LAOAG CITY—The Ilocanos’ love for green leafy vegetables is not just contained in backyard gardens, village streets and idle lots.
This time, a primary school in Badio village, Pinili, Ilocos Norte is transforming its 6,235 square-meter lot into a malunggay (Moringa oleifera) plantation.
In time for the Nutrition Month celebration on Friday, some 147 pupils of the Badio Elementary School (BES) and about 50 parents 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, principal of BES.
Malunggay, also known as horse-radish tree, is drought resistant and grows well on Ilocos soil. On the first year after planting, the tree can reach up to three meters in height and the leaves can already be harvested, perfect for “dinengdeng”, a favorite dish of Ilocanos.
Malunggay is usually found in the backyard of Filipino homes. All of its parts — leaves, pods, bark, seeds, fruits and roots — are packed with nutritional and healing properties, thus, earning the tag nature’s “Miracle Tree”.
Rambaud said once the trees planted by the students and parents are fully grown, 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. Malunggay has all of these vitamins and micro-nutrients.
Research also shows that moringa is a potent herbal medicine due to its anti-bacterial and antifungal properties.
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 medicine. Limited technology and supply, however, hinder local companies in the Philippines from meeting the demand. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
