Aftermaths from natural disasters are common in the Philippines. Everywhere there are debris from structures and foliage. Evacuation sites pop up like mushrooms. Relief goods pour in. You would think an aftermath from a war would just be the same.
All our bags were packed and we were definitely ready to go!
This trip was not like our usual fieldwork. Led by some of the youngest in our pool of researchers, the team bravely travelled the deep seas between Batangas and Romblon to reach an island called Sibuyan.
Excerpt from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
It was in 2017 that she was recognized as UPLB’s Outstanding Extension Personnel for her work and involvement in the highly-awarded Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) of Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Dr. Romulo G. Davide. But Ms. Guillerma Z. Valencia, better known as Guilly, has been doing extension and public service projects under UPLB for around 38 years already.
The beginning of the celebration of Women’s Month can trace its roots in the socialist and labor movements in the United State of America. The first ever Women’s Day happened in New York City on 28 February, 1909 as a national observance which is organized by the Socialist Party. This was done to commemorate the one year anniversary of the strikes by the garment workers in New York, where a large number of women went and marched through lower Manhattan to Union Square to fight for economic rights, the same strike was also done to honor the 1857 protest, where garment workers fought for equal rights and a 10-hour day.
Mangoes are one of the most important fruit crops in the Philippines, along with banana and pineapple. Aside from an already established market here, it has a lot of potential in the international market. Foreigners and tourists remain to be impressed with our export variety, called the “Carabao” mango which is known all over the world.
Forests comprised 57 percent of the Philippines’ total land area in 1934 according to the 2015 publication by the Philippine Senate, Philippine Forests at A Glance.
In 2010, the Philippines’ forest cover dropped to only 23 percent or about 6.8 million hectares. The publication attributes this decline to increased agricultural and housing needs, intensified commercial and illegal logging, kaingin, and forest fires.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is a premier academic institution which has become home to many students, employees, and visitors. However, even a home could be unsafe for its people.
Growing organic fruits and vegetables is a continuing trend as more and more people are becoming more health-conscious. Because of this, people have already started growing their own crops right in their own gardens! Why so? It is because growing your own food gives you the assurance that they are healthy and fresh.
“Upon seeing the bottom, you will be placed in a dreamy state. It is as if time has slowed down.” Those were the words of Dr. Hildie Marie E. Nacorda, Assistant Professor at the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), when asked about her first time descending Benham Bank – the shallowest portion of Benham Rise.
“Anytime that one would need food, food is there.” That is how Interdisciplinary Studies Center on Food Security (ISCFS) chair Dr. Domingo Angeles exemplified food security. He said that food should be accessible, healthy, and nutritious—being able to meet the daily demands of one’s body. Dr. Angeles added that food security also means that food can be used in the long run.
