ILOILO – The provincial and city governments of Iloilo will beautify the highway leading to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town with native trees.
The 17 to 18-kilometer stretch of more or less 1,000 native trees will start from General Luna Street in Iloilo City going to the Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) in Mandurriao district, all the way to the towns of Pavia, Santa Barbara and part of Cabatuan.
Among these native trees are Catmon (Dillenia philippinensis), Salingogon (Cratoxylum formosum) and Balitbitan (Cynometra ramiflora), according to Mitzi Peñaflorida, senior environmental management specialist of the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO).
These trees are adoptable on the site and would not harm existing plants along the national highway. When in bloom, these trees will attract those going to and from the airport.
Catmon tree
Catmon is a medium-sized evergreen tree that grows as high as 10 to 15 meters. Its trunk is erect, and the branches usually start midway up the trunk. The tree is buttress-forming, evergreen, and shade-tolerant. The bark is smooth with shallow fissures. The leaves are leathery, shining, ovate, elliptic or oblong-ovate, about 12 to 25 centimeters long, and coarsely toothed at the margins. Its flowers are white, large, showy, and about 15 centimeters in diameter, with reddish pistils and stamens. The edible fruits are rounded, about six to eight centimeters in diameter, with large fleshy sepals tightly enclosing the actual fruit.
Salingogon tree
Salingogon is a medium- to large-sized tree that grows up to 45 meters tall. It is found mainly in lowland primary or secondary forests.
It is attractive and easy to spot when the crown is covered with light pink flowers amidst the new foliage.
Balitbitan tree
Balitbitan is a small- to medium-sized tree indigenous to the Philippines. It is known for its unique swirls of color on the leaves that start with white, red, brown, yellow to green. It is cultivated for its attractive, pendant cluster of flowers arranged on a stem covered with large, visible, attractive, silvery bracts.
Thus much-branched, small tree grows four to six meters tall with one to two pairs of leathery, inequilateral, 10 centimeter leaves. Pale yellow leaves have drooping tassels. Flowers are whitish yellow and have large silvery bracts. The four centimeter pods are wrinkled and knobbed. It is perfect for roadside planting.
It loves the full sun. Slow growth for the first three to five years; attractive for its foliage as young leaves flush colors from pale green to yellow-green to pink.
Purpose of planting native trees
“Ang purpose nga maka-provide sang aesthetic value nga ma-beautify ang aton nga roadside, at the same time ma-promote ang native trees. Mga flowering ini sia, at least matahum lantawon,” said Peñaflorida in an interview with Panay News.
The provincial and city governments aim to plant native trees before the end of June after a memorandum of agreement is signed with the concerned municipalities, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Iloilo. It would define every institution’s role in caring for and maintaining native trees.
Before planting native trees, the site must be ready, compost must have been placed, and the distance between each one must have been measured.
The concerned town where the native trees are found had an obligation to ensure their survival.
The seedlings of the three native trees can be provided by the provincial and city governments, especially the Catmon that is available in Santa Barbara.
Here, Peñaflorida said once this became successful, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. plans to put more native trees on other national highways in the province./PN
