ORANI, Bataan – The Bases Conversion Development Authority and the Manila North Tollways Corp. supported by other organizations on Saturday launched the SinagTala Resort at a mountain village here the flora hunt in Mt. Natib of the Bataan National Park.
BCDA chairman Felicito “Tong” Payumo invited students, mountaineers, forest lovers and mountain climbers to participate in the event on March 31 and April 1.
The two-day event will start at SinagTala Resort and will end at the Bataan Technology Park Inc., former Philippine Refugee Processing Center, in Morong, Bataan.
Payumo said that the event will be called “Leonard Co Flora Adventure Hunt” in memory of the botanist killed in a mountain in Leyte.
“We named it after Co because he spent three weeks hunting, looking for flora in the bio-diverse Mt. Natib of the Bataan National Park and catalogued the plants,” the former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said.
He also said that the Filipino-Chinese botanist identified 200 plants with their scientific names while two Aeta natives who served as guides provided the local names. Co published “Pictorial Guide to the Plants at the Bataan National Park co-authored by two Aetas.
Glenda Co thanked Payumo for holding the event to pay tribute to the memory of her husband. “Natutuwa ako at nagpapasalamat kay chairman Payumo na inaalaala niya si Leonard dahil kahit tatlong linggo lamang ang asawa ko sa Bataan ay marami pala siyang nagawa, hindi mangyayaring mauuwi sa limot ang nasimulan ng asawa ko kaya dapat ipagpatuloy,” the widow said.
Paumo, also former Bataan congressman, said that the event will not only be in memory of Co. “Nakita naming na magandang gamiting kasangkapan ang bio-diversity to preserve and protect the Bataan National Park,” he said.
He said that to preserve the bio-diversity, the forests have to be protected.
Joining the BCDA and MNTC in the event and the protection of the Bataan National Park are SBMA, Clark Development Corp., BTPI and oil firm Ptt. They all pledged full support to the project.
Col. Raul del Rosario, Air Defense Wing Commander of Basa Airbase in Florida Blanca, Pampanga, said the Philippine Air force is also into environmental protection.
He said that they provide aerial survey and photography to identify threatened areas.
