Pilimania gains headway, plants 10,171 pili trees in just 19 weeks
BY JASON B. NEOLA
Supported by “green” advocates coming from various sectors of society, the city’s Pilimania project continues to gain momentum with more than 10,000 pili trees now planted since it was launched on June 17, or four months ago.
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The project’s executive committee chaired by First Lady Farah R. Bongat explained the city government targets to plant 30,000 pili seedlings by the end of December 2012.
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The First Lady was grateful of the overwhelming participation by various sectors.
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Visiting LGUs and other government and private organizations who hold their Lakbay-Aral programs, conventions, and conferences also plant pili trees as part of their welcoming activities. Two of these groups, according to Mrs. Bongat, are the Bicol Association of Sangguniang Secretaries (BASS) and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, Inc. which held their regional conferences in Naga City in the month of September.
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Mrs. Bongat, however, said that despite the positive development, they are not about to rest on their laurels, so to speak, as the city government continues to conduct informationeducation campaigns in the city’s 27 barangays to give more substance to the people’s understanding of the benefits of a healthy and safe environment vis-à-vis fears against floods and climate change.
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Seed banking is being continually undertaken by the city government to supply more pili saplings to stakeholders who are willing to participate in the city-wide tree-planting project.
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Pilimania is a centerpiece of the city government’s Greening, Environment Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism (GrEET) Program aimed at advancing the environmental and economic goals of Mayor John G. Bongat.
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The city government is pursuing a serious campaign to improve the city’s air-shed quality where Pilimania is one of the identified strategies since pili trees prove to have high carbon absorption rate that significantly lessens the ill effects of carbon monoxide.
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In the economic aspect, pili trees are important components in the Growing Opportunities for Wealth (GrOW) Negosyo program since the pili nut is now becoming a popular delicacy among domestic and foreign tourists.
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Here are some of the early participants in the Pilimania project: the Enrile and Asence families, Naga City Science HS, South Bridges Colleges, all public elementary and secondary schools in the city, Hunter Magic Guardian, Inc., Naga College Foundation, Mount Isarog Guardians (MIGS), Kapisanan ng Sangguniang Barangay Kagawad (KSBK), Naga View College, Brentwood International School, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Ateneo de Naga HS, Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Police.
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“The current status of the pili is equivalent to that of the macadamia some 30 years ago. It has great potential to develop into a major industry. The immediate concern in pili production is the difficulty of propagation.”
Richard A. Hamilton
University of Hawaii at Manoa
