Friday, October 8, 2010

Felix catus, the House Cat Family



"Ako'y may alaga, pusang mataba..." sabi nga ng isang nursery rhyme. But in my case, ako'y di lang may alagang pusang mataba, kundi apat na pusang mataba. Sa totoo lang hindi naman talaga ako mahilig sa pusa. I would say I'm more a dog lover. Ang aso kasi matapat. Kahit paluin mo, they will just wag their tail in submission. Ikaw pa ang aamuin. Sa pusa, well, lalapitan ka lang pag may kailangan. Lalayasan ka isang araw at pag balik, buntis na.



Kaso isang araw, may isang pusang nagawi sa bahay namin. Buntis ang lola niyo. At dahil kami'y likas na may soft spot sa mga hayop, we let her in. Sa isang sabsaban, este, kahon sa may tindahan namin siya nanganak. At yung mga anak niya, ayun ang naging mga pusa namin. Dahil sa likas na lambing at kakatwang mga katangian ng mga pusakal na ito, ayun, I eventually fell in love na rin to cats. Nakadagdag pa ang kakapanuod ko ng Animal Planet kung saan laging bida ang, siyempre walang iba kundi ang mga big cats.


Tsaka kasi itong mga pusa namin, siguro dahil na rin sa amin sila lumaki at nagkaisip, ay, sa kakatwang dahilan, may mga katangian ng aso - at least sa departamento ng katapatan. Halimbawa, tuwing bibili ng pandesal ang tatay ko tuwing umaga, ayun, sunod ang mga kuting sa kanya. At dahil takot na lapain ng mga labrador at mga askal malapit sa mismong bakery, hihintayin na lang nila si tatay sa ilalim ng isang nakaparadang sasakyan. Minsan, pag maloko si tatay, sa kabialng kanto siya dadaan. Siyempre, todo hintay pa rin ang mga muning. Makalipas ang isang oras, makokonsiyensiya si Papang at babalkan ang mga muning. Ayun, ilang kalmot sa paa niya ang kanyang matatamo.



Hay...ang pusa nga naman. OK na rin na may apat kaming pusa...and growing ha. At least, di na kailangan ni Nanay ng plastic na pusa sa tindahan na palaging nagwa wave para raw swerte. Siguro naman, mas swerte ang buhay na pusa di ba?

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Planting Manila Fire Tree: Protecting Manila from Another Ondoy


A week ago, Metro Manila and surrounding areas commemorated the 1st anniversary of a tragic event in Philippine history - Ondoy. Who would forget that day (September 26th 2009) when for a few hours, a month's worth of rain unusually poured in to drench the Philippine capital, almost erasing it on the map. It was the country's worst flooding in four decades. Hence, it was worth commemorating, not only to celebrate and honor the brave unsung heroes who rose to the challenges of that crucible times but also to remind us of our duty towards Mother Earth, to remain faithful to the biblical commandment given us, which is stewardship of all creation.

As I watched on television the activities commence, my eyes caught one interesting placard calling to "Save Sierra Madre". This was from one of the activities held in Marikina City, one of the localities greatly hit by Typhoon Ondoy. As highlighted by government and non-government organizations, deforestration of the Sierra Madre mountains brought about by illegal logging, mining and conversion of forest lands to commercial subdivisions was among the major factors that have aggravated the flooding experienced by Metro Manila during Ondoy. Because there were no trees to hold off the flood waters from the mountains, they rushed freely to the metropolis and eventually gave rise to those traumatic neck-deep flooding. It is just right to correct this through reforestration.

Replanting our depleted rainforests not only ensures that we don't experience another Ondoy again (or at least it mitigates the havoc to be wreaked by another Ondoy-like typhoon especially in terms of flooding) but it also makes our surroundings beautiful. Good thing is, we don't necessarily have to go to the mountains literally to participate in this undertaking. Even within Metro Manila, we can start replanting our boulevards, parks, center islands, sidewalks and other areas with sturdy perennial fruit-bearing or ornamental trees, which is again a positive response against global warming.

Two years ago if my memory serves me right, MMDA had a massive campaign to plant cadena de amor plants along EDSA. Not only did this made EDSA beautiful, but the plants were said to have helped control air pollution on this busy road stretch.



This time around, why not try covering Metro Manila with beautiful Manila Fire trees (Delix regina), also known as arbol de fuego, or royal poinciana? I had first seen one of these trees along the vacant parking spaces of the old Araneta center some 10 or 15 years ago. I was curious then as to what this tree was called. It reminded me of Japan's cherry blossoms because of its orange to red-orange sprouts falling to the ground when the wind blew. I noticed what fell were actually not leaves but some kind of small clustered flowers. The tree has intrigued me since then. In UP Diliman where I spent college, some of these trees are standing tall and proud along the University oval. Its umbrella-like canopy can spread widely, sometimes wider than its height. For me, the Manila Fire Tree is our version of the mythical oak trees of North America. Why not? This tree is mythical in itself because of the blazing effect it gives our avenues, parks, streets and gardens. Thanks to its red to orange red blossoms, it's as if it's telling a story to anyone who really pays attention to it. The tree is inspiring and I hope the government, particularly MMDA and the local governments give the Manila Fire tree the promotion and recognition it so deserves.

I don't know where this "plant a tree now" blog entry came from. But I agree with Czarina Gatbonton's controversial answer in the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 final Q&A, that the tree is the source of the air we breathe and thus the source of life on earth.