In celebration of Earth Day 2024, the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) held a tree planting activity on 22 April 2024 at the forest arboretum located on the east portion of the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. The indigenous tree, Mountain Agoho (Gymnostoma rumphianum), was planted to align with this year’s theme of “Planet vs. Plastics”, aimed at increasing awareness of the critical environmental issue concerning plastic pollution and promoting sustainable approaches to achieve a zero-plastic-waste community.
(from left to right) Mr. Elegerio, Ms. Reondanga, Asst. Prof. Halos, Asst. Prof. Villegas, Asst. Prof. Ascan, and Asst. Prof. Sarinas during the tree planting ceremony of Mountain Agoho
This initiative was led by Asst. Prof. Karl Abelard Villegas, Jr., a faculty member and Program Chair of the Diploma in and Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management (D/MENRM), together with other FMDS faculty members: Asst. Prof. Maripres U. Sarinas, Secretary to the Faculty of FMDS, Asst. Prof. Tricia C. Ascan, Associate in Arts in Digital Entrepreneurship (AADE) Program Chair, and Asst. Prof. Ari A. Halos, faculty member of AADE Program. Ms. Maryjane Reondanga and Mr. Noel Elegerio, FMDS Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. (Growing Appreciation towards Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition) caretakers, also assisted during the ceremony in land and material preparation as well as compost application.
Asst. Prof. Villegas during the soil backfilling as planting preparation
Mountain Agoho, a large slow-growing tree, was chosen to be planted as it is considered one of the Philippine native trees generally used for house and light construction, shingles, gates and fencing. This tree usually prefers full sun exposure for growth and is a known nitrogen fixer with the potential for intercropping (Malabrigo et al., 2022) as its genus Gymnostoma means ‘about the mouth,’ referring to the exposed position of the stomata on its branchlets.
Planting of Mountain Agoho seedling in the UPOU forest arboretum
While the event’s outcome signals hope for a sustainable global future, Asst. Prof. Villegas mentioned that this celebration serves as a rallying cry for urgent action in forest ecosystem restoration, especially given the current condition of Earth’s climate, and as a call to action for sustainable forest management.
Written by Raizza Anna Alforja ♦ Edited by Larry N. Cruz ♦ Cross-posted from FMDS Website
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