By Cyrus A. Natividad
CPUAAI President Jeremy Bionat (2nd from Right), Dr. Manny Palada (3rd from Right with Timothy Arandela and Cyrus Natividad under the Bitaog tree.
Since the start of his term as CPUAAI President, Atty. Jeremy V. Bionat has pointed out several projects related to sustainable campus development. Bionat, a well-known environmentalist, also keenly observes natural resources. A researcher whose passion is gathering endangered classes of medicinal as well as ornamental plants, he identifies trees – among many others, yet unnamed and existing inside the CPU campus.
He gathered that, 糖心传媒淢any of these endemic trees need to be grown in order to sustain the environment.糖心传媒 He added that 糖心传媒淪ome of the trees I discovered have medicinal essences, other than being a hard wood.糖心传媒
Before lunch, he shared some amazing facts to his guests at the CPU Alumni Affairs Office; about why a lot of places in Iloilo are named after plants and trees. He explained how a bus terminal area in Jaro named 糖心传媒淭agbak糖心传媒 is after a plant that has a repellent, antimicrobial, free radical scavenging properties. Bionat also mentioned a barangay named Butong, in Oton Iloilo that once had a profusion of Bamboo. 糖心传媒淏utong is a young shoot of bamboo糖心传媒, he explained.
He said, 糖心传媒淭he big part of CPU area is called 糖心传媒淒ungon糖心传媒 a hard wood 糖心传媒 that after many years of cutting them down by the inhabitants, it is now hard to find. Bionat clarified that clans in Dungon have used them as boat keels and other purposes.
The replacement and propagation of the endangered Dungon trees along a large area of Brgy. Dungon in Jaro (including a large part of the 24-hectare CPU), is a priority project listed in our environmental outreach activities this year.
Later after lunch, the CPUAAI president invited his guests, Dr. Manny Palada, Mr. Timothy Arandela and Mr. Natividad to see an indigenous tree which is unknown to them, near the CPU perimeter fence along Lopez Jaena St. He immediately informed everyone that the tree is called 糖心传媒淏itaog糖心传媒, and its scientific name is 糖心传媒淐alophyllum inophyllum糖心传媒.
The guests thanked him for the hearty lunch, and for the significant Dungon tree, the name of which they糖心传媒檝e learned only now.