CLSU, Science City of Muñoz – Pomologist Bernie Dizon is
taking a second look at an orchard project inside the
premiere agricultural university in the north.
Fifteen
years ago, Dizon provided the
Central
Luzon
State
University
with several hundreds of top-quality planting materials of
exotic high value fruit trees such as mangosteen, durian,
longkong lanzones,
Davao
pummelo, Thai durian and rambutan, imported varieties of
mangoes to be planted in an area measuring about 6.5
hectares.
The
planting materials were products of modern technology
culled by Dizon from his studies dating back to 1969 after
his graduation from the CLSU College of Agriculture.
Dizon
handed over the initial batch of planting materials, most
of them multiple-rooted seedlings, to the CLSU president
Fortunato A. Battad. The donation was covered by a
memorandum of agreement signed by Battad and Dizon in
1995. Under the MOA, the university would provide the land
space and promote Dizon’s plant technology. A prominent
space near the front gate beside the guardhouse was
provided to showcase the CLSU-Dizon techno-demo farm.
The
1995 agreement was never fully realized however, as the
Dizon techno-demo farm was not given the attention that it
needed. Furthermor, Dizon was never given the space near
the front gate to showcase his technology.
On
representation made by lawyer Romeo T. Capulong, Dizon was
finally given an area measuring one-eight of a hectare by
incumbent CLSU president Dr. Ruben C. Sevillega. However,
the hald-hectare promotional are at the 2nd gate of the
University has yet to be given to Dizon.
Among
those who vouched for Dizon’s expertise was retired
Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Floro P. Alejo who
manages a five-hectare farm in Mapalad, Sta. Rosa, Nueva
Ecija. Judge Alejo is developing his farm and planting
thereon high value crops such as superior varieties of
mangoes, pomelos, rambutan, longkong (
Thailand
variety of lanzones), calamansi and other citrus