10 Most Influential Persons of the WBCP

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, WBCP member Carmela Balcazar was asked to list the 10 Most Influential Persons of the WBCP. Here’s the list of the club’s Who’s Who.
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10 Most Influential Persons of the WBCP
by Carmela Balcazar

1. The Travelers – Birdwatchers do travel the distance, be it from their couch to the window or hitting the 31 provinces. They know not only where the birds are, but best places to stay in or where they serve the coldest beer. Not limited to wetlands, forests or mountain summits, but also urban universities to Divisoria. Tap into their intimate knowledge of the land and you will never get lost.

2. The Advocates.  Rice Terraces restoration, the ills of smoking, coastal clean-ups, animal rescue, responsible travel, indigenous trees, to name just a few. These members expand your social consciousness and keep you abreast with issues. 

3. Senior citizens. You heard of the phrase, “When I grow up, I just want to be like them.” Well, that’s exactly how I feel….that is, if and when I can catch up with them. They put us young whippersnappers to shame with their boundless energy and humor.

4. The Teachers. Career and the natural born. They’ll patiently answer all your questions, stupid and otherwise. Taking great lengths to get into details… even at a molecular level.

5. Animal Lovers, Members do not limit themselves to birds.  They have a soft spot for scales,  fur, and other winged creatures like butterflies. They make us more appreciative of the other creatures that inhabit this earth.

6. Talents – The WBCP is like a mother studio with a pool of talents. Artists, lawyers, photographers, bee-keepers, cartographers, bloggers, doctors, toastmasters, architects, engineers, geologists, scientists, farmers, celebrity chefs, the list goes on. Their talents are just as admirable as their generosity when it comes to the causes of the club.

7. The Romantics – Like all mother studios, we have our resident Love Teams. They send shivers down our spine with their public displays of affection. Bringing a forgotten pair of bins, giving up their spot so their partner has a shot of an elusive subject, acting as the personal Sherpa, grudgingly waking up early to accompany their twitch of a partner and catching up on sleep in a hot car, and gazing away from their partner’s eyes only when a bird flies past.

8. Every flame needs a spark to ignite it. Tim Fisher, Robert Kennedy, James McCarthy, Romy Ocon.

9. This man is known to cajole, threaten, plead, seduce, kidnap, and bribe members of this eclectic clan named the WBCP to get things done. So if any member deserves his title as the Emperor, it is Mike Lu.

10. The member I have yet to meet.