At Large
By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 11/21/2010
MANILA, Philippines—I met Prof. Leonard Co only once, in a press conference called by a group of San Beda alumni who were embarking on a tree-planting project along the North Luzon Expressway. But they weren’t going to plant just any trees. At the bidding of some conservationists and biodiversity experts, notably Professor Co, they were going to plant only indigenous species, some of which were already dying out because of the “competition” posed by foreign or non-native trees.
It turns out that in the course of the mania for reforestation, some groups had been planting trees that were not only ill-suited for local conditions, but in the case of certain “fast-growing” species, were rapidly crowding out indigenous trees and depleting the ground water supply.
The professor was present at the event to lend his expertise on what trees were suitable for planting along a busy highway with minimal tending.
But what I most remember of Professor Co from our brief exchange was not his expertise but his passion, expressed in curt, blunt expressions. When I told him I was interested in planting “Palawan Cherry” trees in my garden, he snorted that the tree “was neither from Palawan nor is it a real cherry tree.” He exhibited a wide breadth of knowledge about indigenous plants, and readily shared information on the state of the biodiversity of our flora and fauna.
I’m embarrassed to say that it was only upon his death—in a supposed “shootout” between the military and NPA rebels in Leyte—that I found out Co was not just any botanist but the country’s most respected and renowned botanist, a champion of biodiversity, devoting his life and inspiring hundreds of his students, even those who were already based abroad, to identify and document the country’s rich trove of plant life. Indeed at the time of his death, Co and his companions were searching for a native tree species suitable for a reforestation project, recalling echoes of that press conference where I encountered him.
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IN A most moving tribute published in the Business Mirror and obviously written by a disciple of Co, the professor’s dedication to preserving the country’s disappearing legacy of biodiversity was illustrated thus:
“Nearly a decade ago, alarmed by field reports that one of the country’s last frontiers in biodiversity, a treasure-trove of plant life with immense implications for the country’s environmental future and economic life, was under threat as loggers were closing in on it atop the mountains of Palanan in Isabela province, Professor Co tapped into his wide network in academe, funding agencies (at one time a World Bank affiliate gave it a grant) and his army of students and followers, to focus, not just on saving that precious circle of life, but to inventory and tag plant species for future generations.
Through the years, his UP students, so inspired by his work, would keep coming back to the country each year to revisit the project and ensure it is sustained. Since many of them were bright students, several had gotten MA and PhD scholarships in top universities abroad; and yet, in the summer break, they would somehow find even modest grants, from institutions like the Smithsonian, just to be able to come back and work on the Palanan project just for a few weeks.
“It is said that a man’s true measure of greatness is not just in what he himself has done, but in how well he has inspired, or caused others, to rise above their own ordinary selves and do acts of greatness. In this light one sees the great life and work of Leonardo Co.” Reports have it that some of Co’s ashes will be spread over his “beloved Palanan,” and my wish is that the Pacific winds will blow them all over the islands whose riches Co had sought to preserve and protect.
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SEEMS this is a column meant for praising good men. Allow me to put in a good word for Bong Austero, a senior vice president for human resources with the Philippine National Bank, who is in the running for president of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
I’ve known Bong for decades, starting from the time we both served on the board of trustees of the Remedios AIDS Foundation and he still sported shoulder-length hair tied neatly in a pony-tail. I didn’t know he was into corporate work then, but I remember being duly impressed by his professionalism and empathy for the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those too poor to afford regular medications or care.
He is running for PMAP president, says Bong, “because I want to champion the cause of Filipino human capital. I really think it is about time that professional organizations such as PMAP boldly pursue advocacies to develop and manage Filipino human capital. People—Filipino talent—is the only remaining source of competitive advantage that we have as a nation as most of our other natural resources are gone (or going fast). But we don’t have a clear plan on how we can effectively harness Filipino human capital.”
Bong writes of what needs to be done to “address the mismatch,” including developing tools to forecast labor supply and demand, formulating concrete strategies to deal with the OFW phenomenon and the “brain drain,” and fixing the educational system to better respond to current and future trends.
“I am running for PMAP president,” he reiterates, “because I really would like to channel the capabilities and the power of PMAP in pursuit of a better future for Filipino human capital.”
Over the years, Bong has shed the long hair (or maybe age shed it for him?) and adopted a more “corporate” image, but it’s obvious the fires that burned in his soul as a student activist and human rights champion still burn as bright as before.
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