No less than Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines, Thomas Wiersing, together with triathlete Madel Argosino (who was among the notable finishers in the recently held 70.3 Ironman World Championships in Nice, France), led more than 400 bikers in the almost 30-kilometer cycling event from Puerto Princesa to the Yamang Bukid Farm, Palawan’s emerging farm tourism destination in Barangay Bacungan.
The combined cycling and tree-planting event was a side activity of the 22nd Cine Europa, where over a dozen European films were shown in cinemas of the SM Mall in Puerto Princesa.
Argosino, a 20-year old Development Communications junior from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna, and Wiersing joined the hundreds of cyclists and farmers in the environmental-oriented event.
THE PALAWAN CHERRY
More than 500 seedlings of the Balayong tree (Cassia nodosa), which is endemic to Palawan and is popularly known as the “Palawan Cherry,” were planted at the roadside leading to Barangay Bacungan.
Locally called Balayong, the tree is endemic to Palawan and is a medium-sized tree which produces clusters of lovely light pink or white flowers.
For local residents, it is a symbol of feminine dominance, female beauty, and love in the language of herbs.
Propagating this tree species is expected to boost the already popular province of Palawan as a major tourist destination site in the Philippines.
SUSTAINABLE BIKE
Among the highlights of the environmental event was Argosino, who pedalled the full 30-kilometer distance from the shopping mall to the farm marker using a Filipino-made bamboo bike or “bambike,” a fully-operational contraption made of bamboo.
This story is from the December 2019 edition of Agriculture.
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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Agriculture.
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