Editorials

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Part of Forestry Leaves

Title: Editorials
Language: English
Rights
Fulltext: -I EDITORIALS ·1WANTED: A CAMPUS FOR OUR COLLEGE Originally, the College of Forestry was under the joint administration of the University of the Philippines and the Bureau of Forestry, with the Director of the latter as ex-officio Dean of the College. Under that set-up, the Makiling National Park, in which the College is situated, and which was then under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Forestry, was used by the Faculty and the students as a campus and as a vast outdoor laboratory. This was so, because the main reason for turning the MakiJing forest into a National Park was to make the forest always available for educational purposes. As a park, it is not subjected to exploitation, and the whole forest, including the plantations and arboretums could be preserved for torestry education. Long-term research p roiects which require several generations betore they are concluded are likewise prorected. Then came the creation of the Commission on Parks and Wildlife which wrested from the Bureau of Forestry control of the National Parks in the Philippines, including the Makiling National Park. Not long after that, the College was com'." pletely divorced from the Bureau and thrown entirely under the sole jurisdiction of the University of the Philippines. That made the College a squatter on the park. Now, it has no campus. An ordinary college without a campus is ridiculous, but for a college of forestry to have no campus is unthinkable. Our College must have a campus of its own. Forestry Education, in order to be effective, must have at its disposal a forest area where research protects, field exercises and outdoor classes could be held without interfereMe. That forest must be quite sizeable, must be free from exploitation, and must not be far from the College itself. All of these qualifications are found in the Makiling National Park. Moreover, since it Is a known fact that the Makiling forest was set aside as a park with the aim in view of using it for forThe Staff of the FORESTRY LEAVES Organ of the Student Body and Alumni ol the Collele of ForNtry Colleie, l.afcma Associate Editors: LEONARDO ANGELES JESSIE A.MIRAN EDILBERTO CAJUCOM jUANITO LAMA.NII.AO W'ILfl'REDO PoLLI'SCO E.G. DIZON Board of Manalemenl: ANGELO MORDENO ENRIQUITO DB GUZMAN VICENTA FLORES NICASIO MULATO ROMEO SALVADOJI GRADUATION ISSUE, 1957 JOSE MENIADO Editor-in-Chief MODESTO TOBIAS Brninffll M_,.,.r PROF. JOSE B. BLANDO Adviaer MfllJallinl Editor: OSCAR B. CADELINA Contributi~ Editora: BERNARDO C. AGALOOS BENJAMIN D. ALMONtt Tix>FILO A. SANTOS FRANCISCO N. TAMOLANG Circulllltion Deprtmsnt: TOMAS REYES ROGELIO DE LA CRUZ MARCELIANO POBRE ALFREDO MOLi.AT BIENVENIDO GIRON Page 83 estry education, everything else must be subordinated to this aim. It is imperative as well as logical, therefore, that the Makiling National Park be transferred to the University of the Philippines in order to become the much-needed campus of the College of Forestry. - ntv ON THIS THE FIFTEENTH MOVING UP DAY Again the proverbial graduation exercises speech will stress that commencement does not mean the end of all studies but the beginning of a graduate's life. Again he will be told that as he leaves the portals of his Alma ·Mater he steps into the threshold of life. The same stock phrases of "Don't rest on your laurels," "You'll be faced with the grim realities of life," "Strive in all your undertakings to bring honor to your Alma Mater, your parents," etc., etc., will be heard. Laudatory phrases extollil1g the graduates will serve as the toothsome and tempting frosting of the Graduation Cake Speech. Seldom if ever have we heard the Commencement Speaker stressing the fact to the Faculty and the Graduating Class that too often the graduates have passed their examinations by cramming, cribbing, parroting their professors, and resorting to all known devices just so they could fulfill the college requireme~1ts for graduation. Graduation time should serve to mark the time and place when a graduating student should pause and reflect whether the diploma he will receive truly represents efficient, honest and hard work all the way from the elementary grades, through high school, to the senior year in college. It is a sad commentary on present educational standards that many stude~ts nowadays pass from one grade to another without even knowing why and how the so-called Diploma Mills have thriven on "intellectual manure." It is also high time for the faculty to ponder whether or not the students being graduated have truly "moved up" mentally, morally and spiritually. A one-sided development cannot assure them an honest, unselfish and civic-minded citizen. In the old days, we used to take pride in saying that no alumnus of the college had entered Bilibid and that the Bureau of Forestry personnel have never been found wanting in honesty, efficiency and integrity. Can the same thing be said of some of our alumni now? We pause for reply. TO BRASS TACKS NOW ON SELECTIVE LOGGING Selective logging has been the popular topic of conversation and publicity. But when it comes to how it is done, nothing definite has been reached. Practically all the talks were in generalities. This publication takes pride in presenting to our readers, especially the logging operators and forest officers, an article on page 39 by authorities and experienced men of the Bureau of Forestry on the ways and means of implementation. It deals comprehensively not only with the how, but also with the determination of the Government to implement selective logging. It bares the definite and clear-cut program of implementation by the Bureau of Forestry. Over two year ago, the Government adopted a policy and program of selective logging. The groundwork has been laid. Now, the way is shown. There should now be no reason for licensees to dilly-dally the practice of selective logging in their areas. And equally important, the forest officers must work harder, Page 84 FORESTRY LEAVES work more with the loggers to effect the saving of trees. For the desired results ultimately depend on the loggers and forest officers in the field. -E.T. ASSISTANT DEAN MABESA'S FRUITFUL SERVICE By May 9, this year Assistant Dean Mabesa will have completed his sixtyfifth birthday. Born at Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, his is a story that reads like Horatio Alger's. His career has been one continuous uphill climb and should serve as an inspiration for those intelligent and industrious but easily discouraged young men who believe that the only way to reach the top is to use "pull." Coming as he did from a poor family, young Mabesa knew at the very start that the odds were against him. And so instead of giving up in despair, he made use of the obstacles that beset his way to tough~n him for the greater and harder obstacles ahead. Working his way through the lloilo High school, he graduated in 1913. Then he was chosen as a pensionado to study in the School of Forestry, at that time a department of the College of Agriculture, and here he graduated second honor of the 1915 Ranger Class. Soon after graduation, he was appointed Ranger in the Bureau of Forestry. But in the First Worid War, he joined the Philippine National Guards and when this was demobilized, he was discharged in 1919 with the rank of first lieutenant. Upon rejoining the Bureau, he was detailed instructor in Dendrology and military science in the College of Forestry in 1920. He resigned, in order to take advance courses in forestry in the United States. While there he worked his way through college doing all kinds of manual labor ul'ltil his graduation with the B.S.F. degree cum laude in 1923. After finishing his bachelor of science degree, he was given a governm~nt pensionadoship so he could take his M.A. at the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University. He later pursued special courses in wood technology in the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin. After his arrival from the United States on March 5, 1925, he rejoined the Bureau as forester. He was later appointed as Assistant Chief, Division of Forest Products on January 1, 1933. But five years later this division was abolished, and on March 16, 1938, he was appointed wood technologist. He later resigned from the Bureau so as to devote his full time in the College of Forestry. Upon the retirement of Professor Harold Cuz:ner on April 15, 1953, he was appointed Forester-in-Charge of the College. Two years later came his appointment as Assistant Dean of the College. The Faculty, Student Body and the Alumni are grateful to him for his untiring efforts in bringing about many improvements to the College, his greatest contribution to the cause of forestry education having been the tremendous task of enlisting and coordinating the support of the Alumni, winning the sympathy and support of Congress and the President himself so that H.B. No. 324 became one of the "must" bills to be presented before Congress during the last days of its session. This work alone should entitle him to the most distinguished award given to the most outstanding alumnus of the year, an award which he won last year. Besides his teaching load that would have broken many a dean's back, he has kept doing and helping others do research work. He is also a member of (Continued on page 87) GRADUATION ISSUE, 1957 Page 85 lacai\ang grounds were thronged with people. A long queue of eager, patient and sad people, young and old, moved slowly towards the hall where the c:Ountry's most beloved President's remains lay in state. The doors were securely guarded. We told the guards our mission and we were told to pass through the wooden gate. And there again, we were refused admittance. We returned to the main door to the Appointment Secretary Office. We begged that we be allowed to call Mr. Buan. This the palace guard did for us, and soon came the voice at the other end, and upon our identifying ourselves, asked where· we were. In two minutes he was at the door, holding an envelope, bearing President Magsaysay's message. * * * Again the well-known Makiling N ational Park Gate will say "hello" to all the alumni, the old and young, and their better halves. Those who have been away for so many years will wonder at the tremencrous changes that have taken place. Of course the old familiar trails are still here, the arbored walks carpeted with falkn leaves, the flower laden vines and the tall tall (so tall nc.w) trees screening the skies above, the "ole Swimin Hole" is still there, but negle~ed and desolate, the old buildings gone, only the ruins of the old administration building, which is an eyesore. You will hear back of the school the familiar call of birds and the crash of our simian friends as they "trapezie'' from one branch to another. You will note that the students are much younger. . . some of these are sons or daughters of your former classmates, maybe. * * * We are now in quandary. We really do not know whether we are already "divorced" The Gateway to the Maki/in' National Park and the Forestry Collep Campus. as some of c.ur friends in the Bureau want us tc believe. Or whether we are still a part and parcel of the Bw-eau as in the good old days. We asked the Director, (our ex-officio Dean) and he told us that by virtue of the Reorganization Act, effective Jan. 17, 1957, he was "legislated out". But then the suspension order came. And so we asked the U.P. people. We were directed to see the Budget Office. There they admitted that the suspension has made "confusion worse confounded". But, at least, some of the Chiefs believe that the• suspension means "status quo". ASSISTANT DEAN • . . (Continued from page 85) various scientific and honorary organizations, among which may be mentioned, the National Research Council, Society for the Advancement of Science, Forest Products Research Society, International Society of Tropical Foresters, the Los Banos Biological Science Club, Society of Filipino Foresters, the Alpha Xi Sigma (Honorary Forestry Fraternity). And for his loyalty and unselfish service to youth he was awarded a bronze narra leaf by the Y.M.C.A. 0RADUATION ISSUE, 1957 Page 17