ILOILO – Local government units (LGUs) and government institutions in the province are urged to plant narra, the national tree, in their respective areas.
On Tuesday, July 4, during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) regular session, 4th District’s Provincial Board member Domingo Oso Jr. delivered a privilege speech on the “Philippine Plants Awareness Program.”
Oso said that for so long, the public was made to believe that the ubiquitous narra is the national tree and the fragrant sampaguita is the national flower without any qualification.
Ha added that little did the public know there are two main kinds of narra, which look almost the same. There is the prickly narra (Pterocarpus indicus Willd. forma echinatus) and the smooth narra (Pterocarpus indicus Willd. forma indicus).
The SP member specifically asked which of the two was the national tree.
The same goes for the sampaguita flower. There is the single sampaguita (Jasminum sambac Linn) and the double sampaguita.
Executive Proclamation No. 652 declared the narra tree and the sampaguita flower as the national tree and flower, respectively, of the Philippines by then governor-general of the Philippines, Frank Murphy.
The proclamation stated: “Upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, and because of its popularity, utility, aesthetic value, hardiness, rapidity of growth, nativity, and history, I hereby declare the tree known as narra (Pterocarpus vidalianus Rolfe) to be the national tree of the Philippines Island.”
It added: “Upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, and considering its popularity, ornamental value, fragrance, and the role it plays in the legends and traditions of the Filipino people, I hereby declare that sampaguita (Jasminum sambac Linn) to be the national flower of the Philippine Islands.”
As such, Oso said: “There you are. The particular species of our national tree and national flower are specified in this executive proclamation by their scientific name. Pterocarpus vidalianus Rolfe is now re-classified as Pterocarpus indicus Willd. forma echinatus, and its status is listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and included in the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”
He added that it is high time to do something about this inadvertence by urging every Filipino to know that our national tree is the prickly narra and our national flower is the single sampaguita.
This is not only the role of the Department of Education, the DENR, or the Department of Interior and Local Government, but a responsibility for all well-meaning citizens, whether in the government or private sector, Oso stressed.
The Central Philippine University Alumni Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Iloilo chapter currently work with the Iloilo city government to establish a pilot nursery devoted to the propagation of prickly narra and single sampaguita.
As such, Oso also wanted the Iloilo provincial government and all LGUs in the province to take part by seeing to it that our existing nurseries also propagate prickly narra and single sampaguita and make them available for planting by next year.
“This challenge is not only directed to this August body but to all Ilonggos who care for nature, the trees, and the environment. If we succeed in this endeavor of planting the prickly or true narra and the single sampaguita, there is no reason why we cannot succeed in all of our other endeavors pertaining to our desire for a healthy, wholesome, and verdant environment for the next generation to enjoy,” Oso further said.
After his privilege speech, three solutions were passed at the SP to promote the cause.
These are the following:
* Resolution urging all local government units in the province of Iloilo and all government institutions to plant in their respective areas the national tree, particularly the prickly narra or the scientific name (Pterocarpus indicus willd or forma echinatus)
* Resolution requesting the Provincial Agriculture Office or the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources to propagate in provincial nurseries the prickly narra variety for planting and distribution to LGUs
* Resolution urging the various government agencies for the formation of a joint task force headed by the DENR for the propagation, distribution, and conservation of the Philippine Narra./PN
