Friday, December 30, 2016

Jose Rizal: National Hero Not

From commons.wikimedia.org
So there must be around a hundred roads named after Rizal throughout the Philippines. There is a province named after him. His statue is a centerpiece of a park named after him in Manila. He has a holiday in his honor. His works are in the school's curriculum, and there is a "religious" following dedicated to seeing him as a god! Surely this man is something. But why isn't he the Philippines National Hero?

That's right. Jose Rizal isn't our national hero.

To be a national symbol of the country, it needs legislation or a presidential proclamation. Only 5 things made it there: our national flower (Sampaguita), our national tree (Narra), our national animal (Philippine Eagle), our national gem (South Sea Pearl) and our national sport (Arnis). In short, all the other "commonly believed to be national symbols" aren't official.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Essential Oils in the Philippines

Are there essential oils in the Philippines? Yes, there are, mostly imported ones. But here, we'd be talking about the ones produced here.

The Philippines is a great country with a lot of natural resources and a huge diversity of plants and trees. Once upon a time, our country leads the world in rice research and production. There was also a time when we led the world in coffee production. Right now, we lead the world in coconuts and in calamansi. We have the potential to develop our agricultural capacity in producing crops that possesses lots of essential oils.