ENVIRONMENTAL SYMPOSIUM IN HONOR OF SLAIN BOTANIST
An environmental symposium on biodiversity and cultures of the Bataan National Park is set on December 10, 2012 in honor of slain Botanist Leonardo Co at the Sinagtala Social Hall, Barangay Tala, Orani, Bataan.
The symposium is among the activities organized by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Bataan-based environmental activist group Mga Bayani ng Kalikasan to preserve the forests of the Bataan National Park that is being threatened of forest denudation by kaingeros and illegal loggers.
BCDA Chairman Felicito C. Payumo will present the plans for eco-restoration and biodiversity conservation of Bataan National Park while Ms. Imelda Sarmiento will discuss the importance of using indigenous species in tree planting. Chairman Payumo said, “This activity is part of BCDA’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program in communities traversed by our flagship project, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).
In building this critical infrastructure, it is also BCDA’s responsibility to ensure that we protect and preserve the environment in the areas where we operate.” Scientist and academicians from the University of the Philippines will give lectures to participants coming from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Local Government Units (LGUs), Bantay Kalikasan groups, students, priests, and concerned citizens of Bataan and Central Luzon.
Among the lectures of the symposium include Dr. Fernando Siringan, Professor, Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman; Dr. Nelson M. Pampolina, Chair, Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry & Natural Resources, UP Los Baños; Mr. Joseph Salonga, Elder & Konsehal ng Magbukun Ayta sa Kanawan, Binaritan, Morong Bataan; Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz, National Scientist & President, National Research Council of the Philippines; and Dr. Antonio Carandang, Director of Forest Development Center, UP Los Baños.
Interested parties may contact 0926-6728828 or email dencuarto@gmail.com or “Mga Bayani ng Kaliksan” mbnkallterrarace@yahoo.com for more details. Botanist Leonardo Co spent one month inside the Bataan National Park with Ayta guides where he collected and eventually compiled into a catalogue the flora of the Bataan National Park.
He was killed in an alleged crossfire between the Philippine Army and an armed group in Kananga, Leyte in November 15, 2010 while searching for indigenous tree species for a corporate forest restoration project. A Flora Adventue Hunt inside the Bataan National Park, named also in memory of Leonard Co, was held in March this year.
About 300 participants attended the event.