Our neighborhood at the very fringe of Baguio is particularly lucky for being situated a stone’s throw away, quite in a literal sense, from a small pine grove. This grove, in turn, was originally an extension of a much bigger privately owned forest, but now separated from it by a couple of concrete alleys, a growing cluster of houses, and eroded slopes of coarse runo grass.
Schools must have gardening programs for kids
In sixth grade, one of my favorite teachers Mr. Serapion Metilla introduced us to serious gardening. I became the president of the school’s garden club, and with him as adviser, we became weekend gardeners complete with a large greenhouse, a complete toolshed, and a corps of young and enthusiastic volunteers.
Mr. Metilla (who lived nearby in a mini-tropical forest environment, a stone’s throw away from the Sacred Heart parish church) supplied us with all the plant stocks, seedlings, and garden lore we needed. On weekends, we combined our garden work with Scout activities (since he was also the scoutmaster), including occasional overnight camp-outs on the school grounds. This further increased our volunteer force and hours. Continue reading “Schools must have gardening programs for kids”
Giant among dwarfs
GIANT AMONG DWARFS. That’s what I imagined Joker to be when he joined the Corazon Aquino government, a solid pillar supporting Cory’s load only to be felled as a sacrificial offering when the coup attempts started to besiege her rule.
Giant among dwarfs he was again, when he joined the Lower House, and later the Senate. He marched to a different drummer, and I’d like to believe, that drummer was the democratic mass movement–although sometimes he seemed hard of hearing or too stubborn, and so made some missteps. But aside from that, he was a likable guy, a courageous human rights lawyer, fellow street parliamentarian, and fiscalizer in government.
The only thing I didn’t like about him was his hairdo. I think he secretly fancied himself to be either Emperor Trajan or Constantine. But that’s ok. After all, he was a giant among dwarfs.#