YES-O CLUB Fdmnhs

19/09/2026

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑! 🌊🍃

The 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀-𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗬𝗘𝗦-𝗢) of 𝗙𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 proudly joined the 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙥 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, together with fellow school organizations, volunteers, and community partners, in taking action for our environment.

This is truly a goal accomplished for 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙔𝙀𝙎-𝙊 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙨, together with their 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙗 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙧, 𝙎𝙞𝙧 𝙅𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙯. We are grateful for the opportunity to take part in 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, and we hope to participate in more events like this in the future.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. Sometimes, we may not notice the impact of what we do, but 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩.

As 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, the YES-O Team continues to promote 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚. Our efforts are 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, but also for 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡, 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚. 🌏💚

-O

15/09/2026

During the recent 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 held at Balugo National High School on September 6–7, 2026, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 showcased their passion for writing stories that matter. 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 qualified for the 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 and proudly represented our beloved school.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗬𝗘𝗦-𝗢 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀! May you continue to 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥. 💚✨

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐓 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄
✍️ 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
3rd Place - Kiara Manayon Bambico

✍️ 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
3rd Place - Bhey Esteban

✍️𝙋𝙖𝙜𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖
Participant - Emmanuel Borbe

-O

05/09/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐄𝐒-𝐎 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 who represented our dearest school, 𝗙𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, at the 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲! 🧬💚

Your achievements are a reflection of your 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, and 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, proving once again that 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘦. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙔𝙀𝙎-𝙊 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣! 💕🎉

19/07/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬! 📢

𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐘𝐄𝐒-𝐎) 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔–𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕.

𝗔𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘅 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝙔𝙀𝙎-𝙊 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨.

These newly elected student leaders have 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣-𝙪𝙥 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 🍃💕

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀:

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁: Kiara Manayon Bambico
𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁: John Paul Cambaliza
𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆: Joshua Ganiga
𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿: Cianelle Mangubat
𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿: Bhey Esteban
𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀:
𝟭. James Singson
𝟮. Emmanuel Borbe

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿:
Sir Joemar Falogme Cortez

𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, we can cultivate 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 for 𝗙𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹! 🍀✨

11/07/2026

🪻

NEW ENDEMIC ORCHID 🌸

A tiny orchid found in the mossy forests of Mt. Apo has officially joined science under a new name: Corybas apoensis.

The newly described plant is a helmet orchid under the family Orchidaceae and is considered endemic, meaning it is known from the Philippines and is specifically tied to Mt. Apo in Mindanao.

Its name, apoensis, points to the mountain where it was found.

The species was formally published in Phytotaxa on July 7, 2026, in a paper titled “Corybas apoensis (Orchidaceae), a new endemic species from Mt. Apo, Philippines.”

The authors of the study are Kier C. Agad, Archelito L. Mallari, Danilo N. Tandang, Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante, and Daryl S. Salas.

Reports describe Corybas apoensis as thriving in mosses and humus along a ridge mossy forest, showing how even small and easily overlooked plants can hold new scientific records.

The new species belongs to a group of orchids often called helmet orchids because of their unusual flower shape.

Researchers compared it with related species and identified features that distinguish it, including its white floral background and the visible carmine veins on parts of the flower.

The discovery adds another example of how Mt. Apo continues to serve as a home for unique life forms found nowhere else.

It also reminds students that biodiversity research is not only about large animals or well-known plants. Sometimes, a new species can be waiting in the moss, hidden close to the forest floor.

For the Philippines, each newly described endemic species is both a scientific milestone and a conservation reminder.

When a plant is known only from a limited habitat, protecting the mountain ecosystem around it becomes part of protecting the species itself.

11/07/2026

🦅

RENAMED EAGLE 🦅

The Philippine Eagle did not always carry the name now tied to national pride.

Before it became widely known as the Philippine Eagle, the bird was called the “monkey-eating eagle,” a name based on early beliefs about its diet.

But the name was incomplete.

Philippine Eagles can prey on monkeys, but they also hunt other animals such as flying lemurs, civets, bats, snakes, lizards, and birds. Because of this, the old name did not fully reflect the eagle’s role as a powerful forest raptor and a symbol of Philippine wildlife.

On May 8, 1978, Proclamation No. 1732 officially declared the so-called “Monkey Eating Eagle” as the Philippine Eagle.

Nearly two decades later, on July 4, 1995, Proclamation No. 615 declared the Philippine Eagle as the National Bird of the Philippines.

The 1995 proclamation recognized the eagle as one of the best biological indicators of the quality of Philippine forest ecosystems, a flagship species for wildlife conservation, and a natural treasure found only in the country.

It also called on government agencies to help protect and manage the species by establishing sanctuaries, supporting community participation, expanding research and monitoring, and promoting public awareness.

Today, the Philippine Eagle remains one of the rarest eagles in the world. It can only be seen on four major Philippine islands: Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.

From a misunderstood name to a national symbol, the Philippine Eagle carries a bigger message: protecting the bird also means protecting the forests that keep it alive.

11/07/2026

🐢

LEYTE NAME, PALAWAN HOME 🐢

The Philippine forest turtle carries a name that points to Leyte — but its true home is in the Palawan region.

Its scientific name is Siebenrockiella leytensis. The word “leytensis” refers to Leyte, where the species was originally believed to have come from when it was described in 1920.

But for decades, scientists could not find living populations of the turtle in Leyte.

That mystery lasted for more than 80 years.

Later records and field discoveries showed that the turtle’s natural range was not Leyte, but the Palawan region. Natural populations were confirmed on Palawan and Dumaran, making the species one of the most unusual cases of mistaken distribution in Philippine wildlife history.

Today, the turtle is often called the Philippine forest turtle or Palawan forest turtle. It is considered one of the most threatened freshwater turtles in the country.

It lives in specific lowland freshwater habitats, including streams and swamp forest areas, making habitat loss a serious threat to its survival.

The species has also been heavily affected by illegal wildlife trade. After its rediscovery became known, demand from collectors increased, placing even more pressure on wild populations.

The Philippine forest turtle’s story shows how science can correct old records, solve long-standing mysteries, and reveal that a species’ name does not always tell its true origin.

11/07/2026

🐁

VOLCANO SURVIVOR 🐭

A native mouse may have thrived after one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions in modern Philippine history.

After the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, scientists later returned to survey the mammals living in the heavily disturbed landscape.

What they found was surprising.

The Pinatubo volcano mouse, scientifically known as Apomys sacobianus, was not wiped out. Instead, researchers found it to be the most abundant native small mammal in the surveyed areas.

The species may be endemic to Mt. Pinatubo, meaning it could have a very limited range tied to the volcano and nearby areas.

The Philippine Journal of Science study described Apomys sacobianus as an extreme example of a “disturbance specialist” — a native species able to thrive in severely disturbed habitat.

This is unusual because animals with very limited ranges are often considered highly vulnerable after major disasters. But in Mt. Pinatubo’s early-stage regenerating habitat, native rodents were more widespread and more abundant than non-native rats.

The study documented 17 mammal species in the surveyed areas, including bats, native rodents, non-native rodents, wild pig, and deer.

In simple terms, Mt. Pinatubo was not only a story of destruction.

It also became a story of ecological resilience.

The Pinatubo volcano mouse shows that some native Philippine species may be more resilient than expected, especially in landscapes shaped by natural disturbance.

Still, researchers also note that more long-term monitoring is needed as the forest continues to recover and the mammal community changes over time.

A small mouse surviving on a volcano reminds us that Philippine biodiversity can be hidden, tough, and full of surprises.

11/07/2026

🐀🐁🐭

BALETE’S MOUSE 🐭

A mouse genus from Mindanao was named after a Filipino biologist.

The newly recognized genus of shrew-like mouse, Baletemys, honors the late Filipino mammalogist Danilo “Danny” Balete, whose fieldwork helped expand scientific knowledge of Philippine mammals.

The species, scientifically named Baletemys kampalili, was discovered on Mt. Kampalili in eastern Mindanao. What made the discovery remarkable was that the animal was identified not only as a new species but also as a new genus.

In taxonomy, a genus is a larger scientific grouping than a species. This means the discovery was not just another new mouse; it represented a distinct branch of Philippine rodent diversity.

Baletemys kampalili is described as a shrew-like mouse with a long, narrow snout, small eyes and ears, a stout body, short, dark fur, and a visibly haired tail.

The genus name Baletemys means “Balete’s mouse,” combining Balete’s name with “mys,” the Greek word for mouse. It honors Danny Balete’s major contributions to biodiversity research, especially his fieldwork on mammals found only in the Philippines.

The discovery also highlights Mt. Kampalili as an important center of mammalian endemism in Mindanao. Researchers emphasized that the area deserves conservation attention because it may still hold species found nowhere else.

For Philippine science, Baletemys is more than the name of a mouse.

It is a tribute to a Filipino scientist whose work helped reveal the richness, uniqueness, and still underexplored nature of the country’s wildlife.

28/10/2025

"𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑺𝒊𝒓 𝑱𝑶𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑹!" 🎂

Today, we celebrate not just your special day, but also the incredible person you are — a mentor, leader, and inspiration to us all.

Your passion for uplifting your learners and your unwavering dedication to the YES-O family inspires us to care more, do more, and dream bigger for a greener and better future. Thank you for guiding us with patience, kindness, and wisdom. You’ve taught us that leadership is not just about leading, but about serving with heart.

May your birthday be filled with joy, peace, and all the goodness you so generously share with others. You truly make a difference, not only in our organization but in the lives of everyone you inspire.

With love and gratitude,
𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙔𝙀𝙎-𝙊 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 💚