| "Verde que te quiero
verde" to borrow a poetic line from Spanish poet Federico
Garcia Lorca - and productive, too, best described the
promise to himself by noted
pomologist Bernie Dizon 14
years ago to turn a barren field at the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources - Protected Areas and
Wildlife (DENR-PAWB) at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife
Center into a productive orchard.
Today,
here in the heart of Quezon City, at the Ninoy Aquino Parks
and Wildlife Nature Center, Dizon maintains a learning
center - DENR-PAWB-Dizon Botanical
Fruit Garden - where he conducts on Sunday seminar and
technology demonstration for free to the public with
participants, fruit enthusiasts and businessmen, from across
the country in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. All around the
center are fruit trees such as
durian, rambutan,
lychee,
mangosteen, longkong,
mangoes and many other
exotic fruit plants and multi-rootstocked seedlings.
On June 28, 1991, Dizon signed a memorandum of
agreement (MOA) to develop a piece of land into a lush
forest of fruit trees. Then DENR Secretary Fulgencio S.
Factoran provided Dizon with 500 square meters of barren,
waterlogged area at the DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife
Center at the Elliptical Road and North Avenue in Quezon
City, across the Quezon Memorial Center.
The MOA gave him 4,000 square meters (the 3,500 square
meters would be given later after the initial piece of land
have been planted to fruit trees) and require him to:
1) Establish, maintain, and operate a demonstration
garden that will serve as a showcase of multiple rootstock
techniques for mango
(Millennium, Golden Queen, Chokonan and Guimaras)
chico varieties,
mangosteen,
rambutan, longkong,
duku lanzones, lychee,
longan,
apple makopa,
Magallanes pummelo and
many other exotic fruit trees.
2) The garden should show farmers, orchard owners,
backyard owners and businessmen that traditional mangoes and
non-traditional fruit trees (lychee,
orange,
rambutan,
durian,
pummelo) and many others
are dollar savers and even dollar earners.
For successfully pursuing his part of the MOA, the next
DENR Secretary Victor O. Ramos with the comment "excellent
work" approved an additional 1,500 square meters for Dizon's
project on June 1998. On Sept. 25, 2002 then DENR Heherson
T. Alvarez added another 2,000 square meters for the present
size of 4,000 square meters.
There is no secret to the success of
Bernie Dizon; hardwork,
expertise and selfless fixation with fruit trees and
convincing power with entrepreneurs to plant more orchards
with demonstrations.
This was shown when he was ordered ejected by the
University of the Philippines at the UP BLISS Compound on
the vicinity of what is now called Philcoa. He brought the
case to court. The Presiding Judge Elsie Ligot Telan held
that:
"At the ocular inspection today (August 20, 1991) we
found the value of fruit trees planted by petitioner (Bernardo
O. Dizon) in the area in question. As the plants could
constitute an import contribution to agricultural education,
the court advised the plaintiff to request the proper
government authorities to make representation with
respondent for possible preservation of the area or the
scientific transplanting of the trees in a new area."
Victor Lazatin, on Dizon's behalf, wrote a request to
the DENR and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) for the transfer
of the fruit trees research and technology at the UP BLISS
to its present location.
There are many fruit tree enthusiasts who have only
words of praise for Dizon:
Sen. Angara (former agriculture secretary): "Dizon
offers a variety of techniques of fruit tree cultivation for
farmers and government authorities to consider getting into
large-scale culture of high-value fruit trees, a potential
dollar-earner. I have been using his technology and planting
materials in my orchard since 1988!."
Vice President Noli de Castro: I use Dizon's technology
and planting materials as I feature them in my ABS-CBN's TV
Patrol and DZMM's Magandang Umaga Bayan!"
Former DENR Secretary Victor Ramos: "Congratulations
for excellent work!! |
