It’s raining Ramons on Magsaysay Day
By TJ Burgonio - Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- Ramon Rodriguez. Ramon Santos. Ramon Gil Macapagal. Lucito Ramon Bertol. Ramon Dondi. Ramon Borromeo. Ramon Aldea. Ramoncito Campos. Ramon Cardenas. Ramon Diaz. Ramoncito Ramos. Ramon Sales. Ramon Tulfo.
The list goes on.
Over 30 “Ramons” from different fields Monday turned up at the launch of a project to plant 100,000 trees across the country in memory of the late President Ramon Magsaysay.
They were on top of the 100 other Ramons who signed up earlier to lead in the planting of the trees around the country from Aug. 31 -- Magsaysay’s 100th birth anniversary -- to March 17 next year.
“It looks like we’re going to run out of trees because of the high number of signatories,” Mother Earth Philippines convenor Odette Alcantara chuckled at the launch of the project in her home in Blue Ridge subdivision in Quezon City.
Since more than 100 Ramons had signed up, Alcantara said she would group them into five clusters, and assign them different tasks.
The target sites include Mt. Manunggal in Cebu (where Magsaysay died in a plane crash on March 17, 1957), Mt. Pinatubo (the name of the ill-fated presidential plane) in Zambales, and other areas visited by Magsaysay.
“The planet is in bad shape. And only people participation can help heal it. I don’t know of any public servant better associated with love of people than Ramon Magsaysay,” Alcantara said, explaining the idea of paying tribute to Magsaysay, among all the Philippine presidents.
Magsaysay inspired the love of the masses during his short-lived term. Magsaysay served as President for two years, two months and 22 days.
He must be grinning
Mila Magsaysay-Valenzuela said her father, who would always “marvel at roads lined with fire trees,” would never have imagined that 50 years after his death, the country would be facing the threat of global warming.
“It’s a good thing that there are Ramons who will do something about it,” she said at the end of the program interspersed with singing by tenors and by veteran journalist Nestor Mata, and a recitation of the Joyce Kilmer poem “Trees” by 8-year-old Ramon Madrid.
“He’s watching over us, and he’s grinning from ear to ear,” Valenzuela said of her father.
The project to plant 100,000 trees in memory of Magsaysay is part of the “Trees for Life” joint project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Green Army Foundation.
It targets the reforestation of protected areas, critical watersheds, mangrove and coastal areas, agro-forestry and fruit tree areas, urban parks, green campuses, camps and subdivisions.
Thousands of Ramons
The 100-plus Ramons who have signed up for the project will lead thousands of other Ramons in the country in the tree-planting operation.
As of Monday, over 1,000 Ramons have committed to plant trees in Mt. Manunggal, according to Alcantara.
A priest, Fr. Ben Beltran, is tapping 3,000 Ramons in his parish in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila, to plant trees in Mt. Aya-as in Marikina City, she said.
Former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. said the family was flattered by the NGOs’ decision to honor their father by planting trees in his name.
“This is a unique situation where the family feels very appreciative, at the same time embarrassed about it because it carries my late father’s name,” he said.
MANILA, Philippines -- Ramon Rodriguez. Ramon Santos. Ramon Gil Macapagal. Lucito Ramon Bertol. Ramon Dondi. Ramon Borromeo. Ramon Aldea. Ramoncito Campos. Ramon Cardenas. Ramon Diaz. Ramoncito Ramos. Ramon Sales. Ramon Tulfo.
The list goes on.
Over 30 “Ramons” from different fields Monday turned up at the launch of a project to plant 100,000 trees across the country in memory of the late President Ramon Magsaysay.
They were on top of the 100 other Ramons who signed up earlier to lead in the planting of the trees around the country from Aug. 31 -- Magsaysay’s 100th birth anniversary -- to March 17 next year.
“It looks like we’re going to run out of trees because of the high number of signatories,” Mother Earth Philippines convenor Odette Alcantara chuckled at the launch of the project in her home in Blue Ridge subdivision in Quezon City.
Since more than 100 Ramons had signed up, Alcantara said she would group them into five clusters, and assign them different tasks.
The target sites include Mt. Manunggal in Cebu (where Magsaysay died in a plane crash on March 17, 1957), Mt. Pinatubo (the name of the ill-fated presidential plane) in Zambales, and other areas visited by Magsaysay.
“The planet is in bad shape. And only people participation can help heal it. I don’t know of any public servant better associated with love of people than Ramon Magsaysay,” Alcantara said, explaining the idea of paying tribute to Magsaysay, among all the Philippine presidents.
Magsaysay inspired the love of the masses during his short-lived term. Magsaysay served as President for two years, two months and 22 days.
He must be grinning
Mila Magsaysay-Valenzuela said her father, who would always “marvel at roads lined with fire trees,” would never have imagined that 50 years after his death, the country would be facing the threat of global warming.
“It’s a good thing that there are Ramons who will do something about it,” she said at the end of the program interspersed with singing by tenors and by veteran journalist Nestor Mata, and a recitation of the Joyce Kilmer poem “Trees” by 8-year-old Ramon Madrid.
“He’s watching over us, and he’s grinning from ear to ear,” Valenzuela said of her father.
The project to plant 100,000 trees in memory of Magsaysay is part of the “Trees for Life” joint project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Green Army Foundation.
It targets the reforestation of protected areas, critical watersheds, mangrove and coastal areas, agro-forestry and fruit tree areas, urban parks, green campuses, camps and subdivisions.
Thousands of Ramons
The 100-plus Ramons who have signed up for the project will lead thousands of other Ramons in the country in the tree-planting operation.
As of Monday, over 1,000 Ramons have committed to plant trees in Mt. Manunggal, according to Alcantara.
A priest, Fr. Ben Beltran, is tapping 3,000 Ramons in his parish in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila, to plant trees in Mt. Aya-as in Marikina City, she said.
Former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. said the family was flattered by the NGOs’ decision to honor their father by planting trees in his name.
“This is a unique situation where the family feels very appreciative, at the same time embarrassed about it because it carries my late father’s name,” he said.
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