol, on July 13th, 2026. SGF was one of three NGO's honored with this award in the Island of Panay.

Since 2018, SGF has been working together with the Philippine Army's 61st Infantry (Hunter) Battalion (Camp Monteclaro, Miag-ao, Iloilo) on medical missions in the highland barangays, reforestation programs, conservation efforts and provision of essential infrastructures for the men and women serving our nation.

Receiving the award during the ceremony were Jonathan R. Matias (Executive Director) and Araceli A. Matias (Chairman of the Board)