## 1 Introduction  
Vermicomposting is the process of using earthworms for the degradation of materials, producing vermicasts with beneficial applications primarily in agriculture. Vermicasts excreted by earthworms were reported to be inhabited by diverse species of bacteria such as those obtained from _Aporrectedea elastiosa_ [PERSON], 1826 [1; 2; 3]; _Aporrectolea trapezoides_ [PERSON], 1828 [4]; _Eisenia andrei_ [PERSON], 1972 [5; 6; 7; 8]; _Eisenia fetida_ [PERSON], 1826 [1; 9; 10]; _Eudrilus eugeniae_ [PERSON], 1867 [9]; _Lipyordilus violacus_ [PERSON], 1891 [11]; _Lumbricus rubellus_ [PERSON], 1843 [12]; _Lumbricus terrestris_ [PERSON], 1758 [1; 2]; _Perionyx excavatus_ [PERSON], 1872 [13]; and _Pontoscolexi corethurus_ [PERSON], 1857 [14]. In general, vermicasts are characterized as having higher pH and moisture content than soil, along with greater enrichment by carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonium, polysaccharides, exchangeable cations (Ca\({}^{2+}\), Mg\({}^{2+}\), and K\({}^{+}\)), and humus [15; 16; 17; 18]. The presence of higher nutrient content in vermicasts is associated with partial organic matter decomposition during gut passage, resulting in the conversion of these nutrients into available forms [19]. Water adoption, water holding capacity, enzymatic activities, microbial biomass (Cmic), metabolic quotient, cation exchange capacity, heavy fraction polysaccharide, soil organic matter, basal soil respiration, and base saturation were also higher in vermicasts [15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20]. Organic matter mineralization indicated by the Cmic/Corg ratio, wherein a higher ratio signifies higher activity, explains the involvement of vermicasts in nutrient mineralization resulting in the availability of more nutrients [19]. Earthworm vermicasts therefore offer favorable effects for improving soil properties and fertility, which in turn contribute to better plant growth and yield [18]. The application of vermicasts produced through vermicomposting provides numerous benefits to soil and plants [15; 21], as shown by studies on cucumber, pepper, tomato, strawberry, marigold, and ornamental plants [22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28], to name a few. The yield and quality of cucumber or _Cucunis sativus_ were improved upon the application of _E. fetida_ vermicasts compared to fertilizers (organic and inorganic) [28]. Vermicasts produced by _E. fetida_, _E. eugeniae_, and _Pe. excavutus_ were found to significantly increase the length of shoot and internode as well as the number of branches and leaves of _Capsicum annuum_ when compared to plants treated with synthetic plant growth regulators [27]. Leaf areas, plant shoot biomass, and marketable weight of pepper and strawberries were increased when treated with vermicomposts [22; 23]. An increase in the number of flowers and plant runners of strawberries was also evident. Shoot dry weights of tomato and marigold grown in vermicomposts of _Eisenia_ spp. were comparable to those in a commercial horticultural medium (Metro-Mix 360) [24]. Improved length, initiation, number, and weight of the roots of an ornamental plant, _Codieuum variegatum_, were observed when grown with vermicasts of _Lampito marutii_ [PERSON], 1867 and _Perionyx cylamensis_ [PERSON], 1904 than the control peat moss [26]. These effects were associated with the high NPK content of earthworms' vermicasts. In spite of the known benefits of vermicasts, information on the physiological profiles and nutrient mineralization activities of their associated bacterial communities is lacking. In the Philippines, indigenous earthworm species are often neglected because vermicomposting usually involves the use of the non-native _E. eugeniae_ since its introduction from Africa in the 1980s [29; 30]. This epigeeic species feeds on organic matter and occupies the surface litter, and is popular for its rapid growth, voracious feeding, and high tolerance to unfavorable conditions [7].