"Sebastian O. Sebastian"
10/25 11:37 PM

i am from san felipe, zambales and currently my wife and i lead a People Organization composed of Aetas and Mt. Pinatubo victims in Sitio Cabaruan. 'though this organization has turned into a cooperative, it's vision and mission is to green the mountain of Mt. Carampoan and perhaps harness the treasure of this land by planting trees and crops, and contribute to a sustainable livelihood of these people. to date, we have planted several varieties of fruit trees and long gestating trees. currently, to help out, we envisioned cash cropping in order for said people to benefit while waiting. along these lines, we have experimented with local crops that are compatible with the pH content of the mountain soil. my wife and i had also tapped the Department of Agriculture to help us out in this endeavor. in this regard, if any of you guys happen to go to a garden shop, will you pick up a pack of seeds (about 39 cents) and send them to me?  this is just to start with in order to make "binhi" or stocks for the next planting season. preferred seeds will be eggplants, peas, tomatoes or the like. my address is:

sebastian o. sebastian if you can find any tree seeds that will grow in a tropical climate, it's certainly welcomed too. your help is mostly appreciated. thank you.

*****

In Z........ "Johnnie A Reyes" wrote: > >

Sebastian and all ZF:

Welcome to the ZambalesForum (ZF) discussion group. A few of us who were survivors of another Zambales group and who migrated to this ZambalesForum (ZF) know perfectly well whe're you're coming from. We've been there before. For several months, we brainstormed the issues related to the reforesting of the Zambales mountains and the greening of one's own backyard and town plazas. Many good ideas were tossed around then, including suggestions about sponsoring promising students at that whatchamacalit forestry school in Botolan and petitioning Zambales legislators in the Philippine Congress to  ensure that the province is included in the national plan for reforesting the entire archipelago. But this is the first time that  I've heard of anyone actually asking for seeds from the United States to be planted in the Philippines. This brings to mind, however, a possible (I said possible because I don't really know) problem  relating to agricultural quarantine, or whatever it is called. I do know that at United States ports of entry, seeds from foreign countries are not allowed in. They are tossed out by U.S. Customs on the spot. I wholeheartedly support this policy, because it is an excellent safeguard against possible insect infestation of U.S. farm  crops from abroad. (Remember the foot-and-mouth disease that plagued Britain and some EU countries recently?) Would there be a problem if the situation were reversed? How does the Philippine government treat foreign agricultural products coming to its shores, specifically with respect to seeds? If the seeds are sent by mail to a foreign country, are there any laws against it? How are seeds monitored in the U.S. mails? I personally don't know the answer to these questions right off the bat, and I have raised them not because I am opposed to your idea of sending seeds to the Philippines by mail, which I personally think is a wonderful idea, but, because, I would rather that the ZambalesForum (ZF) not involve itself in anything that can be construed as illegal or providing a possible breeding ground for insect infestation of Philippine crops.  I noticed also that you are into helping the Aetas manage their livelihood. Is this in any way related to Antonina Binsol's almost identical project called, "Tulong Pinoy"?

John Reyes
Salaza, Palauig, Zambales

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Jreyes@...... 06/27/01 04:06PM >>>

Willy and all ZF: I am responding to a specific question that I raised in my message yesterday (see below). My question was, "How does the  Philippine government treat foreign agricultural products coming to its shores, specifically with respect to [planting] seeds." The answer is found in Section 101 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines: "The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the Department of Agriculture requires phytosanitary certification of fresh fruit and vegetables, live insects, seeds and nuts for planting and consumption..." My understanding of this requirement by the Philippine government is not an import ban on planting seeds per se, but a necessary certification that is required by the government for health and environmental reasons. If seeds are phytosanitary certified, then there is no problem - you can probably send a full-blown maple tree to San Felipe if you want. One would think that this phytosanitary certification would apply only to large quantities of the material being imported by a Philippine commercial entity, not  small packets of seedlings sent by an individual to another individual. Can anyone imagine the Bureau of Plant Industry in the Philippines putting on their seal of approval on every tinny packet  of seeds that Willy Rabara Francia sends to Sebastian? A suggestion: To avoid this whole business about restrictions and certifications, let's forget about sending seeds. Let's send our donations directly to Sebastian in the form of a check payable to a reputable nursery of Sebastian's choosing and Sebastian. Let Sebastian, the man on the scene, be directly responsible for choosing what types of plants or trees are appropriate for the soil.

John Reyes
 Salaza, Palauig, Zambales

****

"Jose Ferrer" 06/28 11:35 AM >>> >

My fellow Zambaleño's,
I suggest that those families and politicians who owns LOGGING CONCESSIONS, SAW MILLS to pay for this project. Zambales Agricultral College has abundant of tree seedlings ready to be planted. I missed those big ACACIA tress line up along the zambales national road. Every town has a couple or more Acacia in front of town halls or Church. Its a good waiting shade to wait for Tri-V-Tran or Victory Liner during those days.

Peping
iba/botolan

-----Original Message-----
From: Rodel Ramos
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 1:40 PM Subject: Re: [ZambalesForum] Re: green project

Johnny,
Acacia trees are preferred wood for handicrafts and furnitures during the 70s to 80s. Its grains are beautiful and are easy to carve. That is why they are all gone now including the acacia trees in San Narciso Plaza except a few. And they are neglected. Ceres is saying that the only one left in San Narciso is being poisoned with cooking oil, salt, vinegar and other solvents from the fast food restaurant beside it. Either the Mayor and councilors made money in that or the Town and some businessmen ready to make a buck no matter if it destroys the whole town.

Rodel

Johnnie A Reyes wrote: > >

Peping:
Yes, I remember those big acacia trees as a kid in Salaza. There was one huge one in front of the old Salaza Barrio School when I  went to school there, and several around the Palauig town plaza with massive trunks and leafy branches that provide a comfortable shade from the burning heat of the sun. We kids used to play games like "patintero" under those shady acacia trees. Where are they now? Anyone from Salaza/Palauig know why they are no longer there? Were they cut down because of disease, or what? I remember one rainy afternoon, about a half a century ago, when Nana Penyang, a "salakot" atop her head, and on her way home from the wet fields stopped at the  Salaza Barrio School playground to apply first aid on an  eight-year-old boy's bleeding knuckles. Nana Penyang spat out chewed tobacco and applied it to the wound to stop the bleeding. Nana Penyang was Rowena's grandmother, and the boy was yours truly.

John Reyes
Salaza, Palauig, Zambales

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-----Original Message-----
From: Rodel Ramos
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 10:31 PM Subject: Re: [ZambalesForum] Still on the Green Project

Sebastian,
Who owns this cooperative? Where is that Mt. Carampoan? Is it near Maloma, Sindol or is it the mountain east of San Felipe? We have people in Zambales whom we trust and have email contact to.

Rodel

"Sebastian O. Sebastian" wrote: > > Part 1.1 Type: Plain Text (text/plain) > Encoding: quoted-printable

****

-----Original Message-----
From: Johnnie Reyes
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 10:32 PM Subject: [ZambalesForum]
Re: Still on the Green Project

Sebastian:
Your retraction is denied and you did no harm; therefore, apologies are not in order. Moreover, you have our prayers, but they alone will not help you in what you now consider a personal crusade. You have my word that the ZambalesForum (ZF) will help you in every way it can. We've done it with Ceres Busa's Zambales Walkathon, and I think we can do the same for you to benefit the province of Zambales. We may not agree as a group as to how exactly we can or will respond to your call, but I am sure the individual member will decide for himself/herself how best to extend a helping hand. You have eloquently stated your plea, and you had given your address to the forum. Henceforth, it's up to the individual member, acting on his own, to decide how to contribute to your undertaking. I raised those legalistic issues merely as a precaution whenever the ZF ship enters uncharted waters. It was not meant as a declaration. The questions were meant to elicit responses from the membership in a consultative way, and I did receive enlightened responses from Rodel and Willy Rabara Francia.

John Reyes
Salaza, Palauig, Zambales

--- In Z....... "Sebastian O. Sebastian" wrote:

i do appreciate the responses for the Green Project i previously published. thanks for those inputs and suggestions. however, let me reiterate that this is now a project undertaken by the cooperative. as such, it becomes a private enterprise. although this is a worthwhile project wherein Mt. Carampoan is the first thrust of this endeavor, i could not overemphasize the redtape i had to go through in order to get this going. it's been three years now and i still find the pace too slow for my taste. with the help of the DA and DENR, we were initially given seedlings to start off the project. eucalyptus, mahogany, mango, langka and cashew were given in quantities. however, water source was a problem since the creek dries up during the summer months. henceforth, the mortality rate was high. sans details, it has literally been an uphill climb. since support is slim and nil, and it has become a personal crusade. meanwhile, an official Resource Framework has been submitted to various government agencies, just in case someone sees the value of our undertaking. for now, my appeal is a personal one. i am trying to touch the soft spots of anyone out there who sees the consequences of planting trees. with johnnie's suggestion of donating money -- i simply refuse this idea for fear of being misconstrued and be suspected of making money. with rodel's suggestion naman -- the redtape is a gauntlet. to sum it up -- i realize the difficulties we all have to encounter - not to mention the legalities that johnnie mentioned. therefore, with sincere apologies, i retract from what i previously announced in the forum. perhaps, in a spiritual way -- i ask everyone out there to pray that this project will continue despite all the hardships that i, my wife and the members of the cooperative encounter. i commend everyone for your support. thank you.

****

-----Original Message-----
From: Ugalde Gaylord L DLVA
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2001 7:45 AM Subject: RE: [ZambalesForum] Still on the Green Project

Sebastian,
As Rodel has mentioned, we do have people in Zambales that we trust. Among them is Ceres and Sonny Busas, of San Narciso, and who both are U.S. State department employees at the U.S. Embassy. I would highly highly recommend you get in touch with them, through (through this forum, as a start) and personally (ultimately). They have the contacts .... and the reach, to help out locally. They are good people. They know of the "waterfall". With your help, they can know about your coop and your project. BTY to all. I'll email out a map of the San Felipe vicinity. You can then surmise where Mt Carampoan is (and the waterfall) from it.

Gaylord