LINGAYEN–“It is good that you see the potentials of malunggay in Pangasinan, most especially that the province has the most area planted with nutritious malunggay in the whole country.”
Thus said Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. as he welcomed some 400 participants from various community sectors all over the Philippines to the 4thMoringa Congress on November 15-16 held at the Sison Auditorium here.
Sponsored by Moringaling Philippines Foundation Incorporated (MPFI) in partnership with the provincial government of Pangasinan, the two-day activity was conducted to spread awareness on the impressive range of medicinal uses of the moringa or malunggay.
Espino led the ribbon-cutting ceremony done as prelude to the forum of discussions on the nutritive values and market potentials of moringa. Joining the governor were some Sangguniang Panlalawigan board members, Villar Foundation Executive Director Cynthia Villar, MPFI executive board members and the participants.
“Sa buong Pilipinas, pinakamaganda daw ang malunggay dito sa Pangasinan,”adding that “very practical na nuong bata pa tayo eh alam na natin ang nutritive values ng moringa that’s why we to maximize this food plant,” Espino said.
He even related that during his college days at the Philippine Military Academy, military doctors advised him and his fellow military corps members to eat malunggay because of its nutritive values.
Grateful with the warm accommodation accorded by the provincial government, MPFI Chairperson Fr. Resty Lumanlan said, “The knowledge for moringa and the great enthusiasm of the participants in knowing the wonders of moringa is admirable.”
“It’s good for the Local Government Units (LGUs) to learn, implement, and spread awareness in realizing the full potentials of moringa, the soon-to-be national vegetable of the Philippines,” he added.
Meanwhile, Villar, widely known as Misis Hanep Buhay, thanked the provincial government of Pangasinan and the Moringaling Philippines Inc. for inviting her to grace the event.
Villar bared that she has been advocating livelihood projects which employ technology in building green social enterprises even as she said that there is a great potential to propagate moringa industry in Pangasinan.
MPCI, the event organizer, is a network organization serving the moringa supply chain in the Philippines to farmers, producers, suppliers, processors, manufacturers, health enthusiasts, exporters and moringa products consumers.
Resource speakers who lectured on topics regarding moringa include Villar; Dr. Antonio Racela Jr.; Dr. Juvencio Ordona; Dr. Isidro Sia; Dr. Manuel Palada; Dr. Ebert of World Vegetable; Dr. Raffy Barroso; Engr. Philip Cruz; Dr. Vivencio Mamaril; Engr. Jose Pepito Yusingbo and Jane Manucdoc.
Exhibitors were: Moringaling Philippines Foundation Inc.; JPM of Masuoka Gena and Japanese Group; Agribioscience Inc., President – Vijay Dargani; Life Pure Wellness Center (LPWC); Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) from the DOH; Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); Malunggay Lemon Grass Stevia (MLGS); Department of Agriculture (DA); Jaime Esteban, inventor of machines of the moringa factory in Rosales managed by Bernadeth Estrella-Arellano, MPFI Founding Chair. (PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)