Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippines — SFFI National Council President (and concurrent Project Leader to the Project “Advocacy Towards the Passage of the SFM Bill – Phase 2”) Forester Tommy T. Valdez met with Forester June Micosa and Representatives from DENR-CENRO-Urdaneta, LGU-Rosales, and Pangasinan Native Tree Enthusiasts (PNTE) last January 21, 2021 and inspected a full-grown Malak-malak tree (Palaquium philippense) at the side of the Rosales-Umingan Road in the town of Rosales, Pangasinan.
It had been reported that the Tree, which is a native tree species to the Philippines, has been in deteriorating condition, being located just a few feet away from the roadside, engulfing an iron pipe, nailed with reflectorized sheets, and bearing signs of internal rotting at the base. The fact that a gasoline station had been built behind it with the tree’s basal area completely concreted deprives it of natural aeration and leaves no breathing room for its roots and no room to further grow, or survive.
According to Fr. Cirilo Mayugba, who is a Rosales local, he had heard his grandmother telling of her awareness of the tree at a very young age, mainly because of the common folklore that it was inhabited by a “kapre” — a Philippine mythological creature described as a muscular, horse-headed tree giant with terrifying, foul-smelling hair. Lola Magdalena Pine, Fr. Mayugba’s grandmother, is now 98 years old and lives in their old house beside the Malak-malak tree now believed to be more than a century old.
“The Society of Filipino Foresters, Inc., being the professional organization concerned in the management of trees, has a continuing commitment to preserving heritage trees such as this Malak-malak tree in line with our advocacy for sustainable forest management (SFM) in the country,” told Forester Valdez during the on-site assessment. He added that the SFFI has been advocating for the passage of the Sustainable Forest Management Act (SFMA) filed in the 18th Congress mainly to restore and manage our forest lands and promote biodiversity conservation, to mitigate the impacts of climate change, to provide a sustainable source of livelihood for the poor Filipinos in the uplands, and support national economic recovery initiatives of the Government.
LGU Rosales’ Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Mr. Vic Novelozo, and Municipal Tourism Officer, Ms. Aila Seradoy, both acting on behalf of the Municipal Mayor Susan Casareno, welcomed the support of the SFFI, DENR, and PNTE in preserving the Malak-malak tree which has already been classified as “endangered” based on DENR Department Administrative Order 2017-11 titled “Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and their Categories”. Deeming it a breakthrough meeting, the LGU Representatives committed to recommend for the immediate filing of a Municipal Resolution declaring the Malak-malak as a Municipal Heritage Tree, making the said tree to be the first in this Pangasinan town. They also made a commitment to survey the municipality and identify other similar trees that may qualify as “heritage trees”.
The SFFI has submitted a proposed Bill that was jointly sponsored and filed by Representatives Paolo Z. Duterte (Davao City, First District) and Eric Go Yap (Party List – ACT-CIS) as House Bill No. 8074 citing biodiversity, ecological preservation, and cultural heritage among others.
— SFFI/Advocacy Towards the Passage of the SFM Bill – Phase 2_22 January 2021
