A Reprint from PINE TREE's Newsletter
Growing organic Romaine Lettuce
By Emmanuel Arañas, PINE TREE Staff and Trainee
Organic vegetables can be grown in a small area or containers such as garden boxes and pots. Last October, we at PINE TREE sowed romaine lettuce seeds in pots. The seeds were from our seed bank. We used soil that was fertilized by vermicast, or the so-called worm poop. These are the castings of the African night crawlers. They are rich in nutrients that improve soil fertility which in turn help the lettuces’ growth.
Moreover, the lettuce pots were placed where repellant and nitrogen-fixing plants are to protect them from pests and diseases. We harvested some of these organic lettuces in the first week of December. This proves that nutritious and healthy vegetables can be produced in your own home.
When I was an agriculture student in college, they taught us organic gardening but the vegetables were being sprayed with pesticides so I knew the produce were not really organic. And I have learned from our director, Dr Michael Bengwayan that organic farming in most areas in La Trinidad cannot be practiced because of the chemical farming methods that have been done over the years. He said that the soil has become acidic and the pest that the farmers repelled from their farms will infest the organic gardens that are in close proximity.
PINE TREE have been growing and promoting organic vegetables since it started. And I only learned how to grow them when I became a PINE TREE staff. I got to learn zero chemical treatment and the minimal use fertilizers in gardening. I am very lucky to be with Dr Bengwayan’s staff because I am learning a lot. And this is one of the things why I am proud to be with PINE TREE.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Cordillera Indigenous Peoples Have Long Used Organic Farming
Organic farming is a new name for an old practice among many indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region, Philippines. For many years, indigenous peoples called Igorots, maintained ricefields fertilized with composted pig manure called "lumeng". This is mixed with rice straw and during planting, the manure is spread in the ricefields together with wild sunflower. (Tithanium divesifolium). The Igorots also have been using the nitrogen-fixing algae, an aquatic fern to help fertilize their rice with nitrogen before scientists claimed they discovered it.
In the homes of Igorots are home gardens which are a mixture of vegetables,medicinal plants and spices.
It is sad however that these indigenous sustainable practices are being lost to cash crop industry. PINE TREE is one of the few NGOs in the region still promoting homegardens and organic gardening.
Michael A. Bengwayan, Ph.D
Director
PINE TREE
In the homes of Igorots are home gardens which are a mixture of vegetables,medicinal plants and spices.
It is sad however that these indigenous sustainable practices are being lost to cash crop industry. PINE TREE is one of the few NGOs in the region still promoting homegardens and organic gardening.
Michael A. Bengwayan, Ph.D
Director
PINE TREE
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hunger Awaits Filipino Families
Where Two Typhoons Struck - Philippines
Hunger Awaits Filipino Families
By Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan
Image
Manila, Philippines (October 5, 2009) – The Philippines will face nationwide hunger starting the end of this year and will worsen by the first quarter of 2010 because of the destruction wrought by typhoons Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma (Pepeng), the United Nations warned.
Paolo Mattei, UN World Food Program (WFP) regional officer for Asia said the country should prepare for possible widespread shortage of food after inspection was carried out. Two powerful typhoons in four regions of the country ripped through the Philippines destroying thousands of hectares of rice and corn.
Right after the warning, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered that rice will be imported to meet the impending food shortage even though rice importation in the past has often resulted in corruption like kickbacks and smuggling.
Billions Worth of Food Destroyed
Mr. Mattei traveled with agriculture secretary Arthur Yap who said almost 150 million dollars worth of rice and corn were destroyed in the Cagayan and Ilocos regions alone.
The Cagayan region, made up of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Batanes, is the country’s largest corn and rice grower. The expected harvest for this quarter, Yap said, is all but gone.
An estimated 400,000 metric tons of rice and 300,000 metric tons of corn have just been lost, Yap said.
In the province of Isabela, the nation’s largest corn grower, all of the corn planted was wiped out by Typhoon Parma, he added.
Agriculture infrastructure worth more than 30 million dollars were destroyed as well, and the government is hard pressed to come out with funds to mitigate the impact of such losses, Yap said.
Besides the Cagayan and Ilocos Regions, typhoon Parma wrecked havoc in the Cordillera, Central, Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, displacing 170,000 families more besides the 2 two million families already made homeless earlier by Typhoon Ketsana.
Diseases on the Rise
The agony and personal loss of the thousands of Filipino families made victims by the storms are being made more painful by the fact that not only are many hungry, without enough clothes and belongings, but also sick and without enough medicine.
Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said thousands are sick of colds, diarrhea, influenza, injuries caused by the evacuation, and fungal diseases caused by long exposure to the dirty water when people escaped the floods.
“There is medicine, but it is not enough, we need more and we are pleading to the international community to come to our aid”, he said.
Already, Canada, the US, European Union, Australia, Japan have poured millions of dollars to assist the impoverished country run by leaders perceived by many citizens as corrupt.
Majority of those sick are women, elderly and children and their immunity system is gradually deteriorating, he added.
The spread of diseases has been rapid, he noted, because thousands are crammed in limited spaces of evacuation centers, and there is widespread problem of water and sanitation.
“Toilets are limited, as well as water for washing and bathing”, 56 years old Inciang Denas said, who took a bath only once while many have not taken one yet.
“There are no separate toilet for women and toiletries like tissue paper, hand disinfectant and soap are nowhere to be found”, cried, Nancy Hista,
In many places, the stench of dead animals still lingers as well as the thousands of tons of waste and garbage that remains uncollected.
Hundreds of Flooded Villages Still Unreached
As the government struggles to cope with the gigantic task of evacuating, feeding, treating and rehabilitating towns that have been flooded, hundreds of villages in 26 provinces are still submerged, and thousands of isolated people have yet to receive relief and supplies.
According to Red Cross disaster expert Rene Sarmiento, many of these villages have not been reached basically because of lack of appropriate transportation like motorized rubber boats.
“Rubber boats cannot travel against flood waters with strong undercurrents, we need pump boats or rubber boats with motors”, he said.
Many of the rescue efforts done by boats were done by people with private yachts and personal speedboats.
Many villages also have become incommunicable because power and communication lines were cut, Sarmiento said.
“We lost contact with many local leaders and residents”, he said.
Blame Game
The disaster that struck the Philippines has made many people angry, especially the victims who lament how the government has been caught unprepared by the calamities.
The government, despite all its excuses, will be remembered for its corrupt and wasteful spending while no preparation has seriously ever been done to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.
However, it is the people, especially the rich and the government planners, who should share the blame. The country’s forests have been cut to almost just 20 per cent now from its original 75 million hectares of forests by the few elite rich families, many of whom are politicians. This has contributed to global warming.
Urban planners, likewise, have not looked into the probable environmental impacts of their plans that have been used to construct roads, housing, drainages, canals and sewer lines.
Garbage generated, especially by the many poor, find their way to rivers and canals and the government does not have an effective solid waste management programme
However, If at all, the two typhoons have taught the Filipinos a thing or two about caring for the environment. This time, hopefully, the Filipinos will learn after their bitter lesson.
Michael A. Bengwayan is a Journalist and environmental specialist based on Manila. He can be contacted through youth_campaign@iolteam.com.
Hunger Awaits Filipino Families
By Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan
Image
Manila, Philippines (October 5, 2009) – The Philippines will face nationwide hunger starting the end of this year and will worsen by the first quarter of 2010 because of the destruction wrought by typhoons Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma (Pepeng), the United Nations warned.
Paolo Mattei, UN World Food Program (WFP) regional officer for Asia said the country should prepare for possible widespread shortage of food after inspection was carried out. Two powerful typhoons in four regions of the country ripped through the Philippines destroying thousands of hectares of rice and corn.
Right after the warning, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered that rice will be imported to meet the impending food shortage even though rice importation in the past has often resulted in corruption like kickbacks and smuggling.
Billions Worth of Food Destroyed
Mr. Mattei traveled with agriculture secretary Arthur Yap who said almost 150 million dollars worth of rice and corn were destroyed in the Cagayan and Ilocos regions alone.
The Cagayan region, made up of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Batanes, is the country’s largest corn and rice grower. The expected harvest for this quarter, Yap said, is all but gone.
An estimated 400,000 metric tons of rice and 300,000 metric tons of corn have just been lost, Yap said.
In the province of Isabela, the nation’s largest corn grower, all of the corn planted was wiped out by Typhoon Parma, he added.
Agriculture infrastructure worth more than 30 million dollars were destroyed as well, and the government is hard pressed to come out with funds to mitigate the impact of such losses, Yap said.
Besides the Cagayan and Ilocos Regions, typhoon Parma wrecked havoc in the Cordillera, Central, Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, displacing 170,000 families more besides the 2 two million families already made homeless earlier by Typhoon Ketsana.
Diseases on the Rise
The agony and personal loss of the thousands of Filipino families made victims by the storms are being made more painful by the fact that not only are many hungry, without enough clothes and belongings, but also sick and without enough medicine.
Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said thousands are sick of colds, diarrhea, influenza, injuries caused by the evacuation, and fungal diseases caused by long exposure to the dirty water when people escaped the floods.
“There is medicine, but it is not enough, we need more and we are pleading to the international community to come to our aid”, he said.
Already, Canada, the US, European Union, Australia, Japan have poured millions of dollars to assist the impoverished country run by leaders perceived by many citizens as corrupt.
Majority of those sick are women, elderly and children and their immunity system is gradually deteriorating, he added.
The spread of diseases has been rapid, he noted, because thousands are crammed in limited spaces of evacuation centers, and there is widespread problem of water and sanitation.
“Toilets are limited, as well as water for washing and bathing”, 56 years old Inciang Denas said, who took a bath only once while many have not taken one yet.
“There are no separate toilet for women and toiletries like tissue paper, hand disinfectant and soap are nowhere to be found”, cried, Nancy Hista,
In many places, the stench of dead animals still lingers as well as the thousands of tons of waste and garbage that remains uncollected.
Hundreds of Flooded Villages Still Unreached
As the government struggles to cope with the gigantic task of evacuating, feeding, treating and rehabilitating towns that have been flooded, hundreds of villages in 26 provinces are still submerged, and thousands of isolated people have yet to receive relief and supplies.
According to Red Cross disaster expert Rene Sarmiento, many of these villages have not been reached basically because of lack of appropriate transportation like motorized rubber boats.
“Rubber boats cannot travel against flood waters with strong undercurrents, we need pump boats or rubber boats with motors”, he said.
Many of the rescue efforts done by boats were done by people with private yachts and personal speedboats.
Many villages also have become incommunicable because power and communication lines were cut, Sarmiento said.
“We lost contact with many local leaders and residents”, he said.
Blame Game
The disaster that struck the Philippines has made many people angry, especially the victims who lament how the government has been caught unprepared by the calamities.
The government, despite all its excuses, will be remembered for its corrupt and wasteful spending while no preparation has seriously ever been done to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.
However, it is the people, especially the rich and the government planners, who should share the blame. The country’s forests have been cut to almost just 20 per cent now from its original 75 million hectares of forests by the few elite rich families, many of whom are politicians. This has contributed to global warming.
Urban planners, likewise, have not looked into the probable environmental impacts of their plans that have been used to construct roads, housing, drainages, canals and sewer lines.
Garbage generated, especially by the many poor, find their way to rivers and canals and the government does not have an effective solid waste management programme
However, If at all, the two typhoons have taught the Filipinos a thing or two about caring for the environment. This time, hopefully, the Filipinos will learn after their bitter lesson.
Michael A. Bengwayan is a Journalist and environmental specialist based on Manila. He can be contacted through youth_campaign@iolteam.com.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
My Family Is In My Scrapbooks
My Family Is In My Scrapbooks
By MICHAEL A. BENGWAYAN
Baguio City, Philippines – Where did you last see yourself and your family enjoying a happy get-together or bowing your heads in reverence to a passing relative?
For me, it is in my scrapbooks. They contain my family. A dried flower, a pressed rose petal, photos of kids with impish looks, a postcard from an unknown place, faded drawings of my grandparents chanting prayers—they are magic touchstones in my scrapbook that keep those I love with me forever.
I always love making scrapbooks. Once in elementary, I had the best one in my class.
Scrapbooks can be in the mind but it is best when you can hold and see them. You can’t do that to your memory.
Once, I thought of my father’s death. It seemed as if, everywhere I went, something awoke painful memories—the oil of his 1950 Ford clunker, the deck of cards which accompanied him for Russian poker and his piercing smile. But the memories are best preserved in my scrapbooks—when he hit a homer, the time hr brought me my first barbershop and when we grabbed frogs for dinner at a nearby creek.
Make Something Memorable
In making scrapbooks, remember that you are doing something once that might be turned into a family tradition. Choose family ceremonies for scrapbooks, they provide some of the most cherished memories.
I used to have a small fire outside our yard every evening of weekends and gather my children. While they roast sweet potato, sausages and burn marshmallows over the embers I read them stories of great and infamous men and people of the world—of Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Kemal Ataturk, the wars between Mesopotamia and Greece and even the Peking Man.
Those stories are one reason our family outings remain so memorable. We have photos of those evenings. I have a burned page of the history book I read pasted in my scrapbook
To make the ordinary unforgettable requires only that we look at everyday events with eyes open to the symbolism they hold as a metaphor of love. Whether it’s lighting the first fire during the cold months or going for a forest hike on summer, it becomes memorable when we do it and capture it on scrapbooks because we do it with appreciation and self-ceremony.
Lock In Special Moments
Having nearly lost my life three times, I have learned to make an effort to capture the lovely moments of my life. Whenever I sense that a moment is perfect, I take a photo or pick up an object—a stone, leaf, flower, -- that represents that moment and take it home. I mark the object, putting the date, place and time of the even and add it to my scrapbook.
When my only son was born, for instance and it was his first time to be bathed by my wife in an open tub in our yard with a friendly sunshine, I captured the pungent smell of the soap and water, of the sun’s warmth on the baby’s face and his shrieks—all in my handy-cam and camera. The videotape and the photos are in my scrapbooks bringing to mind happy awareness that on that day, everything seemed perfect and free.
It is especially important to help children lock in their memories, because they seldom have long term recall of early experiences. You can do this by letting them write what they remember or by writing down what you have witnessed and recalling it to them after a few years.
Collect Reminders
My early childhood friend who soon became my assistant for 15 years in doing forest conservation work in the Philippines, now in Canada, keeps in his pocket a key holder that contains a fossilized insect. It was given by his father. The fossil reminds him where his great grandparents came from, Sagada—a beautiful tourist-frequented town north of the Philippines which has giant limestone formations with fossils.
“I remember my hometown and my parents when I feel the small stone in my pocket. I am reminded how much we were loved by my parents”, he quipped.
Special things mean special people and special l memories. Think carefully before you throw away drawings, letters, pictures, objects, postcards, greetings cards, call cards, or toys.
They maybe your children’s first scribbling, drawing or property. Don’t assume because you are not interested at 25, in keeping family treasures, that you’ll feel the same way later in life...
It is also important to invest in future memories. For instance, knowing that it will be your parents’ anniversary, prepare an occasion, a bunch of flowers or candies. Give it to them and capture the surprise and happiness in their faces with a picture and a petal, leaf or wrapping from the flowers or chocolates.
You may never know if you will be around or they will be around for the next anniversary.
Into everyone’ life comes such opportunities. Sometimes, it is a simple thing—a parent’s decision on a lovely morning, forego chores and the laundry to walk around the neighborhood with her daughter. Or an impulsive visit to sick neighbor you have never been in conversation with.
It’s the composite of such moments when you take time for another person that creates a kind of memory collage. Bits of kindness stick to pieces of caring and they’re all pasted together to form beautiful memories—and a scrapbook. /30
By MICHAEL A. BENGWAYAN
Baguio City, Philippines – Where did you last see yourself and your family enjoying a happy get-together or bowing your heads in reverence to a passing relative?
For me, it is in my scrapbooks. They contain my family. A dried flower, a pressed rose petal, photos of kids with impish looks, a postcard from an unknown place, faded drawings of my grandparents chanting prayers—they are magic touchstones in my scrapbook that keep those I love with me forever.
I always love making scrapbooks. Once in elementary, I had the best one in my class.
Scrapbooks can be in the mind but it is best when you can hold and see them. You can’t do that to your memory.
Once, I thought of my father’s death. It seemed as if, everywhere I went, something awoke painful memories—the oil of his 1950 Ford clunker, the deck of cards which accompanied him for Russian poker and his piercing smile. But the memories are best preserved in my scrapbooks—when he hit a homer, the time hr brought me my first barbershop and when we grabbed frogs for dinner at a nearby creek.
Make Something Memorable
In making scrapbooks, remember that you are doing something once that might be turned into a family tradition. Choose family ceremonies for scrapbooks, they provide some of the most cherished memories.
I used to have a small fire outside our yard every evening of weekends and gather my children. While they roast sweet potato, sausages and burn marshmallows over the embers I read them stories of great and infamous men and people of the world—of Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Kemal Ataturk, the wars between Mesopotamia and Greece and even the Peking Man.
Those stories are one reason our family outings remain so memorable. We have photos of those evenings. I have a burned page of the history book I read pasted in my scrapbook
To make the ordinary unforgettable requires only that we look at everyday events with eyes open to the symbolism they hold as a metaphor of love. Whether it’s lighting the first fire during the cold months or going for a forest hike on summer, it becomes memorable when we do it and capture it on scrapbooks because we do it with appreciation and self-ceremony.
Lock In Special Moments
Having nearly lost my life three times, I have learned to make an effort to capture the lovely moments of my life. Whenever I sense that a moment is perfect, I take a photo or pick up an object—a stone, leaf, flower, -- that represents that moment and take it home. I mark the object, putting the date, place and time of the even and add it to my scrapbook.
When my only son was born, for instance and it was his first time to be bathed by my wife in an open tub in our yard with a friendly sunshine, I captured the pungent smell of the soap and water, of the sun’s warmth on the baby’s face and his shrieks—all in my handy-cam and camera. The videotape and the photos are in my scrapbooks bringing to mind happy awareness that on that day, everything seemed perfect and free.
It is especially important to help children lock in their memories, because they seldom have long term recall of early experiences. You can do this by letting them write what they remember or by writing down what you have witnessed and recalling it to them after a few years.
Collect Reminders
My early childhood friend who soon became my assistant for 15 years in doing forest conservation work in the Philippines, now in Canada, keeps in his pocket a key holder that contains a fossilized insect. It was given by his father. The fossil reminds him where his great grandparents came from, Sagada—a beautiful tourist-frequented town north of the Philippines which has giant limestone formations with fossils.
“I remember my hometown and my parents when I feel the small stone in my pocket. I am reminded how much we were loved by my parents”, he quipped.
Special things mean special people and special l memories. Think carefully before you throw away drawings, letters, pictures, objects, postcards, greetings cards, call cards, or toys.
They maybe your children’s first scribbling, drawing or property. Don’t assume because you are not interested at 25, in keeping family treasures, that you’ll feel the same way later in life...
It is also important to invest in future memories. For instance, knowing that it will be your parents’ anniversary, prepare an occasion, a bunch of flowers or candies. Give it to them and capture the surprise and happiness in their faces with a picture and a petal, leaf or wrapping from the flowers or chocolates.
You may never know if you will be around or they will be around for the next anniversary.
Into everyone’ life comes such opportunities. Sometimes, it is a simple thing—a parent’s decision on a lovely morning, forego chores and the laundry to walk around the neighborhood with her daughter. Or an impulsive visit to sick neighbor you have never been in conversation with.
It’s the composite of such moments when you take time for another person that creates a kind of memory collage. Bits of kindness stick to pieces of caring and they’re all pasted together to form beautiful memories—and a scrapbook. /30
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Rapid Composting and Vermiculture Training
PINE TREE wil be conducting a training on rapid decomposition using natural decomposers and vermiculture for VIRAC household heads on October 27-29. Emphasis will be given on century bugs like springheads, Isopods, colembola and Demaptera as decomposers and on the earthworm african night crawler. Lectures and demonstrations will be given by Dr. Bengwayan
Monday, September 28, 2009
Community-Supported Agricultural Training for OSYs Cut
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
The number of participants to the training course on "Alternative Organic Off-Season Vegetable Training" slated from October 4 to December 15 has been cut from 30 to just seven because funds intended for the said training has not been sourced. From the original applications of 62 to the accepted number of 30, only seven will be able to be supported accommodated to the training.
The Training Needs Assessment (TNA) earlier conducted shall be verified once more in light of the threats from the World Trade Organization that China's open importation to the Philippines is becoming more and more a reality. Sooner rather than later, local vegetables will have nowhere to go since these have no export capability (they are not globally competitive in terms of pesticide hazard safety).
The impending need to introduce homegardens, permaculture and alternative agric-ecology enterprises for farmers are becoming more real and demanding.
The Out of School Youth (OSY) participants are requested to see Mr. Emmanuel Aranas in preparation for the training course.
Again, our apologies to earlier OSYs who were ensured of the training slots. Note that we are doing are best to look for funds to sustain our training activities. We hope for your understanding and consideration.
Thank you once again.
Michael A. Bengwayan
The number of participants to the training course on "Alternative Organic Off-Season Vegetable Training" slated from October 4 to December 15 has been cut from 30 to just seven because funds intended for the said training has not been sourced. From the original applications of 62 to the accepted number of 30, only seven will be able to be supported accommodated to the training.
The Training Needs Assessment (TNA) earlier conducted shall be verified once more in light of the threats from the World Trade Organization that China's open importation to the Philippines is becoming more and more a reality. Sooner rather than later, local vegetables will have nowhere to go since these have no export capability (they are not globally competitive in terms of pesticide hazard safety).
The impending need to introduce homegardens, permaculture and alternative agric-ecology enterprises for farmers are becoming more real and demanding.
The Out of School Youth (OSY) participants are requested to see Mr. Emmanuel Aranas in preparation for the training course.
Again, our apologies to earlier OSYs who were ensured of the training slots. Note that we are doing are best to look for funds to sustain our training activities. We hope for your understanding and consideration.
Thank you once again.
Michael A. Bengwayan
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Responses to Readers' Questions
What is Apisang nuts and what makes it a viable source of alternative fuel?
The apisang or petroleum nut is an endemic tree in the Philippine growing mostly in mossy forests like that of Benguet. Its fruit has high contents of heptane e-pine and dihydroterpene whichg are components of gasoline and kerosene.
2.What are the uses of Apisang nuts as a traditional product?
It is used as a traditional medicine especially for stomachache, wounds, and joint pains.
3.What are the uses of Apisang nuts as a source of alternative energy?
It is used as cooking fuel for gas stove, lighting when put in petrol lamps, for drying crops like rice, corn, legumes, tobacco and for heating homes.
4.What is the best method of propagating Apisang nuts? Through use of seeds but there is a trick in doing it. It is described in the technoguide.e
5.How much is the initial investments in the propagation of Apisang nuts? A thousand pesos would b enough.
6.What is the percentage of fuel recovery in Apisang nuts when treated in fuel processing? When you use steam distillation you get 80 to 90 per cent of the oil.
7.How much is the probable income that can be generated in Apisang nuts production? I have not done a study on that but it would be financially gainful.
8.What is the rate of return of investments in Apisang nuts production? Perhaps about 400 %.
The apisang or petroleum nut is an endemic tree in the Philippine growing mostly in mossy forests like that of Benguet. Its fruit has high contents of heptane e-pine and dihydroterpene whichg are components of gasoline and kerosene.
2.What are the uses of Apisang nuts as a traditional product?
It is used as a traditional medicine especially for stomachache, wounds, and joint pains.
3.What are the uses of Apisang nuts as a source of alternative energy?
It is used as cooking fuel for gas stove, lighting when put in petrol lamps, for drying crops like rice, corn, legumes, tobacco and for heating homes.
4.What is the best method of propagating Apisang nuts? Through use of seeds but there is a trick in doing it. It is described in the technoguide.e
5.How much is the initial investments in the propagation of Apisang nuts? A thousand pesos would b enough.
6.What is the percentage of fuel recovery in Apisang nuts when treated in fuel processing? When you use steam distillation you get 80 to 90 per cent of the oil.
7.How much is the probable income that can be generated in Apisang nuts production? I have not done a study on that but it would be financially gainful.
8.What is the rate of return of investments in Apisang nuts production? Perhaps about 400 %.
Press Release
Farmers Planting Petroleum Nut At Mount Data National Park
By Emmanuel Aranas
Bauko, Mountain Province --- Farmers within the Mount Data National Park led by former Mountain Province governor Sario Malinias are planting thousands of petroleum nut (Pittosporum resineferum) trees within the national sanctuary.
They intend to reforest most of the 5,512 once mossy forest which has been laid bare by vegetable farming. Petroleum nut is endemic at Mount Data but it has been lost due to commercial vegetable farming.
They are being assisted by Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan who have worked in producing thousands of petroleum nut trees and have started extracting oil for biofuel from the tree. Dr. Bengwayan is the director of the Cordillera Ecological Education, Training, Research and Information Centre known as PINE TREE, a non-profit organization working against environmental decay and poverty.
According to ex gov. Malinias, many Bauko farmers received training from PINE TREE in an effort to plant petroleum nut to serve the energy needs of rural farmers in cooking, lighting, heating and drying.
He said they are preparing to attain a sustainable and efficient source of clean fuel for the future because fossil fuel such as diesel oil, kerosene and gasoline will soon be depleted and will turn very expensive.
The petroleum nut caught national attention when it was bared by Dr. Bengwayan to several newspapers and national television channels that it is the country’s most promising biofuel source.
Already, seedlings have been distributed to as far as Bicol, Zambales, and Bulacan. Besides Bauko, the Benguet town of Kapangan has planted the most seedlings that have been donated by PINE TREE.
The Japanese environmental group ENECON Japan has signified its interest to plant the tree and extract its oil. ENECON Supervisor Takashi Kato bared that he is asking ENECON top management in Japan to go into petroleum nut venture here in Benguet.
PINE TREE has already proven that the oil can be used for cooking using a gravity type kerosene stove and for lighting using a home-made peteol-lamp. This was demonstrated to GMA 7 television crew Kapuso that traveled all the way from Manila to film the project.
PINE TREE is engaged in fabricating lamps and stoves that will be used by rural homes utilizing petroleum nut oil as fuel with the assistance of the British-based Ashden Sustainable Energy Program/30
Farmers Planting Petroleum Nut At Mount Data National Park
By Emmanuel Aranas
Bauko, Mountain Province --- Farmers within the Mount Data National Park led by former Mountain Province governor Sario Malinias are planting thousands of petroleum nut (Pittosporum resineferum) trees within the national sanctuary.
They intend to reforest most of the 5,512 once mossy forest which has been laid bare by vegetable farming. Petroleum nut is endemic at Mount Data but it has been lost due to commercial vegetable farming.
They are being assisted by Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan who have worked in producing thousands of petroleum nut trees and have started extracting oil for biofuel from the tree. Dr. Bengwayan is the director of the Cordillera Ecological Education, Training, Research and Information Centre known as PINE TREE, a non-profit organization working against environmental decay and poverty.
According to ex gov. Malinias, many Bauko farmers received training from PINE TREE in an effort to plant petroleum nut to serve the energy needs of rural farmers in cooking, lighting, heating and drying.
He said they are preparing to attain a sustainable and efficient source of clean fuel for the future because fossil fuel such as diesel oil, kerosene and gasoline will soon be depleted and will turn very expensive.
The petroleum nut caught national attention when it was bared by Dr. Bengwayan to several newspapers and national television channels that it is the country’s most promising biofuel source.
Already, seedlings have been distributed to as far as Bicol, Zambales, and Bulacan. Besides Bauko, the Benguet town of Kapangan has planted the most seedlings that have been donated by PINE TREE.
The Japanese environmental group ENECON Japan has signified its interest to plant the tree and extract its oil. ENECON Supervisor Takashi Kato bared that he is asking ENECON top management in Japan to go into petroleum nut venture here in Benguet.
PINE TREE has already proven that the oil can be used for cooking using a gravity type kerosene stove and for lighting using a home-made peteol-lamp. This was demonstrated to GMA 7 television crew Kapuso that traveled all the way from Manila to film the project.
PINE TREE is engaged in fabricating lamps and stoves that will be used by rural homes utilizing petroleum nut oil as fuel with the assistance of the British-based Ashden Sustainable Energy Program/30
Growing Energy for Rural Development
Inquirer Northern Luzon
Growing fuel for rural dev’t
By Maurice Malanes
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Northern Luzon
First Posted 01:54:00 08/19/2009
Filed Under: Alternative energy, Environmental Issues, Forest and forest management
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines—When environmental scientist Michael Bengwayan and his staff succeeded where government scientists had failed in propagating an upland petroleum-rich tree, he had in mind forsaken rural communities.
“Rural communities must learn to propagate this indigenous tree, extract its fuel and use it to spur their own development,” he says.
Bengwayan, executive director of the Pine Tree, a nongovernment ecological education, training, research and information center in La Trinidad, Benguet, was referring to the “petroleum nut” or resin cheesewood (Pittosporum resinferum).
The plant, which is native to the Cordillera and other upland areas in the Philippines and a few other countries such as China, has an octane rating of 54, compared to jatropha’s 41 to 43. Fossil fuel has an octane rating of 91.
Octane rating is a measure of the ability of a liquid motor fuel, such as gasoline, to prevent pre-ignition or knocking. Fuels with higher octane rating are less likely to cause knocking.
Fuel for countryside
Bengwayan and his technicians discovered how to extract oil from the petroleum nut fruit, which, they said, could be used for cooking, lighting and running simple machines and gadgets, such as water pumps and grinders.
For cooking, petroleum nut oil is not only more efficient and cheaper than firewood or charcoal. Three to five trees can yield about 15 liters of oil per harvest, and since harvest is twice a year, these amount to 30 liters, which a family can use for cooking for three to four months, says Bengwayan.
Fifteen to 20 trees can already supply a family’s year-round cooking fuel needs.
Three parts of petroleum nut oil, however, have to be blended with one part of kerosene if used for cooking.
Once it becomes popularized as cooking fuel, petroleum nut oil can free upland people from cutting trees for firewood or charcoal. This can help save and enable critical forests and watersheds to regenerate, Bengwayan says.
For lighting, two parts of petroleum nut oil can be mixed with one part of kerosene to fuel a Petromax lamp. But petroleum nut oil need not be blended with anything if used for a simple oil lamp.
As water pump fuel, petroleum nut oil can enable upland residents to draw water from lower elevations for irrigation or household use.
The possibilities that petroleum nut oil can do to propel rural industries are endless, says Bengwayan. Upland folk can use the tree oil for blacksmithing, food processing, milling grains, threshing rice and grinding reeds, grasses and weeds for compost, among other things.
With its higher octane, petroleum nut oil can also be tapped as alternative fuel for vehicles.
But Bengwayan is keen on propagating the plant for simple industries in neglected rural communities than promoting it as alternative fuel for vehicles, which only a few rural residents can afford.
This, he says, is in consonance with his organization’s mission of fighting poverty and environmental decay through scientific research and innovations.
Community control
But rural communities must secure and take control over this highly priced tree, which, Bengwayan says, is a rare species also under threat from biopirates.
For this to happen, they must learn the basics of propagating and planting the tree through seed-banking, extracting the oil and finally documenting these, he says.
“Documenting the tree’s traditional and new uses is the communities’ means of protection against outsiders who may attempt to patent its properties and uses,” he says.
Under patent rules, applicants can only seek patents for those that are new. So outsiders cannot patent uses or properties which communities have already discovered and documented.
Bengwayan says the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) can help communities protect their endemic resources through documentation before “biopirates” come in.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act and Article 8(j) of the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity protect traditional knowledge against those who seek to steal the resources of indigenous communities and its accompanying traditional uses.
As a rare species, petroleum nut is best propagated through seeds.
The Forest Research Institute of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has succeeded in propagating petroleum nut through cutting, using tissue culture.
But Bengwayan discourages this because taking the branches of the few remaining petroleum nut trees in the forests for tissue-culture will all the more lead to their extinction.
He says the best way is to propagate the oil tree through seeds and bring back the seedlings to the forests.
Propagating the seeds, however, is challenging and it requires patience. Bengwayan and his technicians almost gave up in their experiment of propagating oil tree through seeds in 2005.
But just as when they almost lost their patience, the petroleum nut seeds they sowed began to germinate after almost three months. “We found out the seed of this tree had a long dormancy (temporary cessation of growth or metabolism),” he says.
They lost no time in propagating petroleum nut seeds starting 2006, securing these in nurseries.
They have since propagated more than 30,000 seedlings, which they have scheduled to give to some 23 farmers in the upland towns of Kibungan and Kapangan in Benguet. These will be planted during the rainy season.
Growing fuel for rural dev’t
By Maurice Malanes
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Northern Luzon
First Posted 01:54:00 08/19/2009
Filed Under: Alternative energy, Environmental Issues, Forest and forest management
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines—When environmental scientist Michael Bengwayan and his staff succeeded where government scientists had failed in propagating an upland petroleum-rich tree, he had in mind forsaken rural communities.
“Rural communities must learn to propagate this indigenous tree, extract its fuel and use it to spur their own development,” he says.
Bengwayan, executive director of the Pine Tree, a nongovernment ecological education, training, research and information center in La Trinidad, Benguet, was referring to the “petroleum nut” or resin cheesewood (Pittosporum resinferum).
The plant, which is native to the Cordillera and other upland areas in the Philippines and a few other countries such as China, has an octane rating of 54, compared to jatropha’s 41 to 43. Fossil fuel has an octane rating of 91.
Octane rating is a measure of the ability of a liquid motor fuel, such as gasoline, to prevent pre-ignition or knocking. Fuels with higher octane rating are less likely to cause knocking.
Fuel for countryside
Bengwayan and his technicians discovered how to extract oil from the petroleum nut fruit, which, they said, could be used for cooking, lighting and running simple machines and gadgets, such as water pumps and grinders.
For cooking, petroleum nut oil is not only more efficient and cheaper than firewood or charcoal. Three to five trees can yield about 15 liters of oil per harvest, and since harvest is twice a year, these amount to 30 liters, which a family can use for cooking for three to four months, says Bengwayan.
Fifteen to 20 trees can already supply a family’s year-round cooking fuel needs.
Three parts of petroleum nut oil, however, have to be blended with one part of kerosene if used for cooking.
Once it becomes popularized as cooking fuel, petroleum nut oil can free upland people from cutting trees for firewood or charcoal. This can help save and enable critical forests and watersheds to regenerate, Bengwayan says.
For lighting, two parts of petroleum nut oil can be mixed with one part of kerosene to fuel a Petromax lamp. But petroleum nut oil need not be blended with anything if used for a simple oil lamp.
As water pump fuel, petroleum nut oil can enable upland residents to draw water from lower elevations for irrigation or household use.
The possibilities that petroleum nut oil can do to propel rural industries are endless, says Bengwayan. Upland folk can use the tree oil for blacksmithing, food processing, milling grains, threshing rice and grinding reeds, grasses and weeds for compost, among other things.
With its higher octane, petroleum nut oil can also be tapped as alternative fuel for vehicles.
But Bengwayan is keen on propagating the plant for simple industries in neglected rural communities than promoting it as alternative fuel for vehicles, which only a few rural residents can afford.
This, he says, is in consonance with his organization’s mission of fighting poverty and environmental decay through scientific research and innovations.
Community control
But rural communities must secure and take control over this highly priced tree, which, Bengwayan says, is a rare species also under threat from biopirates.
For this to happen, they must learn the basics of propagating and planting the tree through seed-banking, extracting the oil and finally documenting these, he says.
“Documenting the tree’s traditional and new uses is the communities’ means of protection against outsiders who may attempt to patent its properties and uses,” he says.
Under patent rules, applicants can only seek patents for those that are new. So outsiders cannot patent uses or properties which communities have already discovered and documented.
Bengwayan says the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) can help communities protect their endemic resources through documentation before “biopirates” come in.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act and Article 8(j) of the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity protect traditional knowledge against those who seek to steal the resources of indigenous communities and its accompanying traditional uses.
As a rare species, petroleum nut is best propagated through seeds.
The Forest Research Institute of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has succeeded in propagating petroleum nut through cutting, using tissue culture.
But Bengwayan discourages this because taking the branches of the few remaining petroleum nut trees in the forests for tissue-culture will all the more lead to their extinction.
He says the best way is to propagate the oil tree through seeds and bring back the seedlings to the forests.
Propagating the seeds, however, is challenging and it requires patience. Bengwayan and his technicians almost gave up in their experiment of propagating oil tree through seeds in 2005.
But just as when they almost lost their patience, the petroleum nut seeds they sowed began to germinate after almost three months. “We found out the seed of this tree had a long dormancy (temporary cessation of growth or metabolism),” he says.
They lost no time in propagating petroleum nut seeds starting 2006, securing these in nurseries.
They have since propagated more than 30,000 seedlings, which they have scheduled to give to some 23 farmers in the upland towns of Kibungan and Kapangan in Benguet. These will be planted during the rainy season.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Updates on Petroleum Nut
To all who wrote asking for info on petroleum nut. Please bear with me. I am on travel, I will put up all the updates September 24 Thursday tomorrow. menawhile for the facts I can recall in our technoguide. those asking how much oil would be produced: For every 15 kg of ripe fruits, 40 cl of expelled oil can be extracted. Some 400 liters can be harvested from a fully grown tree every year. This can be used directly as lighting fuel in petrolam. To use it for cooking in kerosene stove, it can be mixed with kerosene at a ratio of 3:1 (petroleum oil:kerosene). If you let it undergo isoterification process, try several blending fuels. Someone asked if you have to mix hexane, the oil from, the fruit is hexane itself.
There are five varieties discovered. Seeds from each fruit range from 5 to 21. You get the oil from the fruit not the seeds, thus, you get more oil rather than plantintg Jatropha curcas. the octane rating of the oil is 54 much higher than Jatropha which is only 43.
There are five varieties discovered. Seeds from each fruit range from 5 to 21. You get the oil from the fruit not the seeds, thus, you get more oil rather than plantintg Jatropha curcas. the octane rating of the oil is 54 much higher than Jatropha which is only 43.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Save the Sunflowers
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20090706-214022/Stop-using-sunflowers-for-compostStop%20using%20sunflowers%20for%20compost%20-%20INQUIRER_net%2C%20Philippine%20News%20for%20Filipinos.mht
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Benguet finds oil treasure in ‘petroleum nut’
Link to article in Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:26:00 07/02/2009
Filed Under: Alternative energy, Energy, Oil & Gas - Upstream activities
LA TRINIDAD, Bebguet -- Agriculturists and villagers are propagating seedlings of a “petroleum nut” locally known as apisang which, they say, could be an alternative source of fuel and energy.
Michael Bengwayan, an agriculturist, said the oil extracted from the nut could be used for cooking and lighting.
More than 30,000 seedlings have been produced since 2007, he said. The first batch was planted by 23 farmers in Kapangan and Kibungan towns.
Agriculture scientists see the nut, or resin cheesewood (scientific name Pittosporum resiniferum), as a source of sustainable fuel in the Cordillera and the answer to India’s jatropha (Jatropha curcas), which is now being promoted by biodiesel advocates all over the world.
“Why does the government have to spend P125 million for jatropha when we have our own source of alternative fuel?” asked Bengwayan in a press forum here.
He presented research results on the nut that showed its prospect as an alternative fuel that, he said, could energize rural households.
Bengwayan, also a director of the Pine Tree, a non-profit organization working on ecological education, training, research and information, said the nut has a higher rate of octane, which was more combustible than jatropha.
The Benguet State University is doing research on areas where the apisang trees thrive, the germination of the seeds, multiplication of the seedlings and their sustainability, Bengwayan said.
The tree is endemic to the Philippines and is believed to be the country’s “most promising biofuel treasure, which could provide energy to rural areas and reduce global warming,” he said.
It thrives in Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Mt. Province, and Ifugao and is also known locally as hanga (Tagalog), dingo (Mt. Province) and sagaga (Abra).
Bengwayan said the extracted oil could be used for cooking when blended with kerosene (with a ratio of three parts oil and one part kerosene) and for lighting.
The oil could also be used to cure stomachache and prevent skin infection, he said.
Propagating the seedlings can help contribute to the region’s carbon sink, a process that helps reduce carbon dioxide in the environment and reduce global warming, he said.
Bengwayan said more seedlings would be distributed to farmers and villagers.
“They may sell the oil if they have an excess supply. But the important factor here is we are able to save and not destroy the environment,” he said.
Bengwayan’s group has established a seed bank in the village of Longlong here to keep the seedlings. It has been training farmers to maintain their own seed bank. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Want More Nutritious Food and Income? Plan a Mixed Legume-Leafy-Spice Home Garden
Home Garden, How to Do It by Dr. Mike in the Philippines
Traditional home gardens in northern Philippines range from 20 to 100 square meters. Planted normally are a mixture of sweet potato, yam, corn, beans, and a tree or two of avocado, pomelo, and guava.
Sounds good but not so good. It is important to have a plan in developing a home garden. These tips can help you:
A. In the garden,
1. Consider where the sun rises from because you should not plant crops that will shade other crops. Do storey planting where shorter plants are fully exposed to sunlight before the taller ones. (eg. pechay, eggplants, corn). Thus, crop orientation is important.
2. Look at your soil. Does it need more fertilizer?. Reddish to brownish soils indicate lack of NPK nutrients. if you don't know how to get soil sample, the most appropriate thing to do is increase your NPK levels. What will you use? Use organic fertilizer for basal application. If you intend to plant green leafy vegetables, use compost made out from nitrogen fixing plants and trees (eg. centrosima, caliandra, alnus). If you will plant fruit-bearing veggies or tuber-producing crops, increase potassium and phosphorus basal fertilizer.
It is also important to know if your soil needs to be watered regularly or not. How will you know? Get a handful of soil from your tilled garden, close your fist on it until you make a lump, raise your hand and drop it on the ground. If it does not break freely, your soil is too soggy, you don't need to water every other day. But if the soil breaks freely into many parts, then your soil is too dry, water every other day.
Now examine your soil. Do you have earthworms, century bugs and tiny critters/ if yes, you have a good soil. If you don't see anything moving or crawling, you do a damn "dead soil", that's not too good.
3. Protecting your plant is of utmost important. But remember, if you have the right to produce, you have the responsibility to produce safe and nutritious crops. Always consider the need to make the environment safe and clean and the rights of consumers. Never try to poison both. Ordinarily, the main pests of vegetables are slugs, snails and caterpillars (of many different insects), are the worst enemies.
To rid of slugs and snail especially in your seedbeds, put a cup of beer in a can and place it at the edge or rim of your seedbed. These attracts the pests and fall into the can. In the morning, dispose the pests. For caterpillars, put 15 to 20 cigarette butts in a liter of water and let them stay there for a week. The nicotene and tar of the cigarette butt mixes with the water eventually. Use this to spray against caterpillars.
Okay guys, more next time so drop by.
Michael the Gardener
Traditional home gardens in northern Philippines range from 20 to 100 square meters. Planted normally are a mixture of sweet potato, yam, corn, beans, and a tree or two of avocado, pomelo, and guava.
Sounds good but not so good. It is important to have a plan in developing a home garden. These tips can help you:
A. In the garden,
1. Consider where the sun rises from because you should not plant crops that will shade other crops. Do storey planting where shorter plants are fully exposed to sunlight before the taller ones. (eg. pechay, eggplants, corn). Thus, crop orientation is important.
2. Look at your soil. Does it need more fertilizer?. Reddish to brownish soils indicate lack of NPK nutrients. if you don't know how to get soil sample, the most appropriate thing to do is increase your NPK levels. What will you use? Use organic fertilizer for basal application. If you intend to plant green leafy vegetables, use compost made out from nitrogen fixing plants and trees (eg. centrosima, caliandra, alnus). If you will plant fruit-bearing veggies or tuber-producing crops, increase potassium and phosphorus basal fertilizer.
It is also important to know if your soil needs to be watered regularly or not. How will you know? Get a handful of soil from your tilled garden, close your fist on it until you make a lump, raise your hand and drop it on the ground. If it does not break freely, your soil is too soggy, you don't need to water every other day. But if the soil breaks freely into many parts, then your soil is too dry, water every other day.
Now examine your soil. Do you have earthworms, century bugs and tiny critters/ if yes, you have a good soil. If you don't see anything moving or crawling, you do a damn "dead soil", that's not too good.
3. Protecting your plant is of utmost important. But remember, if you have the right to produce, you have the responsibility to produce safe and nutritious crops. Always consider the need to make the environment safe and clean and the rights of consumers. Never try to poison both. Ordinarily, the main pests of vegetables are slugs, snails and caterpillars (of many different insects), are the worst enemies.
To rid of slugs and snail especially in your seedbeds, put a cup of beer in a can and place it at the edge or rim of your seedbed. These attracts the pests and fall into the can. In the morning, dispose the pests. For caterpillars, put 15 to 20 cigarette butts in a liter of water and let them stay there for a week. The nicotene and tar of the cigarette butt mixes with the water eventually. Use this to spray against caterpillars.
Okay guys, more next time so drop by.
Michael the Gardener
Staying Home: Father and Son
Staying Home: Father and Son
By Michael A. Bengwayan
Writer, Journalist - Philippines
Yesterday as I was pulling our cows to the barn with my 18-year-old son at our small house in Longlong, La Trinidad, Philippines, he told me, “Dad, school days are near and it rains every day. What a time to start school.” I stopped and wondered. What a time indeed.
Even for me who has to end my vacation and go back to work. It will be days involving deadlines, uncooperative sources or spats with editors—I grouse and rant thinking about it.
For more than a month, I did nothing but stay home with my son. We worked from eight to five laying poles to stretch hog wires to keep off stray dogs from the garden.
More than that, we talked. Talked like we never did before. He talked about how his math teachers seemed uglier and meaner than usual. How the school restrooms smelled more and more like ashtrays and that the world was fast coming to an end before he reached college.
I told him of the funeral pyres in Baktaphur, Nepal where they burn the poor corpses with a handful of rice straw and kick them down the river only to be ripped apart by waiting monkeys. Of working with the Harijans in Pune, Maharahstra, India where dead children are peddled for a bite of food, and of the dead and the dying in our own Mindanaoland where Muslim children are raised as young guns to fight invisibly against war-tested Philippine troopers.
My work calls for me to travel around the Philippines and some countries most of the time. When he was born, I was in Ireland finishing a PhD; I stayed in other countries as he grew and every time I came home, I knew we both hankered for talk.
We talked and said that cynicism was our fault and the rest was the fault of the generation that lay before him (me included). Maybe the world would be better off had it not been for people who went ahead of him, he said. I could only nod in agreement, knowing indeed, there is truth to the innocent thought he passed.
In between gasps and a drink of water I glanced at my son. Fast growing, eager to go out and face the world, whatever the world has to give. I never thought of it much, as work has always preoccupied me.
For many of us, work lays claim to our time and emotion, possessing us completely as any spouse or child. But those of us who think we have hard jobs can learn a lot from those who really do.
I wondered how the people I saw working against nature in Quezon to pull out dying and dead victims from the typhoon's wrath get the strength to do so. I wonder how some people counsel rape victims, investigate murder scenes, operate on dying patients, then have the energy to cheer their kids' local basketball team on Saturdays. I now wondered how, my son, battered an defeated with his sepak takraw team go home and smile to say, “The game was great dad!”
If the rest of us can't keep the stress of work from oozing over and staining the rest of life, how can they? More to the point: If they can, why on earth can't we?
When we separate the perspective of our silent privacy to that of working for life, we lose perspective. Other people build walls and maintain distance. My good friend Dr. Charles Cheng sometimes calls me to have coffee with him. We don't talk much. He asks how my day was, I ask him the same question in return. Then we let the dying minutes pass with no word exchanged. He has a bad day. I keep mum. Keeping up walls is the secret to coping with the pain when we feel defeated, lost, and unsure.
This is a lesson for me whose work is not a matter of life and death, but has the ability to use us up nonetheless. The only way to get the work done is to come up for air periodically. To turn off the computer, even on a deadline, and be there for your wife when she comes home tired from work. To say hell with the writing job you're organizing in your mind even as your editor keeps calling you, and smile to your children when they arrive home.
So we can all go out again tomorrow and do it all again.
I am happy I spent my vacation with son.
“I had a nice vacation with you, Dad,” my son says pulling the last cow inside the barn. “So did I,” I said. “Let's go home, dinner is waiting.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Bengwayan is a journalist based in Manila, the Philippines. He specializes in environmental, developmental, and related issues.
Organic Gardening Threatening Bees in Luzon, Philipines
The apiculture industry in north Luzon is in danger of declining because of organic gardening. Does this sound crazy? Read on. This is because organic gardeners are cutting all visible wild sunflower plants (Tithanium diversilfolium) which they widely compost for fertilizer. As a result, the bees in this region that depend heavily on nectar and pollen produced by the sunflowers, have difficulty foraging for food.
The Cordillera Ecological Education, Training, Research and Information Center (PINE TREE) is helping remedy this problem.It is planting sunflower cuttings in the mountains especially where there are no farmers. I am calling for people concerned to help us in this regard.
Michael
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