Daring to Dream
“The only permanent thing in this world…is change.” As the cliché says, the evolution of things today is put into the fast track. People have developed technology that processed everything from food to medicine, even babies in a blink of an eyelash. Inevitably, these biotechnological leaps and bounds took their toll upon nature.
The tall trees and wild flowers along the forest on my way to my grandfather’s house have always beckoned me stop and are refreshed. Fishponds abound along the foothills, where catfish and tilapia are fed by dusts of dried tree bark, beside the rice crops golden, and ready to be harvested. Everything around is soothing to the eye. This is my solace, my gift from nature.
My concern for the environment was born early in my childhood. By then I have started to think, “ What will I contribute to preserve beauty around me? ” As the years passed my vision to protect and promote the natural environment became more tangible. Through the different institutional and community organizations where I am involved, I pushed the establishment of my projects and researches in geared towards environmental awareness.
As a member of the research team on Indigenous Plants with Medicinal and Agricultural Uses in the Watershed Area of Maasin, Iloilo, we were able to conduct a survey in the mountainous barangays of Maasin, Iloilo. These rural barangays are located within the upper stream of Maasin Watershed surrounded by thick forest. It is approximately 7,000 hectares the source of the drinking water supply of Iloilo City through the Metro Iloilo Water District. Although many use harmful pesticides, the natural way of extracting medicine from shrubs and trees is still practiced. In this regard, our main goal for this research is to try to cultivate these rare species of medicinal and agriculturally useful plants in the vacant plot in our school’s new site. Through this, we can help solve the problem of the availability of these plants for mass production.
As the Senate President of our Student Government, one of my main thrust is to make WVCST an environmentally friendly campus. I authored the resolution on waste segregation and designed a set of garbage cans to contain non-biodegradable, biodegradable, and recyclable materials. The non-biodegradable materials are collected by the school maintenance crew, the recyclable materials which contains old news papers, bottles, and scrap iron are assigned to the recycling committee that sells these to junkshops and convert it into cash as an income generating project.
The biodegradable materials are collected by the Environmental Club and gathered into the compost pit at the new site. After a few weeks, it serves as natural fertilizer for our gerplasm of plants with medicinal and pest control properties. This linkage of the two environmental projects can therefore controlled waste in our campus and also served as an income-generating project of the college.
As Editor-in-Chief of our school paper, I have begun to advocate for environmental protection and awareness through articles in the college publication. My present research, Production of Tree Tumors in Common Philippine Fire Trees, is about tumors and burls that attack the Philippine fire trees along General Luna St., Iloilo City. The tumor cell grows faster than common healthy cells just like in humans. It reproduces until such time that it develops burls between the trunks and the upper roots. These tumor cells do not have any function but it seizes the spaces intended for healthy tree cells. Since water flow is blocked on it way to the trunks the leaves have very limited supply of fluid, becoming idle in the production of sugar in the process of photosynthesis. Eventually, it dies. One of the causes of the production of abnormal cells are the free entrance of bacteria in tree cuts and the abnormal dysfunctions of roots due to the cemented areas close to it.
Through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we have developed a campaign to halt this rare but alarming problem. As a requirement to anyone permitted by the DENR to cut tree branches, they have to paint an anti-bacterial fluid into the cut. For tree burls, as long as it can be removed by stripping, it will be done manually. The hollows must be sprayed by anti-fungal, and antibacterial applications and covered by fine chicken wire then sprayed by a liquid Styrofoam, or a substitute, using plaster of paris that will serve as a concrete seal. This will be maintained annually to arrest the growth of these bacteria.Each of us is responsible in the task of preserving our environment. Let us dream. Let us dare turn this dream into our reality. Let us make a difference…
The tall trees and wild flowers along the forest on my way to my grandfather’s house have always beckoned me stop and are refreshed. Fishponds abound along the foothills, where catfish and tilapia are fed by dusts of dried tree bark, beside the rice crops golden, and ready to be harvested. Everything around is soothing to the eye. This is my solace, my gift from nature.
My concern for the environment was born early in my childhood. By then I have started to think, “ What will I contribute to preserve beauty around me? ” As the years passed my vision to protect and promote the natural environment became more tangible. Through the different institutional and community organizations where I am involved, I pushed the establishment of my projects and researches in geared towards environmental awareness.
As a member of the research team on Indigenous Plants with Medicinal and Agricultural Uses in the Watershed Area of Maasin, Iloilo, we were able to conduct a survey in the mountainous barangays of Maasin, Iloilo. These rural barangays are located within the upper stream of Maasin Watershed surrounded by thick forest. It is approximately 7,000 hectares the source of the drinking water supply of Iloilo City through the Metro Iloilo Water District. Although many use harmful pesticides, the natural way of extracting medicine from shrubs and trees is still practiced. In this regard, our main goal for this research is to try to cultivate these rare species of medicinal and agriculturally useful plants in the vacant plot in our school’s new site. Through this, we can help solve the problem of the availability of these plants for mass production.
As the Senate President of our Student Government, one of my main thrust is to make WVCST an environmentally friendly campus. I authored the resolution on waste segregation and designed a set of garbage cans to contain non-biodegradable, biodegradable, and recyclable materials. The non-biodegradable materials are collected by the school maintenance crew, the recyclable materials which contains old news papers, bottles, and scrap iron are assigned to the recycling committee that sells these to junkshops and convert it into cash as an income generating project.
The biodegradable materials are collected by the Environmental Club and gathered into the compost pit at the new site. After a few weeks, it serves as natural fertilizer for our gerplasm of plants with medicinal and pest control properties. This linkage of the two environmental projects can therefore controlled waste in our campus and also served as an income-generating project of the college.
As Editor-in-Chief of our school paper, I have begun to advocate for environmental protection and awareness through articles in the college publication. My present research, Production of Tree Tumors in Common Philippine Fire Trees, is about tumors and burls that attack the Philippine fire trees along General Luna St., Iloilo City. The tumor cell grows faster than common healthy cells just like in humans. It reproduces until such time that it develops burls between the trunks and the upper roots. These tumor cells do not have any function but it seizes the spaces intended for healthy tree cells. Since water flow is blocked on it way to the trunks the leaves have very limited supply of fluid, becoming idle in the production of sugar in the process of photosynthesis. Eventually, it dies. One of the causes of the production of abnormal cells are the free entrance of bacteria in tree cuts and the abnormal dysfunctions of roots due to the cemented areas close to it.
Through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we have developed a campaign to halt this rare but alarming problem. As a requirement to anyone permitted by the DENR to cut tree branches, they have to paint an anti-bacterial fluid into the cut. For tree burls, as long as it can be removed by stripping, it will be done manually. The hollows must be sprayed by anti-fungal, and antibacterial applications and covered by fine chicken wire then sprayed by a liquid Styrofoam, or a substitute, using plaster of paris that will serve as a concrete seal. This will be maintained annually to arrest the growth of these bacteria.Each of us is responsible in the task of preserving our environment. Let us dream. Let us dare turn this dream into our reality. Let us make a difference…
posted by chard at 6:59 PM
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