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Written by Julius Cesar Cudera (posted on FB)
Chanel No. 5 is a luxury perfume that retails between 3200 pesos to 7400 pesos per bottle. A lot of Filipinos prize it for being "Imported" and "branded". But did you know that one of the main ingredients for this Perfume is the Ylang-Ylang and the Philippines is considered its top exporter, Particularly from Pangasinan? As the story goes, "Coco Chanel asked perfume-maker Ernest Bo to create the ideal scent for a woman's perfume. In 1921, he gave her a series of samples to try. She chose the 5th, made up of sweet essences of rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang flowers."

Ylang-ylang or ilang-ilang, also known as Cananga odorata, is a tree indigenous to the Philippines. It can grow to about 25 m in height but it has a dwarf counterpart. It is covered year-round with drooping, long-stalked, rich-scented flowers that have six narrow, greenish-yellow petals. It is highly prized for its essential oil which has been shown to have a few benefits, particularly for Anxiety, Depression, Frigidity, hypertension, and stress (It looks like I need to stock up on these flowers) Because of its lingering scent it has been hailed as the flower among flowers; hence the origin of its name in Filipino, Ilang-ilang. It is also hailed as the Queen of Perfumes in consideration of its widespread use in different perfumes, internationally.

The Ilang-ilang is one of the native trees that are threatened by the introduction of Mahogany into our natural forests. As the Ilang-ilang is fast growing and requires full-sunlight exposure the Mahogany becomes its top competitor. However, since the Mahogany is also fast growing but grows taller than the Ilang-ilang, it has a tendency to deprive the Ilang-ilang of its much preferred and needed sunlight.

Let us reflect on this. We have a lot of Native flowering trees that are recognized abroad yet we, ourselves, do not know about their existence and their value. For all we know, you might have walked past by a Ylang-ylang tree without much care for what it is and how highly valued it is overseas.

I am urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), our Local Government Units, and our Local Tree Farmers to plant Ylang-ylang in our parks, our schools, and other public places instead of  MAHOGANY. I also urge DepEd Philippines and Commission on Higher Education(CHED) to reinforce its curriculum on the environment to include NATIVE TREES so that people become aware of their existence and at the same time develop a deep and profound appreciation for what is NATURALLY ours. Let us stop romanticizing what other countries have when in fact, we have our own trees that rival, if not better, than that which other countries have. Our Native trees are as much FILIPINO as we are, let us protect them and make sure the generation that will come after us will still be able to enjoy and appreciate them as we have.

If you want to reach out to us and invite us to speak in front of your school or barangay, especially in terms of the environment, we will be more than happy to work with you. We will be scheduling tree planting activities throughout the rainy season and you are welcome to join us. We also have regular seed hubs (gatherings where we give out free seeds). If you have questions regarding your tree planting activities, you may send me a PM for inquiries or join Visayas Native Tree Enthusiasts. You may also check out my Youtube channel for updates relating to our activities as a group! https://youtu.be/xkGAfwOp35w

Kudos to Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu for choosing to plant Ylang-ylang and other native trees  on the Campus; being true stewards of the Environment through Laudato Si!. The pictures below are of the many Ylang-ylang that surrounds the school. There are also a few specimens that can be found lining up the streets of Busay, Cebu.

Help spread the advocacy!

#PlantNativeTrees
#SaveNativeTrees
#VNTE
#PNTE
#notoinvasives
#reforestation
#greenearthmovement
#protectbiodiversity

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