Aired (December 11, 2023): Pagkagat ng dilim, sa kahabaan ng D. Silang at P. Burgos Street sa Batangas City, ang mga residente roon, naglalakad nang naka-payong kahit ‘di umuulan! Ano ang dahilan? Panoorin ang video.
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00:00 But Susan, there are many benefits to our country's tropical climate.
00:03 In the beautiful beaches, the weather is just right.
00:07 But not only for humans, but for animals like birds,
00:09 the Philippines is also a good spot.
00:11 You know why.
00:12 Let's find out in the story of Oscar Oida.
00:15 After a night of darkness along the D-Silang and P-Burgo streets in Batangas City,
00:25 the residents there walk with their umbrella even if it's raining.
00:31 The reason is the bats.
00:34 Before 6 in the evening, these birds seem to be on the power line.
00:43 We can see them, but they're seasonal.
00:45 When it's cold, they're like that.
00:47 After summer, when it's too hot, they don't come here.
00:52 The residents are affected by the bats.
00:57 The bats hit people who are passing by.
01:00 The trace of the bats is only in front of them.
01:04 So, wherever they go, they stop.
01:08 Sometimes, they go to the side of the building.
01:11 They go to the car.
01:12 When you're in a park, it's like that.
01:13 For me, it's like that.
01:15 There's a time.
01:16 Their time is like 6.
01:18 We're close to 7.
01:19 So, the one hour, I think, people should go there.
01:24 It's like they're avoiding us.
01:26 It's still far.
01:27 The birds' nests can be smelled.
01:30 Maybe they're immune.
01:32 But their smell, when you're new, you'll get a lot of masks.
01:36 But when it rains, the smell is more painful.
01:41 The residents are already avoiding the bats.
01:45 Every 5 p.m., they'll gather.
01:49 After that, around 6 p.m., they'll start to go there.
01:54 That's why we're in line to avoid them.
01:58 There's a time when they're hit.
02:01 The smell is also perverse.
02:04 Explained by ornithologist and bird curator, Juan Carlos Gonzalez,
02:10 the barn swallows are migratory birds from the United States, Eurasia, Europe, and Australia.
02:19 They're not here to lay eggs.
02:21 They are migratory birds.
02:22 During the summer months, March to August,
02:26 they're in the northern hemisphere.
02:28 During the winter months,
02:31 because they're cold, they don't have much food,
02:34 they'll come over to warmer areas around the equator, like the Philippines,
02:38 to winter.
02:40 So between September, October, up to March, they're here.
02:44 Not only in Batangas City, Dumarayo,
02:47 they're also found in Alabang, Davao, Cebu, and Zamboanga City.
02:53 Usually, they like cities with big cables
02:56 because it's easy to find cables.
02:59 And buildings, it helps, it keeps them protected.
03:03 Insectivores are migratory birds or insects that eat.
03:08 They will eat as much insects in one day as they are in their total weight.
03:13 Think of it as a free insecticide.
03:16 It's effective pest control.
03:17 The negative is that once they've fallen into their roosting areas,
03:21 they will, of course, release the uneaten food as feces.
03:25 With the increase in the number of migratory birds,
03:27 no one has yet been diagnosed with illness because of this in their barangay.
03:32 As of now, we have not received any complaints about this
03:37 because they're already used to being here.
03:41 We coordinate with the city about cleaning the streets
03:50 so that Batangas City is at least clean.
03:53 If you have a bird flu, you have an illness,
04:00 will you still be able to reach the Philippines?
04:01 If you fly, we'll think about it.
04:04 We'll think, "I think I'll be able to reach the Philippines."
04:06 So it's better to sample any of the fecal material or swab the birds
04:11 if they have a potential zoonotic disease.
04:14 It's not just bird flu.
04:15 Residents there are learning to live with the birds.
04:20 We can't blame them for looking for something to stop them
04:26 because they're already with us.
04:28 So it's not scary or something that will be left to them.
04:32 They can't avoid the birds and make their place a sanctuary.
04:40 I'm Oscar Oidat, and that's the story you need to know.
04:45 Dame?
04:47 [music]
05:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]