The History of the Wayside, Perennial Plants in PUP Main Campus:
A Blossoming Tale
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A glimpse in the history of Sintang Paaralan was during one stormy weather inside the small main building of Philippine College of Commerce (or PCC) at the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos' speech for his re-election in 1969. Late-President Marcos promised a bigger campus, as the early PCC was too small to hold its 11,000 students. They were given 10 hectares of land, but it was situated in PCC-Taguig which was far from the place it was promised. Thus, causing a rally in front of the Malacañang near Freedom Park that went on for 3 - 5 months while classes continued there. The fruit of their hard work was a haunted tenement at the NDC compound in Sta. Mesa as described by former Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Acting President, Dr. Samuel Salvador. It was abandoned and no one was living in the plot. There were only two floors initially and the hallways were called Wing X, Wing Y, Wing Z, and on the second floor at every room, there were bathrooms. This tenement was just one of the housing programs for the urban poor constructed in select areas of Metro Manila that were initiated during President Diosdado Macapagal’s time (see https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1965/12/20/official-week-in-review-november-14-november-20-1965/).
What is your memorable moment inside the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Main Campus that you could associate with plants? If one could ask even one of many alumni of PUP, they will always mention the time when the flowers of the Narra trees (Pterocarpus indicus) were falling or covering the front gate of the university. A phenomenon that would immerse you in an autumn-like picturesque setting. Some may ask, do the trees inside the campus that shade us throughout our academic year were even there before the university was established, or when they were even planted or cultivated?
Photos taken from PUP Memorabilia 1969
In 1973, the Santa Mesa campus was developed to become the Mabini Campus. The Oval to the gymnasium was all a product of piled soil and rocks requested from the then Ministry of Public Works and Highways by Dr. Isabelo T. Crisostomo. The soil that was dug out for constructing highways and roads and was not needed anymore filled the swamps in the campus. Thus, the soil-covered swamps led to the construction of several notable areas in the campus that includes the Obelisk, Oval, Sports complex, and De Vega (presently known as Charlie Del Rosario Building).
In this section, we would like to introduce some of the notable personalities that took part in the history of cultivating or have knowledge of the cultivation history of the plants found inside the main campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. The following personalities were interviewed by the PUP Herbarium student apprentices with the guidance of Dr. Armin S. Coronado, Professors Ma. Eleanor Calapatia-Salvador and Annalette M. Guinto.
The first among the three interviewees were Dr. Samuel M. Salvador, a former PCC student and retired VPAA of PUP. He was the acting President of the university in 2004. Dr. Salvador has served for more than 43 years in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and is still a professor at the PUP Graduate School. He was an active student in the late 1960s and was involved in various socio-political activities during that time. From a student of PCC, he had applied as a clerk and as a faculty in the 1970s until he had risen in the ranks to become the acting President during the Centennial Celebration of the University.
Lastly, Tomas O. Testor, also known as Sir Tom, is the current Assistant Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning and Development, and Director of OVPREPD - Institutional Planning and Quality Management System Office. He has been serving PUP for 39 years. The three mentioned Professors told us the trees that they remembered being planted during the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s; what are those trees that were already there when they joined the faculty of the university; and what are their personal stories that they could remember related to the wayside, perennial plants of PUP Main Campus.
Secondly, Professor Siegfredo Calabig, also called Ka Fred, was a retired faculty. He was one of the writers of the PUP Hymn, and the founder and conductor of Banda Kawayan Pilipinas (or BKP). BKP started as PUP Banda Kawayan, an orchestra group that is known for using musical instruments made from bamboo and other indigenous materials. Ka Fred served as a Music and Filipino teacher in the PCC (today known as Polytechnic University of the Philippines) for forty years, since 1973, and retired in 2013. Due to his newly found passion for making instruments with bamboo, he cultivated several Chinese Bamboos near Ninoy Aquino Library and Learning Resources Center (NALLRC) which is a great material for bamboo instruments.
In the 1970s, during the time of Dr. Crisostomo as the PCC President, the perennial trees that were planted are the following, namely: Igem-dagat (Podocarpus costalis), Anahaw (Saribus rotundifolius), Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa), Melina (Gmelina arborea), Akasya (Albizia saman) Manila palm (Adonidia merrillii), Mango (Mangifera indica), Narra (Pterocarpus indicus), Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), and Kamansi trees (Artocarpus camansi).
According to Dr. Salvador, the Igem-dagat located between the pool and Bahay ng Alumni, and Anahaw at the Interfaith Chapel were planted during the time of Dr. Crisostomo. Similarly, the sacred fig tree located at the back of Gabriela Bldg. and Tahanan ng Atleta; the Melina tree located at the linear park; and Akasya tree in the Oval are the old trees inside the PUP main campus that he had seen since the time he was still a young faculty. Prof. Testor said that the Akasya trees at the back of the high school building were more than fifty years old as they were already there in 1973. Also, the Sacred Fig located near the Gabriela building should be preserved as it was already there in 1971. The Royal palm (Roystonea regia) located near the clinic was planted during the time of Dr. Crisostomo in 1973. However, Hauili trees that were found in every nook and cranny of PUP, grew naturally and were not cultivated.
Ka Fred proudly remembered that he was there during the planting of the Narra as he was the conductor of the PUP Banda Kawayan. The Narra saplings at that time had a stem girth similar to the size of his forearm, and possibly 1.5 feet tall during his time when Banda Kawayan performed at a tree planting event of Dr. Crisostomo in 1975. Narra can grow up to 30-40 meters tall producing yellow blooms that will fill and scatter the front gates to the catwalk of the main campus of PUP. These trees are planted in a beeline along the catwalk and shade the students entering the campus.
Mahogany trees were also planted at Dr. Crisostomo’s tree planting event. It is an evergreen tree that may grow up to 150 feet high producing hardwood that turns reddish-brown at maturity, highly favored in the construction and furniture-making industry. The Mahogany trees that were growing around the lagoon came from a project by former Sen. Legarda (Luntiang Pilipinas), while the mahogany tree near the NALLRC was from the projects of Dr. Crisostomo. Likewise, the mango (Mangifera indica) is a large evergreen tree that may rise up to 10-45 meters and produces yellow drupe fruits that are well-known for their sweet taste, but those mango trees that were found to have trunks with a diameter of 3 meters already, were said to have been there near the guardhouse since Dr. Crisostomo’s time.
In addition, Ka Fred proudly informed the interviewers that he planted a number of Kamansi trees in the University, but only three at the water tower near the NALLRC and one located at the Oval were remaining.
In the next decade, the 1980s, perennial plants that were planted during the time of Dr. Nemesio E. Prudente are the Bitaog (Calophyllum inophyllum), Ilang-ilang (Cananga odorata), and Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus).
Ka Fred and Sir Tom believed that the Agoho trees located at the Linear Park were planted during the 1980s at the time of then Vice President for Administration, Dr. Manuel who had a messenger and head of the grounds maintenance, Mang Dino. They recollected that Mang Dino cultivated that Agoho which appears like the gymnosperm, Pinus kesiya (the common Pine tree). However, Agoho produces small samara fruits, unlike gymnosperms that do not bear flowers and fruits. While Dr. Salvador believed that the Agoho tree located at the Linear Park was already there and maybe planted by the informal settlers living by the Pasig riverside during the time of Dr. Prudente.
Dr. Salvador and Ka Fred both stated that the Ilang-ilang trees were cultivated during Dr. Prudente’s second administration in PUP. Ka Fred remembered that the Ilang-ilang trees near the Obelisk were fragrant every morning in his younger years. Now only one remains and is located near the Oval. Ilang-ilang can grow up to 15-20 m tall, with bark smooth and gray in color, and the flowers yellowish-green in color and are notably fragrant.
Finally, in the 1990s, when Dr. Jaime Gellor was appointed as Acting President of PUP Main Campus, Sir Tom believed that during that time the endangered Igem-dagat was planted. Sir Tom, in addition, propounded that the old Sacred Fig Tree, Akasya, and Mango trees by the Oval, should be marked as Heritage or Historical Trees as they could be approximately 50 years old already or older.
Dr. Salvador recalled that there were donated Eucalyptus seedlings by a certain Herbert Bautista, who was then a consultant of DENR. He and Dr. Dante Guevarra (former PUP President) supervised the cultivation of the seedlings around the Interfaith Chapel. The eucalyptus tree is a large tree with smooth grayish-blue bark believed to have non-toxic insecticidal properties against larvae and pupae of houseflies (Kumar, Mishra, Malik & Satya, 2012). Sir Tom believed that the Eucalyptus trees in front of the clinic were also planted at the time of Dr. Prudente. It was advised by Ka Fred that vehicles should not be parked near a Eucalyptus tree as it was weak during storms and its branches could easily break and fall. Sir Tom also shared that several Eucalyptus trees were planted as they were known to have insect-repellent properties.
Sir Tom added that the Anahaw was planted during the time of Dr. Prudente. It has small red fruits that Ka Fred sheepishly stated that these were his favorite fruit snack.
All the other trees not mentioned by our dear professors but are found in this virtual exhibit were cultivated from the year 2000 onwards and that includes these Philippine native plants, Hibiscus tiliaceus, and Eucalyptus deglupta.
Photo taken by Gerson Kim Penetrante
The PUP Main Campus perennial trees do not only hold a great deal of importance as the University’s natural heritage, but also for being silent witnesses to the rich history of the main campus. So, at the next time that you visit our Sintang Paaralan, check out each of these trees and maybe you can whisper a simple “Hi” and Thank you” for the cool ambiance of learning underneath its shadows as well as a few delicious treats that they have gifted each Isko and Iska of the University.
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