Last May 26, me, my wife and with few other enterprising members of the Rarefruit Society of the Philippines (RFSP) made a contribution to the greening of Biak na Bato National Park by planting Philippine native fruit trees. This project was initiated in the RFSP online forum upon the suggestion of Dr. Roberto Coronel; renowned fruit expert and highly esteemed professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos. With prior coordination in CENRO San Rafael, we have been allotted with a strip of freshly weeded planting area at the bank of the river that runs through the park. The sun was high and the humidity truly oppressing but we managed to put on happy faces as we plant Bignay (Antidesma ghaesembilla), Bunog (Garcinia benthami), Basiad (Canarium luzonicum), Alupag (Litchi chinensis ssp. philippinensis), Kamagong (Diospyros blancoi), Hunggo (Elaeocarpus cumingii), Bignay-pugo (Antidesma pentandrum), Paho (Mangifera altissima), Pili (Canarium ovatum), Balobo (Diplodiscus paniculatus), Ligas (Semecarpus cuneiformis), Amugis (Koordersiodendron pinnatum), Binukaw (Garcinia binucao), Kalumpit (Terminalia microcarpa) and Kubili (Cubilia cubili). Left-over seedlings were donated to the park’s nursery for future planting.
Attendees : Rey Palacio, Ernie Aquino, Dr. Roberto Coronel & crew, Gigi Morris, Noi Cruz & son, Mr. & Mrs. Ped Unson and Ving Sico
After a brief luncheon of Adobong manok and salted eggs, Dr. Coronel and his crew took the long drive here to Balinghasai farms to collect wild edible native fruits for study while the rest of the group decided to stay and see what the forest park has to offer. Dr. Coronel and I have corresponded thru email days before regarding what wild fruits are in season here in the area. Half a day of walking, driving and more walking yielded voucher specimen for Binayuyu (Antidesma ghaesembilla), Halubagat-baging (Capparis zeylanica / Capparis horrida), Kalubkob (Syzygium calubcob), Kayumkom (Ixora philippinensis), Balinawnaw (Lepisanthes fruticosa) and some scion materials.
Not beaten down by the weather, the good doctor still welcomed my invitation to tour even the farthest recess of the farm to check a wild-growing Garcinia by the creek that we’re really itching to identify. The genus was confirmed by noted field botanist Ulysses Ferreras but the exact identification yet remained unknown.