129. RED THEODORE BONSAI FLOWER FARM & KALACHUCHI

                     RED THEODORE BONSAI FLOWER FARM & KALACHUCHI
                                                    Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano, LPT
                                                                    15 January 2021

The Municipality of Ramon, Isabela through the Municipal Cultural & Tourism Officer, Mabilyn B. Tolentino, requested for my appearance on the soft opening and dedication of the Red Theodore Bonsai Flower Farm in Purok 3, Barangay San Miguel wherein a collection of over 300 bonsai plants are showcased. There was a jolt of excitement since I always enjoyed seeing Japanese inspired dwarfed trees.

Edward T. Domingo, the owner of the Red Theodore, also owns the CVOil gas station (formerly Caltex) which is a lot away from my abode in Cabatuan. Originally from San Mateo town, his daughter, Christiansen (Chrissen), was crowned Miss Teen Cabatuan in 2010 and Miss Isabela (forerunner of Queen Isabella) in 2011 and his older brother, Roland, is a family friend since my Senate days. In his testimony before the dedication, Domingo started the massive collection to combat depression. He chose the name “Theodore” which means “gift of God” or “God-given” in ancient Greek for he believes that all his blessing including the flower farm is a gift from God. “Red”, on the other hand, was a variation of “Ed” his nickname.

The soft opening was graced only by a dozen people since social distancing is a must due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the formal ribbon-cutting rites, the municipal mayor was represented by Councilor Arlyn Keith Alethea L. Esteban together with the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President. The simple event was highlighted with the blessing and dedication led by the Christ Commission Fellowship. Aside from the bonsais, the farm offers a large space of fresh air and peace of mind with grounds for picnic and pictorials. It has a function hall, cottages, lawn tennis court, canteen, and children’s playground.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the late first quarter of 2020 when Luzon Island and parts of the Visayas was on ECQ (Enhance Community Quarantine) or commonly known as lockdown, Filipinos transformed and became plantitos and plantitas. Possessing, nurturing and selling plants of all varieties became a fad and can be seen on endless posts in social media particularly in Facebook by both the young and old. It all started from cactus and succulents which later expanded to large leafed plants locally called “aba-aba” (taro).

I was not spared from being a plantito. I started collecting Bangkok kalachuchi scientifically recorded as Adenium obesum from friends and relatives and even ask from total strangers who I saw owns the plant. I came to know that the Bangkok kalachuchi is different from the original kalachuchi I knew since I was a child. The local kalachuchi were tall gnarly trees scientifically known as Plumeria acuminate that flowered profusely mostly seen in cemeteries. The flowers are usually white and not pink or reddish like that of the Bangkok specie. The petals are thick and crisp, not fragile. The original kalachuchi I’ve known had a faint sweet smell that rapidly turned pungent if there were too many while the Bangkok has no odor. The adenium swollen trunk is called the caudex which develops only if the plant was grown from seed and then only if grown hard. This appearance makes the plant similar to a bonsai. At present, the Lemon (my wife’s mini farm in Cabatuan) has a collection of over two dozen bonsai adenium and numerous other cuttings.

I am always amazed with bonsais. In 2018, the Isabela Tourism Office visited the famous Bonsai Forests in the coastal town of Dinapigue, Isabela. As far as the eyes can see, old trees as tall as only six feet can be found in Sitio Sumanget in Barangay Dimaluadi, an hour travel from the town center. In Cabatuan, a kababayan and fellow JCI senator is a bonsai enthusiast and has a collection of dozens of fruit bearing dwarf trees.

The net shows that the bonsai is a Japanese art form which utilizes cultivation techniques to produce, in containers, small trees that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penzai or penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese Hòn non bộ. The Japanese tradition dates back over a thousand years. The Japanese brought to the Philippines the bonsai art influence.

The loanword "bonsai", a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai, has become an umbrella term in English, attached to many forms of potted or other plants, and also on occasion to other living and non-living things. Filipinos even use the term to refer to refer to shorter in height than average individuals.

The pandemic somehow helped metamorphosize professionals and other working individuals from their then busy schedule to focus on gardening since they cannot leave home due to the lockdown. The purpose of many plantitos and plantitas are primarily contemplation for the viewer and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower. On the other hand, many doctors now prescribe gardening as therapy for some patients who suffer with depression. Personally, growing bonsai and gardening is cool and gives me a connection with nature. Aside from the Bangkok kalachuchi, I also gathered dozens of dapo or bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) to add more greenery to the Lemon.