8 February 2017, Laguna-Quezon Land Grant (LQLG). FEED’s President Ophelia Bakker-Mananquil and Chairman Jacob Bakker celebrated the 87th foundation anniversary of the LQLG on Feb. 8th at the LQLG Training Center in Siniloan, Laguna – also paying tribute to the decade long partnership between FEED and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), through research scholarship grants and tree-planting with the LGMO.
Plans for developing LQLG facilities were presented by Dr. Virgilio T. Villancio, Land Grant Management Office (LGMO) manager, stating that the site will also “house venues for research, educational, and capacity-building activities….Among LQLG’s plans is the development of exhibit facilities featuring its flora and fauna, recreational facilities for team building activities, and other infrastructure projects.”
The celebration was attended by UPLB and UP System officials. Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., represented by Dr. Serlie Barroga-Jamias, vice chancellor for community affairs, said that the LQLG is “a compelling testament to what institutions like UP and its partners can achieve when they pool their resources and work together.”
According to the Chancellor, LQLG is “a major contributor to the country’s National Greening Program, and in many ways an outstanding example of the success of reforestation and forest rehabilitation.”
Dr. Maragtas SV Amante, immediate past vice president for administration of UP, expressed his excitement on the upcoming developments in the LQLG. He said that the new UP System administration should look into the LQLG immediately on its first year to witness what it is accomplishing in the Sierra Madre regions.
The celebration was capped off with a tour around the training grounds. Visitors hiked and explored a part of the land grant and learned about the LQLG’s research and forest restoration activities. UP officials and visitors also planted tree seedlings before ending the tour.
Others who attended included:
- Dr. Enrico P. Supangco, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Food Science;
- Dr. Willie P. Abasolo, Dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources; and
- Representatives of the Philippine Carabao Center,
- Commission on Audit,
- Development Bank of the Philippines, and
- Partner Local Government Units.
The LQLG is a 6, 765-hectare property that straddles Siniloan, Laguna and Real, Quezon. It was acquired by UP on Feb. 8, 1930 by virtue of Republic Act 3608 – “An act endowing the University of the Philippines with portions of the public domain for additional support and maintenance, and for other purposes.”
Source: Jessa Jael S. Arana, http://uplb.edu.ph/component/k2/item/687-uplb-s-laguna-quezon-land-grant-to-develop-educat-l-facilities.
FEED continues to plant and reforest parts formerly denuded by illegal logging activities, and we invite all Students & Volunteers of the Environment (SAVE) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) champions from companies to organise your plantings with us!
For more information, contact: info@feed.org.ph or call/text +63 (0) 917 552 4722.
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