KAMUNGGAY. A farmer in a mountain barangay has expressed his disapproval of the goverment’s “tree planting programs.” He observed that in his barangay alone, hundreds, if not thousands, of trees have been planted but the benefits “are yet unclear” (“Wa’y klaro,” he said.) The farmer suggested that the “tree planters” should include kamunggay trees as they are easy to plant and they grow easily, too. Not to mention the nutritive value of the tree.
FREE FOR ALL. The same farmer said that many people, even in the cities, can plant and grow kamunggay in their backyard but many of them prefer to just ask for the leaves for free (“that’s why kamunggay is known as ‘free for all’.”). The farmer said that if those hundreds of “ceremonial” tree planters who went out in droves to plant trees in the mountains only planted kamunggay “nanambok na unta ang mga tagabukirang balangay ron.”