The Bandillo ng Palawan is an environmental media organization that seeks to promote environmental awareness and responsible community journalism in the province of Palawan.

The organization has been assisting the Henry TSL Foundation in its information campaigns for the past two years in Honda Bay where the barangay of Binduyan is located. The decision to accept the responsibility for helping manage the development and conservation of the proposed Olangoan Falls Nature Park in Binduyan, Puerto Princesa was a response to the growing need for media groups to get more involved in the improvement of local governance.

It is not enough for local media to merely criticize local government for its inability to provide basic services, for example. There are also opportunities for media to assist local government units, especially when it comes to environmental concerns that would serve best the people’s interest.

The cross-visit by the barangay rangers of Binduyan to the Estrella Falls in the municipality of Narra and the St. Paul’s National Park in Puerto Princesa is one such opportunity for Bandillo to engage in public journalism. It will likewise provide the Binduyan rangers the necessary exposure to protected areas that have been receiving visitors for quite sometime. It will also enable the municipal government of Narra and the city government of Puerto Princesa to share their experiences with the people from Binduyan.

It is hoped that a fruitful exchange will result from the cross-visit and that the participants will learn valuable lessons in protected area management. The activity will also highlight positive interaction between government and the media in the pursuit of local governance models that can be replicated in other parts of the country.