Sample Batanes Plants

Of course, these are not the only plant species in Batanes, but it's a good starting list that could come in handy for ecotourists who visit Batanes.  It is my understanding that Batanes is now always in the bucket list of tourists, and there are more tourists visiting the place than could be well handled by the resources there.  Anyway, familiarity with the common plant species in the province and knowing how to conserve them would help retain the natural beauty of the place.

This matrix was supposed to be part of a brochure for ecotourists and tourist guides in Batanes, but since I was not able to complete the plan I just had to provide this information based on the study of Madulid and Agoo (2006).  I would have loved to prepare a more complete brochure, being a frustrated biologist, but it was completely difficult to get appropriate funding for at last a mini-scientific exploration of the province to produce a more complete Brochure of Batanes Biodiversity.  Do enjoy this material.

Sample Batanes Plants

(SOURCE: Madulid, Domingo A. and Esperanza Maribel G. Agoo.  2006.  A Pictorial Guide to the Noteworthy Plants of Batanes Islands.   Manila: UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, Science and Technology Committee, and National Museum  of the Philippines.)

LOCAL NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	FAMILY CATEGORY	DISTRIBUTION	HABITAT	USED BY LOCALS AS
Agagay	Coix lacryma-jobi L.	Culms	Phil, pantropic	Lowland grasslands	Ornamental plants; dried fruits used for handicrafts
Ahem	Melanolepis multiglandulosa (Reinw.) Reibb.f. & Zoll.	Tree	Phil, Taiwan, South Thailand, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Leaves applied on forehead to relieve headaches; wrapper for cooked food.
Ainyas	Semecarpus cuneiformis Blco	Tree	Phil, Ryuku Islands, Celebes	Lowland forests. Thickets forming boundaries of farms	Sap is poisonous, causes severe irritation on skin
Akus	Allium sativum L.	Herb	Believed originated from Central Asia	Cultivated	Spice plant; juice rubbed on skin to cure skin diseases
Anoyoy (hanoyoy)	Wedelia biflora C.B.Clarke	Herb	Phil, India, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Grasslands, littoral cliffs sandy beeches	Weed, ground cover
Apdeng	Mallotus philippinensis (L.) Muell.-Ang.	Tree	Phil, India, Australia	Secondary forests	Firewood
Arius	Podocarpus costalis Presl.	Tree	Philippines (Batanes, Babuyan, Cagayan, Polilio); Taiwan (Lan Yu, Orchid Island)	Wooded cliffs; coastal areas, cultivated in backyards, roadsides	Known as “Batanes Tree” or the Provincial Tree of Batanes; highly ornamental; highly sought after as bonsai material; fruits are edible
Away	Flagella indica L.	Vine	Phil, Tanzania, Mozambique, West Pacific	Lowland primary forests, secondary forests, thickets	Tying material for roof thatches, fences
Bayawas	Psidium guajava L.	Shrub	Pantropic,  Introduced to the Philippines from tropical America	Open grasslands, wooded thickets	Fruit is edible; ground young leaves used as antiseptic for wounds.
Camigin	Cerbera manghas L.	Tree	Phil, Tanzania, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Common along beaches and littoral thickets	Ornamental tree
Cavugao	Citrus sp.	Tree	Batanes endemic	Cultivated in backyards in Itbayat	Fruit juice is sour, used as condiment for cooking
Chawi, Chayi	Pometia pinnata J.R.Forst.&G.Forst.	Tree	Phil, China, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Wooded thickets	Fruits are edible; shade tree, lumber, trunk used as keel of tataya.
Dapiyaw	Adonidia merrillii Becc.	Palm tree	Native of Palawan, now spread worldwide	Cultivated in gardens and backyards	Leaves trap rainwater and collected in jars
Dino	Morinda citrifolia L.	Tree	Phil, China, Australia	Coastal areas, secondary forests, lowland grasslands	Medicine for rheumatic and inflamed joints; to relieve chest and stomach pains
Dudoy (eroplano)	Gynura elliptica Yae & Hayata	Herb	Batanes. Taiwan (now found in other parts of the Philippines	Lowland grasslands	Common weed
Dukay	Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burk.	Vine	Phil, India, Papua New Guinea	Cultivated in fields	Major rootcrop in Batanes
Dukban	Citrus hybrid Considered to be a cross between Citrus maxima and C. medica.	Shrub	Known only in Batanes	Wooded thickets, cultivated in farms, gardens, backyards	Fruit is a delicacy, eaten raw or pickled in vinegar.
Gagad, agagad	Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Smith	Herb	Phil, China, Taiwan (Lan Yu)	Lowland grasslands	Ornamental plant; insect repellant
Galaya	Citrus sp.	Shrub			Native lemon, also known in other parts of the country as dayap
Hanot, vayu	Hibiscus tiliaceus L. subsp. tiliaceus Talipariti tiliaceum (L.) Fryxell.	Tree	Phil, Mexico, South America, Africa, Pacific	Common in beaches or coastal areas	Bark used for ropes; stem used for fences, posts
Hantak	Stercula ceramica R.Br.	Tree	Pantropic	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Fruits are edible; also used to expel worms and heal wounds
Hayaw	Cardiospermum halicacabum L.	Herb	Pantropic	Lowland grasslands, along roadsides	Common weed
Homahom	Asplenium nidus L.	Fern	Phil, Africa, Australia	Lowland forest	Young leaves eaten as salad; ornamental plant
Kabaka-baka	Centella asiatica (L.) Urban	Herb	Phil, pantropic	Lowland grassland, l.ittoral cliffs	Leaves are crushed and applied to heal wounds.
Kalamansi	Citrus sp.	Tree
Kamalasayrin	Caesalpina crista L.	Vine	Phil, China, New Caledonia	Back of beach forests, wooded thickets near sea shores	Seeds used for ornaments
Kamanavang	Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb.	Shrub	Phil, Africa, southwestern Pacific Islands	Common along beaches	Small shade plant along beaches
Kamaya	Diospyros discolor Willd.	Tree	Phil, Indonesia	Lowland forests. Wooded thickets, also planted in backyards	Blackwood used for furniture, lumber, fruit is edible
Kanarem	Diospyros maritime Bl.	Tree	Phil, Ryuku Islands, Solomon Islands	Lowland forests, wooded thickets, areas near beaches	Ornamental plant; fruit is food for tattus.
Karorotong	Argemone mexicana L.	Herb	Native of tropical America, now spread throughout the tropics	Grasslands	Yellowish sap applied to wounds
Katawa	Ricinus communis L.	Shrub	Phil, Tropical and Subtropical areas	Secondary forests	Oil from fruit is cure for headaches, sprains, abdominal and chest pains
Kawayan	Bambusa vulgaris Schrader ex Wendl.	Culms	Phil, pantropic	Wooded thickets	Culms used for house construction, handicrafts
Kuhasi	Commelina benghalensis L.	Herb	Phil, Africa, Micronesia	Wet ground, abandoned fields	Leaves for external medicinal use
Loria (Batanes saba)	Musa paradisiacal L. cultivar	Herb	Batanes	Planted in farms, backyards	Fruit is edible; blossom for vegetable, corms for vegetable
Manichit	Tabernamontana pandacaqui Poir.	Shrub	Phil, pantropic	Open waste places, thickets	Fencing plants separating farms
Naha	Zingiber officinale Rosc.	Herb	Phil, China, India, cultivated elsewhere	Cultivated fields	Rhizome for condiment in cooking; medicine against colds; to induce perspiration.
Nangka	Artucarpos heterophyllus Lamk.	Tree	Phil, native of India	Planted in farms, gardens, backyards	Fruit is edible; young fruit cooked as vegetable
Narapan	Osmoxylon pectinatum (Merr.) Philip.	Tree	Batanes & Northern Luzon, Taiwan	Lowland primary forests, secondary forests	Ornamental plant
Natu	Palaquium formosanum Hayata	Tree	Philippines, Taiwan	Lowland forests	Wood used as lumber; fruits are edible.
Nito	Lygodium flexuosum (L.) Sw	Vine	Phil, Indo-China, Australia	Lowland forests	Medicine for irregular ear discharges; material for handicrafts; tying material
Nyinyi	Donax canniformis (Fort.f.) K.Schum.	Herb	Phil, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Raw materials for handicrafts
Onas	Saccharum officinarum L.	Culm	Phil, pantropic	Cultivated in fields	Juice made into syrup, fermented to wine and vinegar, leaves fed to cows and carabaos
Pait, tapait	Begonia fenicis Merr.	Herb	Batanes, Taiwan	Lowland forests, littoral cliffs	Ornamental plant, may be eaten as salad, stem is sour
Palupo	Pemphis acidula J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.	Shrub	Phil, Tropical Africa, Australia	Rocky coastal areas, forested cliffs, wooded thickets	Ornamental
Pawali	Syzygium sp. Closely resembles Syzygium taiwanianicum Chang & Miau from Lan Yu	Tree	Endemic in Itbayat Island	Planted in backyards and roadsides in Itbayat	Fruit is edible
Payen	Ardisia confertiflora Merr.	Tree	Endemic to Batanes, Babuyan, Mindoro	Lowland forests. Wooded thickets	Fruits are edible, ornamental tree, Leaves used as poultice for swelling toes and fingers.
Rayi	Paederia foetida L.	Vine	Phil, India, Malaya	Secondary forests	Leaves rubbed on body to cure fatigue or pain; vine is for tying material
Riwas	Drypetes falcata (Merr.) Pax & K.Hoffm.	Tree	Batanes & Babuyan (endemic)	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Ornamental plant, lumber
Sahbang	Erythrina variegate L.	Tree	Phil, Africa, Fiji	Coastal areas, wooded thickets	Ornamental tree
Samoh	Piper betle L.	Vine	Phil, India. Malay Peninsula	Cultivated in gardens and fields	Leaves applied to red patches on skin; leaves as ingredient in masticatory together with beetle nut.
Savidug	Terminalia catappa L.	Tree	Phil, Madagascar, Southwestern Pacific	Common along beaches, secondary forests	Shade tree, lumber for house construction
Siempre viva	Kalanchoe pinnata (Lamk.) Pers.	Herb	Phil (introduced)	Cultivated in gardens	Leaves applied on the head to reduce headache
Sudi	Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott	Herb	Originated from Southeast Asia, now pantropic	Planted in farms and gardens	Major root crop, also cooked as vegetable
Suha	Citrus maxima (Burn.) Merr.	Tree	Phil, native of the Old World	Cultivated in farms, gardens, backyards	Fruit is edible.
Tadayeb	Saccharum spontaneum L.	Culms	Phil, Western Asia, Papua New Guinea	Lowland grasslands	Weeds, leaves sometimes used as thatched roof material
Tadivachib	Epipremnum pinnatum (L.) Engl. Ex Engl & Kraus	Herb	Phil, China Solomon Islands	Lowland forests, in clearings, clinging on coconut or tree trunks	Ornamental plant
Tamidok	Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw	Fern	Phil, China, New Guinea	Lowland forest, edge of forest clearings	Salad or cooked as vegetable
Tanghad	Themeda gigantean (Cav.) Hack.	Herb	Phil, pantropic	Common in open fields, dry & steep slopes at low to medium altitude	Leaves sometimes used for roof thatch.
Tanyud	Morus alba (L.) Roxb.	Tree	Native to China, cultivated & naturalized elsewhere	Secondary forests, wooded thickets	Leaves as medicine for rheumatism and joint pains; ripe fruit are edible
Tavadaday	Cyathea lepifera (J. Sm.) Copel.	Fern	Philippines	Lowland forests	Ornamental plant
Tipdus, Tubho	Odontosoria chinensis (L.) J.Sm.	Fern	Phil, Africa, Malesia	Thickets or exposed areas, low to medium altitude	Tea
Tipuho	Artocarpus treculianus Elm.	Tree	Endemic to Philippines	Farms gardens; along roadsides, secondary forests, edge of forests	Fruit is edible as vegetable, leaves as substitutes for plates, wood used for tatayas, lumber for houses, sap cooked and cured as latex to catch birds, shade tree.
Tubhus	Pittosporum moluccanum (Lamk.) Miq.	Shrub	Phil, Taiwan, Australia	Wooded thickets	Ornamental plant
Tungaw	Clerodendum inerme (L.) Gaertn.	Shrub	Phil, China, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Ornamental plant
Tutupdis	Gelonium aequoreum Hance	Tree	Batanes (Ivuhos Is.), Taiwan (Lan Yu)	Thickets, open coastal areas	Ornamental plant.
Uhango	Pandamus odoratissimus L.f. Pandamus odorifer (Forssk.) Kuntze	Shrub	Phil, China, Australia	Along beaches, lowland grasslands	Fruits edible; leaves used for handicrafts
Uhango nu kurang	Dracaena angustifolia Roxb.	Shrub	Phil, India, Australia	Lowland forests	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Angiopteris palmiformis (Cav.) C.Chr.	Fern	Phil, Indo-China, Taiwan, Marianas	Lowland forests, along streams and rivers	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Hoya spp.	Vine	Batanes	Clinging on wayside trees and secondary vegetation	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Curculigo captulata (Lour.) Kantze Molineria capitulate (Lour.)	Herb Herb	Phil, China, Australia	Lowland forests	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Senna alata (L.) Roxb.	Shrub	Phil; native to tropical countries	Wooded thickets, cultivated areas	Medicine for skin diseases
Unknown local name	Abelmosehus moschatus (L.) Medic.	Shrub	Phil, China, Fiji	Wooded thickets	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Hibiscus mutabilis L.	Tree	Phil, China, Taiwan, cultivated elsewhere	Wooded thickets	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Phalaenopsis aphrodite Reichb.f.	Orchid	Phil, China. Taiwan	Lowland forests	Ornamental plant
Unknown local name	Peucedanum japonicum Thumb.	Herb	Batanes, China, Ryuku Islands	Littoral cliffs	Plant is said to be medicinal.
Uvi	Dioscorea alata L.	Vine	Tropical and subtropical Asia	Cultivated in fields	Major root crop in Batanes
Vadino	Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br.	Vine	Phil, pantropic	Common among beach areas	Leaves for healing wounds
Vadite	Ficus microcarpa L.f.	Tree	Phil, China, New Caledonia	Lowland forests, littoral cliffs	Ornamental tree, fruits eaten by birds, shoots are edible
Vadite (Tapah in Itbayat)	Ficus benjamina L.	Tree	Phil, China, Solomon Islands	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Ornamental tree
Vakong	Crinum asiaticum L.	Herb	Phil, Mauritius, Samoa	Sandy coastal or beach areas, lowland grasslands	Medicinal, ornamental plant
Valayvalayan	Radermachera fenicis Merr.	Tree	Phil, Thailand, Moluccas	Wooded thickets, secondary forests, planted in backyards	Ornamental plant
Valit	Calamus batanensis (Becc.) Baja-Lapis	Vine	Batanes endemic	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Fruits are edible, vine for handicrafts; tying material
Valo	Thespesia populnea (L.) Soland. ex Correa	Tree	Phil, pantropic	Wooded thickets	Stems for posts and fences; leaves to cure wounds; fruits and leaves applied to skin to cure allergies and rashes.
Vanakawoy	Callicarpa formosana Rolfe var. formosana	Shrub	Batanes, Taiwan	Lowland forests	Used for hedgerows
Vanatchi	Macaranga tanarius (L.) Muell.-Ang.	Tree	Phil, Andaman Islands, Australia	Secondary forests	Leaves cure boils
Vanayi	Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack	Shrub	Phil, China, Australia	Lowland forests, thickets, gardens	Hardwood used for handles of metal tools; ornamental plant
Varatinok	Citrus sp.	Tree	Batanes endemic	Lowland forests, thickets, gardens	Good for lemonade.  Juice extracted for treating meat much like using kalamansi except that varatino's taste is much more elegant.
Varok	Zanthoxylum integrifoliolum (Merr.) Merr.	Tree	Phil, Taiwan (Lan Yu)	Lowland forests, cultivated areas	Fruits are edible; spongy material gathered from roots used as sealant for tataya.
Vatinglao	Diospyros ferrea (Willd.) Bakh.	Tree	Philippines, West Africa, India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malesia, Australia, Ryuku Islands, Taiwan, Lan Yu	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Lumber, bark may be mixed with sugar cane juice to enhance taste of fermented alcoholic beverage.
Vayakbak	Syzygium sp.	Tree	Batanes endemic	Lowland forests, wooded thickets, planted along roads, in backyards	Used for hedgerows; trunk for lumber, firewood.  Fruits are edible (sometimes called Batanes makopa).
Vayasuvas	Freycinetia formosana Hemsl.	Shrub	Phil (Batanes), Japan (Ryuku), Taiwan (Tan Yu and Lutao)	Lowland forests	Aerial roots used as handicraft materials, tying material
Vayit	Cycas edentate de Laub.	Tree	Phil, Andaman Islands, Timor	Exposed forested cliffs, along beaches	Ornamental plant
Vinay	Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng.	Tree	Phil, China, Australia	Backyards and open lots, lowland forests	Fruits edible, ornamental plant
Viyawo	Miscanthus floridulus (Labill.) Warb. ex Schum. & Laut.	Culms	Phil, China, Fiji	Summit of Mt. Iraya, roadsides, hillsides	Used as roofing material, inflorescence used as broom, used as hedgerows
Vodadin, vodalin	Leea guineensis G.Don	Tree	Phil, Africa, Irian jaya	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Medicinal
Vonyitan	Lilium philippinense Baker	Herb	Phil, Taiwan (Tan Yu) In the Philippines, confined to Batanes, Benguet, Bontoc, Mt. :Provinces.	Open grasslands	Ornamental
Voyavoy	Phoenix loureiroi Kunth.var. loureiroi Phoenix hanceana var. philipinensis	Palm Tree	Batanes, China In the Philippines, this palm is found only in Batanes, now threatened	Lowland grasslands	Ornamental plant; leaves used for vakul, kanayi, brooms. Ripe fruits are edible.
Vua	Areca catechu L. var. catechu	Palm tree with oblong fruits	Philippines	Cultivated in fields and wooded thickets	Nut is chewed as nganga; used as medicine to relieve headaches; trunks used as house floorings
Vua	Areca catechu L. var. batanensis Becc	Palm tree with rounded fruits	Batanes endemic	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Same use as A. catechu var catechu
Vuchid	Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. Var. major	Grass	Phil, pantropic	Grassland	Weed; roofing material, boiled roots used as medicinal beverage
Vula	Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don	Herb	Phil, Malaysia, Solomon Islands	Edges of lowland forests	Ornamental plant
Vutalao	Calophyllum inophyllum L.	Tree	Phil, Africa, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Lowland forests, wooded thickets	Lumber for boats
Vuton	Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz.	Tree	Phil, Africa, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Common along beaches	Shade tree, lumber for boat planks
Wakay	Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.	Vine	Pantropic, Introduced to the Philippines from Mexico by Spaniards	Cultivated in farms	Major root crop of Batanes.  Leaves as vegetable.
Waling-waling	Vanda lamellata Lindl.	Orchid	Phil, Taiwan, Borneo	Lowland forests, cliffs facing the sea in Itbayat	Ornamental plant
Yabnoy	Ficus septica Burm.f.	Tree	Phil, Ryuku, Southwestern Pacific Islands	Lowland forests, wooded thickets, littoral cliffs	Shade tree on roadsides

Bring this along when you visit Batanes.  It could be a good reference.

What New Year is to Me

I have always wondered if there is any meaningful difference between December 31 (last day of the "old" year and January 1 (first day of the "new" year), the two days that straddle New Year's Eve.  The New Year period, of course, includes the last week of December and the first week of January.

When I was a little boy, my mother, uncles, aunts, lolos, and lolas. and older siblings always reminded me that New Year's Day is the first day that I should practice what I have resolved to do for the next year as per my new year's resolution.  Of course, when one is young and a bit restless, the meaning of the new year's resolution is largely incoherent in spite of good intentions.

When I was a bit older, school, church, and family always combined their forces to remind us, youngsters, that the New Year symbolized the beginning of a new life that we all had to cultivate so that we would live in prosperity the next year; and life the year after would be governed by another set of new year's resolutions.  That didn't work well either.  We always slid back to normal life right on New Year's Day.  As it turned out, our New Year's Resolution was simply a dream at the dawn of New Year's Day.

When I became a young adult, New Year's Day became less important and less meaningful.  We forgot largely what it was all about.  But we did learn about social issues and social evils.  We even began questioning a lot of contemporary norms.   We learned a lot of these but we were short of the real solutions to real social problems.  As young adults, apparently our job was to identify what we would call social issues and complain about them even as we didn't offer appropriate solutions.

As professionals, we added experience to our stock knowledge and tried to solve social problems.  Strangely. in spite of applying what we learned from school, from being government workers, from being members of the NGO community, from being elected local and national officials, from being high level government officials, from being followers of our respective religions,  from having been members of the international bureaucracy, and in spite of international aid, we have failed big time in solving our problems.

We sure have learned a lot.  We have learned to be global thinkers, and we have identified all the social issues besetting our only country.  And we have failed spectacularly.

                                                                      ###

Five on my Bucket List for 2017

Many would refer to this exercise as writing a New Year’s Resolution, but I’d simply call it listing of the possibilities for me.  I wish to call them my bucket list for 2017.   Not all of them are completely within my own power to undertake and complete, but let’s just say they are my expectations that I will try to work hard to achieve.

One.  Stay alive and healthy.  I hope to have a healthier life in 2017.  On this matter, I’d like to quote Woody Allen.  He once said, “I’m not afraid of death.  I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

Bottom line is, I wish that I would not only be alive but must be able to function as I did, say, a couple of decades ago.  I sure hope that would be enough for me to do the things I still feel I need to do.  

Two.  I hope to be able to continue doing the things that I did in 2016 that provided me with some resources to continue living my life.  It is important to me to be able to provide for my needs as an ageing man, including that for my partner in life.  It is absolutely very important to me that I know and feel I'm still useful to myself and to those I love.

Three.  I hope that more friends will have access to my forthcoming book titled, Agcom-Devcom Crossover, A Participant-Observer’s Journey. I certainly would enjoy being invited to various HEIs to talk about the book and about the Devcom academic program at UPOU.

Four.  It is definitely my hope to be able to put into writing other things that I have not been able to do these past few years.  It certainly would be useful to be able to write about my experience as Chancellor of UPOU.  Up until now, I haven’t been able to write my memoirs.  Is this worth pursuing?  I wonder.  But I guess I would need a URA for this.

Five.  I hope I would gain more time to research and write about my life in Batanes.  More importantly, I would like to write about the farming system in Itbayat, Batanes.  This would entail some funding.  I hope I will be able to discover how this project idea could be pursued and completed.  

Christmas 2016

Published by Lex and Jegs Librero

Why This Newsletter?

More than a decade ago, a family newsletter titled similarly ceased publication.  It was a case of “we just dropped it because the editor (which was Lex) started having too many things to attend to.”  Since then, there have been major changes in the family, like Lex had become widower and got married again after some years, and King himself got his own family.  Over the years, friends have been asking where that “Newsletter” is.  Besides, we have not been able to share with friends what had been happening in our lives.  Hence, we are reviving the “newsletter.”

The basic difference with this “newsletter” is that it shall now focus on the major activities of Lex and Jegs, although we would mention special things about the Libreros and the Garcias (Jegs’ family side) every now and then.

We don’t have to elaborate on this.  Just take a peep into our lives up to the point we can permit you to do so. 

###

Lex Slowed Down on Activities

For 2016, Lex reports having completed the manuscript of his latest book titled Agcom-Devcom Crossover, A Participant-Observer’s Journey,  an account of his professional growth and development in the field of agricultural communications and development communication.  The book has just been submitted to the UPOU as an output of his project as Professor Emeritus.   He hopes that this book would be useful to students of development communication not only at UPOU and UPLB, but in other universities and higher education institutions as well.  Of course in previous years, he had various publications and research projects.

This year, he has slowed down having retired some 8 years ago (he’s now 73). 

He continued to serve as President of the UP Open University Foundation, Inc., a position he was elected to under two years ago due to  the requirement that the Chancellor could not legally serve such position concurrently with the Chancellorship.  He took over from then UPOU Chancellor Gigi Alfonso.    Lex was awarded in 2008 by UP the honorific title of Professor Emeritus, a lifetime title from the University of the Philippines System.

Beginning this year, Lex has been appointed Chief Editor of the International Journal on Open e-Learning (IJODeL), the official online academic publication of the UPOU.

Of course, as Professor Emeritus, Lex continues to serve as adviser or member of the academic advisory committees of graduate students at UPOU, on top of teaching one doctorate course per semester.

Lex is also serving as volunteer writer for BUHAY, the revived newsletter (online and printed) of the UPLB Alumni Association.

###

Multiple Achievements for Jegs

One, in June, Jegs received officially her PhD degree in environmental science from the UPLB.  This newsletter is proud of such achievement.  Her dissertation was on ecotourism in Batanes, which she visited four times from 2012 to 2015.

Two, one of her photographs (of a bug) was used in a book titled  The Class Lady Bug, A Polka Dot Winner.  This book, authored by Luz Enriquez-Lombos, was published in the USA during this year. 

Three, in November, Jegs published a book of photographs about Panyesanan, the farm of our late Kuya Flor in Bgy. Rizal, Lipa City.  It’s a beautiful coffee-book type publication, which, incidentally, has caught the attention of some friends and have actually started inquiring if they could buy the book.  Jegs is doing it step-by-step.  She did not do it for commercial purposes initially, but that could be included as one of the objectives now.

Four, in the previous year (2015), Jegs presented a paper in the First National Conference on Integrated Natural Resources Management, held at UPLB.  The title of her paper was Biodiversity in Key Ecotourism Sites as Potential Priority Conservation Target in Small Island Settings.  This was later accepted for publication in the JESAM Journal, published by the School of Environmental Science and Management (JESAM), titled as From Baseline Data to Improved Biodiversity Knowledge and Conservation: the Ecotourism Trail Experience in Batan Island.

Five, the year before last, she passed the professional Board Exam for Environmental Planners.  That made her a licensed environmental planner in the Philippines.  

                            

###

Updates on the Extended Family

Jegs assisted Marjo Duritan, our niece, in organizing a get-together of members of the Librero Clan on October 16^th, the 82^nd birthday of our late Kuya Flor, who died on September 24, at 11:16 p.m.

***

Al attended various conferences in Europe and Asia during the year.

Vani (Librero) presented a paper in an international conference on breast-feeding in Vietnam in December.

As a family, they have travelled to Europe and Asia during the year.  It’s a good thing that the Apo, Aidan, is experiencing international travel early.

***

Both Jay and Blanche (Garcia) have found work in Pampanga.  Jay, however, is trying to seek a new work in Laguna.  Basti, their son, is growing up well.

***

Danyelle (Garcia) is doing very well at school, Xavier Nuvali, where she has a scholarship grant.  She’s now a young lady, and is growing up an independent teener.  It’s nice that every now and then she consults with her Tita Jegs on school matters.  Binay is doing well in guiding her daughter grow up.

***

For now, Nonie (Garcia) is very busy with his two pet cats.  Of course, he knows that taking care of cats can be expensive and time consuming.  He’s obviously enjoying them, though.

***

Sis Nita (Juanillas) and her children have been doing well.  Ja, the eldest, is back to school.  She’s pursuing her MS at UPLB.  Jon, a licensed  chemist, is enjoying his work at San Miguel, and has been travelling quite frequently.  Kin, a civil engineer, has transferred to the private sector from UPLB.  Fatima is working in Kuala Lumpur where she undertook her OJT.  Nita, who just retired, is still working part-time with the LSPU, enjoying the perks of being member of the Accrediting Committee of PASUC.

###

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

One

I’m starting a series in this blog, each post being identified simply numerically.  Hence, this first article is titled ONE.  The next one shall be TWO, and so on.  Why am I doing this?  Well, I shall be writing about a particular topic but most likely it shall not appear in this blog regularly.  I shall continue to write about the usual stuff that I have been writing about previously, which is, really nothing specific.  But for this series I wish to talk about my random thoughts on my personal views about passing through this dimension.  I must confess that much of what I’ll probably blabber about is pseudo-philosophical, and might not even make any sense to many readers.

At the outset, I’d like to clarify where I’m coming from.  Many talk about passing through, or simply dying, as a philosophical orientation.  As many would say that they’re ready to die anytime, anywhere, any way; that they’re not afraid to die.  Well, I’m not that committed to the philosophy.  Perhaps you’ll find out later what my own thoughts are about the whole thing.

To the question, are you ready to die?,  I’m neither scared nor embarrassed to admit I’m not ready to die.  I don’t know when I’ll be ready.  May be I will never be.  I know I will die anytime, but ready?   Heck, I’m scared of the darn thing.

To me, if one says one’s ready to die, that’s up to the fellow … but I consider that as a philosophical orientation.  But really ready?  That’s not my personal feeling; not my orientation at all.  I am scared to die, may be for various reasons that I am not prepared to talk about now.  So, don’t push it.  Just wait as it unfolds, possibly in future articles in this series.

This is where I’m coming from.  I’m scared to die, and may be I’ll stop being scared to die when I’m dead.