Pinili school plant malunggay trees for longevity, resilience

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Pinili, Ilocos Norte—The Ilocanos’ love for green leafy vegetables is not just contained in backyard gardens, barangay streets and idle lots. This time, a primary school at Brgy. Badio, this town, is transforming its 6,235 square-meter lot into a haven for malunggay (Moringa oleifera) plantation.

In time for the nutrition month celebration on July 27, 2018, around 147 pupils along with some 50 parents of the Badio Elementary School (BES) took off their shoes and slippers as they walked through the rice paddies within the school compound and planted malunggay cuttings on the sides.

“We chose malunggay because it is full of vitamins and minerals. It is also easy to grow by the parents and children at home,” said Aileen Rambaud, BES principal.

The lowly malunggay, also known as horse-radish tree is drought resistant and it grows well in Ilocos Norte soil. On the first year after planting, the tree can reach up to three meters and you can already harvest the leaves perfect for dinengdeng or inabraw, two of Ilocano’s favorite dishes.

Malunggay is usually present in the backyard of Filipino homes. All its parts such as leaves, pods, bark, seeds, fruits and roots, are packed with nutritional and healing properties, thus, it was tagged as nature’s “Miracle Tree”.

In Ilocos Norte, moringa trees are regarded as low-maintenance plant.

Once fully grown, Ms. Rambaud said the school hopes to contribute to the health welfare and development of the community by providing a potent source of iron, thiamin, calcium, beta-carotene, phosphorous, vitamin A, B, C and E and lipoprotein which are found in malunggay.

Research also shows that moringa is being used for some treatments including the herbal medicine for anti-infection, anti-bacterial and antifungal.

While there is a high demand for moringa products in the local market, clients from Europe, the United States and other Asian countries are also looking for processed malunggay products for food and medicines. Limited technology and supply however hinder local companies in the Philippines to do so.

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