Chapter66666Devastation During

World War II1941-1945

Leopoldo B. Uichanco Appointed Dean

Dr. Leopoldo B. Uichanco

Pre-war military parade along the Royal Palm Drive

W hen Dr. Gonzalez assumed his duties as UniversityPresident, many expected Dr. Nemesio Mendiola to succeed him asDean of the College of Agriculture because Dr. Gonzalez and Dr.Mendiola were close friends. Mendiola was the most senior amongthe faculty members, and was a hard-working, productive scientistand a very competent administrator. But his wife, Filomena Alvarez,a Spanish mestiza and sister of Governor Agustin Alvarez ofZamboanga, was hard to get along with. President Gonzalez wassmart; he tasked the College of Agriculture Executive Committee(composed of department heads) to nominate the next dean. TheExecutive Committee, in a secret balloting, voted for Dr. LeopoldoB. Uichanco who had a modest but charming wife.7

Dr. Uichanco, an accomplished entomologist, a prolific writer,and the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Agriculturist, was highlyqualified for the position of dean. On April 26, 1939 or less than aweek after he received his appointment as University President, Dr.Gonzalez announced to the faculty and students the appointment ofDr. Uichanco as Acting Dean. The BOR later approved andconfirmed his appointment as Dean.

76

World War II Broke Out

Japanese fighter plane

UPCA ROTC parade of colors, circa 1939

W orld War II reached the Philippine shores on December8, 1941. On Christmas Day, at about one o’clock in the afternoon,three Japanese bombers attacked the campus. One of the bombsmade a direct hit on Molawin Hall, and completely destroyed thestudent mess hall. There were no casualties on the campus exceptfor the death of a civilian who left Manila to take refuge in Los Baños.

Evacuees on a train from Manila were less fortunate. Japaneseplanes bombed and strafed the train at Los Baños killing hundreds

and wounding several more. The wounded were rushed tonearby hospitals, including the College Infirmary. For thefirst time, many in Los Baños witnessed the gory spectacleof war.2

By the end of December and early January, the ROTCcadets had gone to the war front in Bataan. The College ofAgriculture and School of Forestry faculty and employeeshad fled the campus together with their families.2

ROTC graduates

77

Classes Continued...

Manila and Corregidor surrendered

Under the Scorching Rising Sun

I n February 1942, both the College of Agriculture and Schoolof Forestry had to reopen and remain open despite the ongoing war.Crops had to be taken care of, animals had to be fed, and ongoingexperiments in the laboratories or fields had to be tended, other-wise, valuable investments would go to waste.

On April 9, 1942, Bataan fell. Thousands of Filipinos died intheir youth either in the battle front or in the infamous “Death March”to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

The College of Agriculture and School of Forestry remainedopen throughout the war years, but “owing to reduced faculty, lackof materials, widespread feeling of insecurity and fear, instructionand scholarship was seriously hampered, and research workpractically stopped.”5

I n May 1943, a great part of the lower campus wastransformed into an internment camp for over 2,000 Allied nationals,most of whom were Americans. To house all the prisoners, severaltemporary barracks made of light materials – sawali walls and niparoofings – were constructed in a large strongly fenced-area south ofthe athletic field up to the animal husbandry compound.

In the middle of 1943, the Japanese with the help ofSakdalistas (Filipino collaborators) heard about the existence of aCollege guerrilla unit called “Home Guard.” The Japanese tookimmediate action by rounding up all male members of the faculty,employees, and student body. They were all “concentrated” in theChemistry lecture hall from August 19 to August 23 without food.2, 8

On the fifth day of incarceration, a Japanese military officerwith the help of a Filipino interpreter called the names of eight facultymembers and about thirty students identified as members of the“Home Guard.” All were made to fall in line and were herded to theMakiling School where Dean Uichanco and Dr. Pedro David,Supervisor of Students and In-charge of security, were suffering from“third-degree treatment” to extract guerilla information.8

The next day, all of those in the Makiling School were taken toa military garrison in Sta. Cruz for special indoctrination on thesupposed merits of the “Southeast Asia Co-prosperity Sphere.”

Toward the end of September, the prisoners were released,except for Dean Uichanco and Dr. David who were sentenced todeath on charges of hiding Americans and firearms, and supportingguerrillas. However, with the intercession of high ranking Filipinoofficials in the puppet government of the Philippines, they wereeventually pardoned, but dismissed from service. Because of the“untoward happenings” in the College, President B. M. Gonzalezresigned from his position.

Dr. Francisco O. Santos was designated Dean of the Collegeof Agriculture, effective September 30, 1943. As the Dean, he hadto constantly walk a tight rope. To give in to all the “requests” of theJapanese would not be good in the suspicious eyes of local guerrillas.On the other hand, to be suspected of assisting and protectingguerrillas would lead to disaster in the hands of the JapaneseImperial Army.

78

Map of the internment camp which practically covers the areas around Baker Hall and the Animal Science compound.

79

War Prisoners Liberated

I n 1944, the Japanese expected the return of GeneralDouglas MacArthur whose forces were already gaining territories inthe Pacific Ocean. True enough, General MacArthur returned withfull force in Leyte on October 20, 1944, and crushed the Japanesefleet in the great “Battle of Leyte Gulf.” But it was not until December31, 1944 that Los Baños and its vicinity were raided by Americanplanes.

In the dark night of February 22, 1945, guerrillas quietlysurrounded the internment camp to protect it. They also guarded apredetermined drop zone for paratroopers in the College farm nearBoot Creek at Tuntungin Hill. At dawn on February 23, nine biglow-flying American planes dropped the Eleventh Airborne Divisionparatroopers at the drop zone, and numerous amphibian tractorscame roaring from Laguna de Bay. The amphibian tractors of theFirst Calvary Division of General MacArthur forces carried ROTCHunters and American infantry men who made a major thrustnorthwest of the internment camp, while the paratroopers and localguerrillas advanced southeast of the internment camp. The timing ofthe northeast-southwest thrusts was perfect. Also, American fighterplanes came flying over the areas to provide aerial protection.4

The firefight started with the sound of rifles and machinegunsnear Baker Hall. Suffering only two guerilla casualties, US andFilipino forces killed several Japanese soldiers and dispersed the250-man guard force. Obviously caught by surprise, most of theJapanese soldiers retreated and sought protection along MolawinCreek and in the upper forested areas.

With the local guerrillas protecting the rescue operations, 2,147Allied prisoners were loaded on the amphibian tractors that roaredback to the Laguna de Bay. Thus, all the Allied prisoners – Americans,British, Canadians, Australians, Dutchmen, etc. – were saved withoutany casualties among them.

On the night of February 26, the Japanese solders retaliated.They burned almost all residential and school buildings, and massacredmen, women and children on the campus. Many sought sanctuary atthe St. Therese Chapel. But the Japanese burned the chapel, andused their bayonets on those attempting to escape through the doors.Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, were massacredat the Chapel.5

The abandoned campus consisted of distorted ruinsof galvanized iron roofings, ugly stumps of charred beamsand rafters, and smoldering heaps. In no time, looters hada holiday, resulting in almost total loss of valuable livestock,automobile and truck engines, refrigerators, laboratoryequipment, etc.

It took two months more before the American armyreturned and finally liberated Los Baños on March 24, 1945.

Allied forces dropping paratroopers.

80

The new Los Baños Internment Camp Memorial at the back of Baker Memorial Hall

The internment camp markerat Baker Memorial Hall

Liberated internee couple

81

Decades of Setback

I n the College of Agriculture, 23 buildings were completelydestroyed or reduced to ashes. Twelve buildings, including theadministration and departments of entomology, agronomy, andagricultural botany, were partially damaged. Only the agriculturalengineering building was spared.

Of the residences on campus, four student dormitories, ninestudent bungalows, all houses of self-supporting students onCopeland Heights, and 22 houses of the faculty and employees weredestroyed or burned.

All botanical and insect collections were lost, scientificequipment were burned or looted, and over 26,000 volumes of booksand pamphlets, 1,400 thesis manuscripts and over 500 scientificjournals and serials were reduced to ashes.1

Seeds and planting materials of extremely valuable breedinglines or improved varieties of rice, corn, legumes, sugar cane, etc.,and breeds of livestock and poultry representing over two decadesof scientific work were completely lost.

Likewise, in the School of Forestry, war left nothing but ashesand rubble, and a school deprived of its equipment and facilities.The faculty houses, administration building, library, dormitory, mess

hall, museum, herbaria, clubhouse, and even the seedhouse hadbeen reduced to ashes. Only the school building, the coop, thesawmill, and the pavilion were spared.6 The Forest Productsbuilding and the wood shop of the Division of Forest Investigation,Bureau of Forestry, were spared.3

The damage to the Forest Nursery and Arboretum wasextensive. Large parts of the Makiling Forest Reserve weredenuded. Protected trees such as molave, camagon, tindalo, etc.were destroyed.3

Clearly, scientific work in agriculture and forestry sufferedseveral decades of setback.

82

The Schools Begun Rising From the Ashes

“S alvaging staff” for the College of Agriculture and Schoolof Forestry were organized. Undaunted and determined, the groupsstarted salvaging and rebuilding the schools from the ravages of war.They needed a lot of help.

With or without permission from Manila, the College ofAgriculture and the School of Forestry were the first to open in theUniversity. On July 19, 1945, 29 faculty members or 39 percent ofthe total number before the war attended the first faculty meeting ofthe College of Agriculture. Only 125 or 16 percent of the oldstudents returned to enroll, but there were 58 new students.1

The situation in the School of Forestry was no better. Therewere only four faculty members, and in the beginning, only fivestudents enrolled. But by mid-August, there were nine students:four freshmen, one sophomore, two juniors, and two seniors. In thesecond semester, the enrolment increased to 16.6

83

Log pond at Nagoya, Japan with logs imported from the Philippines, circa 1948

Changes and Challengesin Forestry Under Tamesis,

Amos and Mabesa

77777Chapter

1945-1957

Florencio TamesisDirector of Forestry and Dean,College of Forestry (1937-1953)

UP TEACHING STAFFIN THE COLLEGE OFFORESTRY

Harold Cuzner, B.S.F. (Minnesota)Professor, Silviculture and PhysiographyForester-in-Charge of the College of Forestry

Jose B. Blando A.B. (Washington)Assistant Professor of English and Spanish

Gregorio Zamuco, B.S.F., M.F.Acting Secretary andAssociate Professor, Forest Utilization

ight after the war, Florencio Tamesis waspreoccupied with the establishment of the NasipitLumber Co. in Surigao because of a great demand forlumber for the reconstruction of Manila and othercities and towns destroyed during the war. In fact, thedemand for lumber increased from less than 80 millionboard feet in 1946 to 573 million board feet in 1948.16

R The Bureau of Forestry reopened in February 1945with Forester Carlos Sulit as Officer-in-Charge. InSeptember 1946, Tamesis was recalled to duty asDirector of the Bureau of Forestry and ex-officio Deanof the School of Forestry. Prof. Harold Cuzner alsoreturned to his position as Professor of Silvicultureand Forester-in-Charge of the School.

86

The UP and Bureau of Forestry Teaching Staff

Teodoro Deliza B.S.F. (U.P.)Asst. Professor of Silviculture

BUREAU OF FORESTRY TEACHING STAFF

Eugenio de la Cruz B.S.F. (Idaho); M.F. (Yale)Professor of Forestry Policy and History

Calixto Mabesa, B.S., M.F.Associate Professor of Forest ProductsWood Technologist, Bureau of Forestry

Doroteo Soriano B.S.F. (U.P.)Associate Professor of ForestSurveying

Emiliano F. Roldan B. Agr., B.S.A., M.S.A.Assistant Professor of Forest Pathology

Artemio V. Manza B. Agr., B.S.A. (U.P.)Assistant Professor of Botanyand Dendrology

Felix O. Chinte B.S.F. (U.P.)Instructor in Forest Management

Francisco N. Tamolang B.S.F. (U.P.)Instructor in Dendrology

Francisco M. Salvosa Sc B. (Syracuse)Sc M & Sc D. (Harvard)Dendrologist, Forest Products Laboratory

T he faculty members of the School of Forestry in schoolyear 1946-1947 consisted of six UP personnel including ProfessorHarold Cuzner, Prof. Gregorio Zamuco and Prof. Jose Blando. On theother hand, there were ten Bureau of Forestry teaching staff, includingDir. Florencio Tamesis (the ex-officio Dean), Eugenio de la Cruz,Calixto Mabesa, Emiliano Roldan, Felix Chinte, Francisco Tamolang,Artemio Manza, Doroteo Soriano and Francisco Rola.1

The faculty temporarily held classes under the treeswhile awaiting the reconstruction of some buildings of theSchool destroyed during the war. This was made possiblethrough the allocation of P 59,300 by the Philippinegovernment and the US War Damage Commission.15

87

Local Training with International Programs

Measuring treesIn Forest Management, each student learnshow to measure a standing tree and estimatethe number of cubic feet. With a calipher, hegets the diameter, and with the hypsometer,the height, then follows the simple computation.

T raining of forest rangers was phased out in 1936 andsince then, all students graduated with the Bachelor of Science inForestry degree.

Students had more training in biophysical sciences as wellas in the practical aspects of forest management. Training in forestutilization and wood technology was also important. Moreover, theCollege gained more international recognition and the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations supportedinternational training programs of the College.

Forestry LeavesFAO mechanical logging trainees on the campus.

88

Identifying wood samplesWith the aid of a 20-power lens, each studenthas to learn to identify different samplesof wood…and must do it fast…and accurately.

DendrologyForestry Plebes have to identify trees by their leaves.

Golden Book-Bureau of Forestry

89

Class ‘38The Ranger Course was phased out in 1936. Beginning 1938,all graduated with the Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree.

Women’s Invasion of Forestry Begun

Foresters, out in the woods most of the time,are surprisingly up-to-date in social affairs and dance steps

The Forestry Swimming Pool

N icolas P. Lansigan, a Forestry graduate, wrote:“In my time (in the 1930s), life in the forestry schoolwas dull. It was strictly not a coed institution as it isnow. The opposite gender we saw on campus werelavanderas, maids of professors, kaingineras livingupland, and some few pretty daughters and evenprettier wives of faculty members. On weekends, tobreak the dullness, my girl-hungry classmates used tobust their pensions in the Copio cabaret in Los Baños.”

For four decades, the School of Forestry remainedtraditionally a school of men. But in June 1951, thisschool – now a college – was invaded by two bravewomen who enrolled for the BSF degree. These wereRamona Gille from Miagao, Iloilo, and Manila-bornGenerosa Cañeda. Generosa’s father was the ChiefClerk of the Division of Forest Investigation.3

Prof. Eugenio de la Cruz, the Adviser of theForestry Student Body, said, “Our forbidden territoryis invaded. Now, young men, it will be a shame if youquit ahead of them!”

90

Candidates forForestry Circle Muse in 1950

Coronation of Forestry Circle Queen

At the right, Mr. Felipe R. Amos, Dean of theCollege of Forestry, delivering his speech.

Forestry Leaves

Forestry Leaves

91

Honoring Those Who Gave TheirLives to the Cause of Forestry

The Cenotaph

They are not dead! They have passedBeyond the mists that blind us here

Into the new and larger lifeOf that serener sphere.

They have but dropped their robe of clayTo put their shining raiment on;

They have now wandered far away –They are not “lost” nor “gone.”

Though disenthralled and glorifiedThey still are here and love us yet;

The dear ones they have left behindThey never can forget.

– J.L. McCreery

Mrs. Tamesis, assisted by Junior Forester M. Reyes,lays a wreath on the cenotaph.

T he activities of forest rangers in the wild and inprotecting forest natural resources posed many dangers andrisks to life and limbs. Every now and then, the College wouldhear about the untimely death of an alumnus in the service ofthe Bureau in remote mountainous areas.

In memory of those who had given their lives to thecause of forestry, the College put up a Cenotaph.

Forestry Leaves

Makiling Echo

92

Construction of the Forest Products Laboratory,the Largest and Best Equipped in theEastern Hemisphere

Mr. Ermerson of FAO and Ms. Jacobo Gonzales unveilingthe plaque of Forest Products Laboratory dedication as

Congressman Gonzales, UP President Vital Tan, andAgriculture Secretary Salvador Araneta look on.

Forest ProductsLaboratory

T he need for state-of-the-art research facilities in forestproducts was long felt in the College.2, 4 A proposal for the constructionof a Forest Products Laboratory was prepared and submitted forfunding under the US Economic Cooperation Agency (ECA) – laterknown as the International Cooperation Administration (ICA). E. J.Bell and five other technical men from Washington, DC visited theCollege, studied the plan and proposed the site. The plan, whichwas patterned after the world-renowned Forest Products Laboratoryof the University of Wisconsin, was approved. The cost was$239,552.00, plus P 518,000.00 as a counterpart fund from thePhilippine government. It was the largest and best equipped in theEastern Hemisphere.5, 10 But this was under the Bureau, not under UP.

93

Tamesis Retired and Amos Took Over

CHANGING OF THE SCHOOL’S NAMEBUT KEEPING IT UNDER TWO MASTERS

On March 16, 1924, Act. No. 3095 amended ActNo. 2578 by changing the name of the school from“Forest School” to “School of Forestry.” However, theDirector of the Bureau of Forestry continued toserve as ex-officio Dean.

In 1949, Republic Act. 352 changed the name ofthe School to College of Forestry, but there were noprovisions regarding maintenance of the Collegeand the entity responsible for providing the cost ofmaintenance. Thus, the College had to continueunder uncertain terms with two masters: the Bureauof Forestry and the University of the Philippines.17

Felipe AmosBureau Director and Dean, College of Forestry

1953-1957

A fter 47 years of government service, Tamesis retired in1953. Acting Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources PlacidoMapa extolled the enviable record of Tamesis, particularly his“outstanding contributions to the science of forestry, the managementand conservation of forest, and the development of the lumberindustry of the country.”11

Felipe Amos was appointed Bureau Director to succeedTamesis.6, 12 He was previously the Assistant Director of the Bureauand a Professor in the School of Forestry.

Unfortunately, the increasing responsibilities of Mr. Amos asBureau Director required his full-time attention to forestry mattersthroughout the country. The School of Forestry needed most somesupport for the reconstruction of war-damaged facilities but receivedlittle attention from the Bureau and the University.

When Prof. Cuzner retired in 1953, Prof. Calixto Mabesawas designated Forester-in-Charge of the College of Forestry.Mabesa had been serving the School as Professor of ForestProducts, being the Wood Technologist of the Bureau. He obtainedthe BSF degree (cum laude) in 1923 and the MF degree in 1942from Syracuse University in New York.

94

Successful Lobbying for a NewCollege of Forestry Building

Back of the new College building

I CA allotted P 167,500.00 for the rehabilitation and expansionof the College of Forestry building and $54,000.00 for laboratoryequipment. But these amounts required counterpart funds from UP,which the University did not have.13

When Mabesa was appointed Assistant Dean, he mobilizedthe faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the College in lobbyingfor support. A bill was approved as Republic Act No. 989 onJanuary 25, 1954 which appropriated the sum of P200,000.00.7, 17

When constructed, the new two-storey College building stoodwhere the small old building was. The D-shaped edifice had eightclassrooms, with a capacity of 50-60 students each. It had aspacious auditorium, a roomy library, and a beautiful roof garden.8

The new College of Forestry building Forestry Leaves

95

The College of Forestry Separated from the Bureau

Calixto Mabesa,Dean of the College of Forestry

after the separation of the College fromthe Bureau of Forestry

F or almost five decades, the School/College of Forestrywas serving two masters: the Bureau of Forestry and the University.The Bureau had the upper hand because the Bureau Director servedas the ex-officio Dean.17

The 1957 Reorganization Plan No. 30-A of the GovernmentSurvey and Reorganization Commission provided among other thingsthe separation of the College of Forestry from the Bureau. Thisreorganization solved two problems: (1) experienced professorswould not be pulled out of their teaching positions when needed bythe Bureau elsewhere, and (2) the University would no longer “washits hands” for its failure to support the College.

Under this reorganization, the UP Board of Regents for thefirst time in history had to appoint the Dean of the College ofForestry. The BOR appointed Mabesa who had to resign from theBureau to accept the UP appointment as full-time Dean.

Massive Staff Development Program Under theICA-NEC Training Grants

I n 1954, the UPCF requested assistance from ICA similar tothat enjoyed by the College of Agriculture. This led to the signing ofthe UPCF-Cornell University contract in 1957, which providedassistance in the form of visiting professors from the USA, in thefields of forestry economics, forest products, and silviculture.

The coming of the first visiting professors – Dr. C. EugeneFarnsworth and Dr. R. E. Pentoney – from the State University of NewYork College of Forestry (Syracuse) under the ICA- sponsored UP -Cornell contract, partly relieved the shortage of teaching staff whenthe College was divorced from the Bureau of Forestry.4

Under the UPCF-Cornell program, there were ICA-NECscholarships for Masteral degree in US universities.14 Many youngbut very promising instructors received ICA-NEC study grants.

The UPCF-Cornell University contract also provided for ICA dollarallocations for the purchase of special research equipment, and fundsfor forestry research came from the National Economic Council (NEC).2

C.E. FarnsworthVisiting Professorof Silviculture

R.E. PentoneyVisiting Professorof Forest Products

Visiting Professors under the UP-Cornell Contracthelped in improving instruction and researchprograms in Forestry

96

97

Manuel R. MonsaludM.S. in Pulp and Paper Production (Wisconsin)

Adolfo V. Revilla, Jr.M.S. in Forest Management

(Yale)

Napoleon T. VergaraM.S. in Forest Economics (Syracuse)

Osiris ValderramaM.S. in Forest Engineering (Michigan)

Lucio Quimbo M.S. in Wood Technology (Syracuse)

Feliberto S. PolliscoM.S. in Wood Mechanics (Wisconsin)

Florentino O. TesoroM.S. in Forest Utilization (Syracuse)

Romulo del CastilloM.S. in Forest Management (Duke University)

Domingo Lantican M.S in Kiln Drying (Syracuse)

Faustino C. FranciaM.S. in Entomology (Syracuse)

Mario EusebioM.S. in Lumber Waste (Wisconsin)

Neptale Q. ZabalaM.S. in Forest Management

(Colorado State)

SOME OF THE YOUNG FACULTY MEMBERS SENT TO USUNIVERSITIES FOR MS DEGREE IN FORESTRY.

Farmers’ field day Monthly Bulletin

88888Milestones on the

Lower Campus Duringthe Uichanco Years

Chapter

1945-1959

Ranchers’ Club Rodeo Monthly Bulletin IRRI

Reconstruction and Rehabilitation After the War

Graduation of the First Summa Cum Laudes

W ith limited funds at its disposal, the Collegereconstruction projects initially consisted mainly of restoringpartitions, repairing damaged walls, doors and windows as well asconstructing benches, desks, tables, chairs and shelves.1,19

The housing problem was acute because 22 houses of thefaculty and employees were completely destroyed. Rows of poultrybreeding houses were converted into residences of the faculty,employees and students, and the dirt road or path between the poultry

F or the first time in UPCA’s history, a student – ObduliaFronda-Sison – graduated summa cum laude. She was joined inUP’s commencement exercise held on June 4, 1946 by five otherhonor graduates of the College: Rosy R. Baltazar, Luisa R.Mondeñedo, and Celso R. Santos who graduated magna cum laude,and Nathaniel B. Tablante and Fe K. Villegas who graduated cumlaude.10

In the following year, 1947, another woman – Clare R. Baltazar– graduated summa cum laude, and Jesus Moran Sison (husbandof Obdulia) graduated magna cum laude.11 The graduation of manystudents with high honors after the war was no less than phenomenal.

houses leading to St. Therese Chapel became known as the“Poultry Avenue.”

With the release of the Philippine-US War Damage Funds tothe University in 1947, the College’s share of P470,546.00 enabledit to reconstruct the academic and research buildings, the Infirmary,student dormitories, and bungalows.13

Dean Uichanco reconstituted eight academic departments ofthe College with long-term department heads to ensure stability.

Junior-Senior Prom

Of Culture andSocial Graces

Speech and Dramatics Clubthat sponsored oratoricalcontests and theatricalpresentations

T o the general public, the agriculture students were nothingmore than farmers and to many in UP Manila who could not beat theathletes from Los Baños, this bunch from the College of Agriculturewas nothing more than muscles that dealt with dirt and carabaos.

But the College organized several student associations such asthe Associated Women Students of the College and the Rural HighSchool, Ranchers’ Club, Speech and Dramatics Club, and thePhilippine Country Life Association.

The Junior- Senior Prom and Loyalty Day Ball graced byinvited ladies from the UP College of Nursing and the PhilippineWomen’s University were opportunities for agriculture students todemonstrate their culture and social graces.

Aggie Green and Gold100

When formally dressed-up with lady partners, whowould say agriculture students were less handsomeand dignified than those in UP Manila?

Senior and junior women students of the College held their traditional SampaguitaGarland Festival every year. The floral rites, sponsored by the Associated WomenStudents, symbolized the transfer of responsibilities from the seniors to the juniors

Monthly Bulletin

Aggie Green and Gold

101

Meteoric Rise in Enrolment

The opening of the Home Technology curriculum in 1951attracted more female students to the College of Agriculture.Below, a baptismal party at the HT Practice House.

T he US Agricultural Survey Mission to the Philippinesin 1950, headed by Dr. Edward J. Bell – known as the Bell Missionfor short – highlighted the importance of agriculture and the vital roleof UPCA in human resource development and research to increaseagricultural productivity.

In 1951, the UPCA started the BS Home Technologycurriculum which attracted more women to the predominantly malecampus.19

The College witnessed a dramatic increase in enrolmentstarting in 1950 until 1956 when the total enrolment of undergraduatestudents reached 3,453.2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 18 This phenomenal increase inenrolment put a lot of pressure on the College administration to solvethe serious shortage of classrooms and laboratories, and to increasethe number of faculty from 40 in 1946 to 214 in 1957.18, 22

Monthly Bulletin

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

01946 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

Nu

mb

er o

f Stu

den

ts Total No. of Students

Freshmen

Enrolment in the College of Agriculture from 1946 to 1958(Excluding cross-registrants from Forestry and graduate students)

102

Rockefeller Foundation Supportedthe Construction of an International House

The International House, with the former social hall now converted into the UPLB Graduate School.

Twelve students from Vietnam were sponsoredby FAO in 1955 to study agriculture in Los Baños.They would serve as the pioneer staff of a prospectiveagricultural college in Blao, South Vietnam.

103

Reliable But Aging Professors Had to TrainOver A Hundred Young Assistant Instructorsand Research Assistants

RELIABLE PROFESSORS OFUPCA AFTER WORLD WAR II

Dr. G. O. Ocfemia Plant Pathology

Dr. V. CalmaAgronomy

Dr. L. G. Gonzales Horticulture

Asst. Dean F. O. SantosAg. Chemistry

Dr. F. M. SacayAg. Education

Dr. N. L. Galvez Soil Science

Dr. S. M. Cendaña Entomology

Dr. V. VillegasAnimal Husbandry

Prof. A. Catambay Ag. Engineering

Dr. R. Espino Ag. Botany

Dr. J. Capinpin Ag. Botany

Dr. F. FrondaPoultry Science

A s enrolments began increasing in 1950, the old reliableprofessors of UPCA needed help in handling many laboratoryexercises and in conducting research projects. The bright amongthe recent graduates of the College were absorbed as assistantinstructors and research assistants.

The meteoric rise in enrolment up to 3,453 undergraduatestudents in 1956 necessitated a five-fold increase in the numberof the faculty. As a consequence, aging professors had many brightbut very young staff members serving as their apprentices.

Leopoldo Bancain UichancoDean and Head, Department of Entomology

104

YOUNGER FACULTY MEMBERS(INSTRUCTORS) IN THE LATE 1940s*

Gregorio GasconPhysical Education

Nathaniel B. Tablante Ag. Economics

Amado CamposPoultry Science

Bernardino BallesterosAg. Botany

Pablo Alfonso Zoology

Burton Oñate Statistics

Leonardo PaulinoAg. Economics

William FernandezPlant Pathology

Albino VaronaAccounting

Melanio GapudPsychology

Marcela SevillaEnglish

Dioscoro L. Umali Plant Breeding

Nelly DumlaoEnglish

Fausto MenzalvasAnimal Husbandry

Jose Mondeñedo Agronomy

Jose R. Velasco Plant Physiology

Faustino T. OrilloPlant Pathology

Julian Banzon Chemistry

*Pictures of Getulio Viado (Entomology), Andres Aglibut (Engineering), Leopoldo Villanueva (Chemistry), etc. not available.105

Soil Science Department building,now the home of the Department of

Agricultural Education and RuralStudies (DAERS)

Physical Facilities Development

UPCA Library building (now the Administration buildingof the College of Arts and Sciences)

T he Philippine Council of USAid (PHILCUSA) and theMutual Security Agency (MSA) grants made possible a program ofimportant facilities development in the College, which included theconstruction of the Main Agronomy building; research laboratoriesin agricultural engineering, botany, horticulture, soil science,entomology; agricultural economics annex, Home Technologypractice house, library, women’s dormitory; and staff houses.

106

Agricultural Economics Annex building,now a part of the College of

Economics and Management

Women’s Dormitory, convertedinto the Rural High School in

1968. At present, it is theMathematics building of the

College of Arts and Sciences

Main Agronomy building, now the home of the Crop Science Cluster

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ICA-NEC and Rockefeller Scholarship GrantsResulted in Massive Staff Development

The 1958 batch of ICA-NEC grantees from Los Bañosconsisted of (front row, left to right), R. Bautista, A.Goseco, Dr. E. Palmquist of the Cornell group, E.Novero, and N.T. Vergara (2nd row) B. Peredo, J.Eusebio, B. Felizardo, and R. de la Fuente; (3rd row)L. Quimbo, D .A. Cruz, W. Novero and S. Santos.

In 1958, the Rockefeller Foundation scholarshipawardees for PhD studies in US universities were

(left to right): Mario San Juan, Concordia Borja,Ricardo M. Lantican, Emerita de Guzman,

and Leopoldo S. Castillo. Not in the picture isTeodoro Cadiz.

M ost meaningful and far-reaching of all is the massivestaff development of UPCA under the International CooperationAdministration (ICA)-National Economic Council (NEC) andRockefeller Foundation Scholarship grants. 18, 21, 22

From 1947 to 1958, a total of 146 faculty members wererecipients of scholarship/fellowship grants for MS and PhD degreesin US universities. Of this number, 72 or 49% were ICA-NEC

Training Grants; 26 or 18% were Rockefeller FoundationScholarships; 16 or 11% were UP Fellowships; 8 or 5% wereFulbright Scholarships; and the others were supported by othersources.

Of the 72 faculty members under the ICA-NEC TrainingGrants from 1952 to 1960, 62 or 86% of the awardees obtained theMS degree within the one-year time limit of the grant.

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From 1953 to 1956, many instructors left for US universities to pursuethe MS degree under NEC-ICA scholarships. From top row, leftto right, Mario San Juan, Obdulia-Fronda Sison, Leopoldo S. Castillo,Ibarra S. Santos, Genaro O. Ranit, Amado C. Campos,Martin Raymundo, Basilio N. delos Reyes, Jorge G. Davide,Gonzalo V. Garcia, Agustin N. Pordesimo, Martin V. Jarmin,Pablo Alfonso, Teodoro Cadiz, and Laureano Bondoc. FulbrightScholarship grantees were the last three: Thomas G. Flores,Leonardo Paulino, and Concepcion Valera.

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Colorful Mussaenda Varieties Bloomed andBeautified Ornamental Gardens

Ginang Imelda

Diwata

Queen Sirikit

Doña Alicia

Mussaenda philippica,Doña Aurora

Doña EvaDoña Luz

Mussaenda erythrophylla,Doña Trining

D r. Dioscoro L. Umali, while recuperating from a bout withtuberculosis in 1949 -50, began a Mussaenda breeding project inhis backyard. He crossed M. philippica (female) and M.erythrophylla (Doña Trining) and produced a hybrid (later namedDoña Alicia) with single pink petaloid. He also crossed M. philippica(female) and Doña Aurora to get a female Doña Aurora.

What started as Umali’s personal project in his backyard wascontinued in the Division of Plant Breeding under his leadership.Crossing the female Doña Aurora with Doña Trining, and backcrossingthe progeny to Doña Trining and to Doña Aurora gave rise to differentplants with an assortment of colors and variations in number and sizeof petaloids. Three of the most famous segregants were Doña Luz,Queen Sirikit, and Doña Eva.

All photos are from IPB Bulletin No. 6

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UPCA-Cornell University ContractAccelerated Improvements in Instruction,Research and Extension

SOME OF THE VISITING PROFESSORSUNDER THE UP-CORNELL CONTRACT

M. E. RobinsonProject Leader

K. L. TurkAnimal Nutrition

J. BrewbakerPlant Breeding

T. L. YorkVegetable Crops

A. J. Sims Ag. Extension

H. V. OppenfeldAg. Economics

D. M. ProudHome Economics

M. G. ClineSoil Science

T he UPCA-Cornell University Contract, signed on July 1,1952, engaged the services of top US university professors “toassist in the postwar rehabilitation of the College of Agriculture, thedevelopment of the College Central Experiment Station, the trainingof agricultural personnel in research, teaching, and extension, andthe development of educational materials.”19, 22

The achievements of the UPCA-Cornell contract from 1952to 1960 may be summarized as follows:9, 22

• Many buildings constructed and properly equipped.• Fifty-one highly qualified visiting professors (35 from

Cornell and 16 from other universities) worked closelywith Filipino partners to enrich undergraduate instruction,and to strengthen research and extension programs.

• Eighty-three faculty members of UPCA sent to the USAand other countries for further academic advancement.

Numerous significant research projects undertaken jointly byvisiting professors and the local staff are worth recording.

Two Deans L.B.Uichanco of Los Baños and W.I.Myers of Cornellshake hands on a partnership between two colleges 10,000 miles apart.

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Canlubang rancher Luis Yulo donated this superior bull to theCollege. Philippine cows almost doubled returns in beef withoffspring “fathered” by this superior bull through artificial insemination.

The College promoted the use of artificial insemination usingmodern techniques to breed superior livestock at the barrio level.

Abaca, source of Manila hemp, is being bred for varieties thatgive high yields in quality fiber and are resistant to mosaic disease.

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A high-yielding variety of bush snap beans

J. R. Deanon holds a handful ofpods of the Los Baños bush sitao

developed at the College. Thehigh-yielding new hybrid does

not need trellises and growsanytime throughout the Philippines.

A high-yielding variety of eggplant

T.D. Cadiz examines a broccoli variety at the Central Experiment Station. Alsoknown as dwarf cabbage, broccoli can be grown where cabbage is planted.

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A Breakthrough in Inter-Agency CollaborationIncreased National Rice and Corn Production

BPI Director Cruz (left), BAE Director Paguiriganand College Asst. Dean Santos (right) representthree main agencies in the Cooperative RiceImprovement Program.

Professor Catambay shows Dean Uichanco his experiment withthis dryer to find effective methods of drying rice and corn, a majorproblem in the Philippines.

T he year 1952 marked the beginning of an exciting newperiod of rice and corn research and extension, with the launching ofthe National Cooperative Rice and Corn Improvement Programinvolving the UPCA, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the Bureauof Agricultural Extension (BAEx), far-flung experiment stations,private farms, and agricultural schools and colleges throughout thecountry, which participated in varietal adaptability tests. Throughthe leadership of Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali, grants-in-aid poured in tosupport the cooperative program. Support from PHILCUSA andMSA, and later from NEC-ICA, and the National Rice and CornImprovement Corporation (NARIC) enabled the leaders in UPCAto undertake interdepartmental and inter-agency research andextension activities on rice and corn.8, 24

Among the many achievements under this program were:• Multiplication and distribution of certified seeds of high-

yielding and disease-resistant upland and lowland ricevarieties, including glutinous rice varieties24

• Popularization of high-yielding and disease-resistanthybrids of yellow and white corn, including sweet corn,and synthetic varieties of glutinous corn and pop corn.8

• Dramatic increases in rice and corn productivity greatlyhelped in feeding an ever growing population that increasedat the rate of 3.2 percent per annum in the 1950s.

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Onofre Ballesteros, a plantbreeder, inspects hybrid corngrown at the College ofAgriculture. The use of hybridcorn seeds doubles the yieldof corn.

Grains from the DDT-treated sacks(left) and the control or untreatedgunny sacks (right) at the end of thetest. In DDT-treated gunny sacks,shelled corn can be stored for aslong as 18 months.

Gunny sack (left) must be treated withDDT to protect the corn seedsfrom weevils. Cotton sack (right) doesnot need DDT treatment.

During dry season, all the nitrogen fertilizer should be applied to corn plantsbefore or at planting time for better utilization. Photo shows E.T. Corpuzcomparing the heights of corn plants fertilized with nitrogen at planting,

(left), and those fertilized five weeks after planting ( right).

The exhibit above shows that withoutfertilization, corn yielded 40 cavans perhectare. With ammonium sulphateand super phosphate, the yieldincreased to 68 cavans.

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Expansion and Strengthening of Extension Programs

Farmers observe a demonstration of mushroom culture onwell-organized and well-managed beds of rice straws.

Farmers came to view field demonstrations of high-yielding,pest resistant rice varieties, such as Peta and Tjeremas.

R ecords showed that over 80 percent of agriculturalresearch in the Philippines was done in the College and at its CentralExperiment Station, but there was a need to have a more efficientand effective dissemination of useful scientific information andtechnologies to end-users. To address this need, the Collegecreated the Office of Extension and Publications in 1954 which waslater headed by Dr. Thomas G. Flores who served exceedingly well.This Office did much in disseminating research information useful tofarmers through the Bureau of Agricultural Extension by means ofnewspapers, magazines, leaflets, bulletins, radio, field days, exhibits,and other communication media. Linkages with over 80 provincialnewspapers, regional radio stations, and many agricultural schoolsand provincial agriculturists throughout the country were establishedto ensure a nationwide system of information dissemination.5, 6

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SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS WERE WRITTEN AND DISSEMINATED IN POPULARIZED STYLE:

Fertilizer tests in both wetand dry seasons onseveral soil types inLaguna, Batangas andRizal showed higheryields with the applicationof more ammoniumsulphate. A smallinvestment on fertilizergave a 262% increasein yield.

Two copper fungicides – Bordeaux mixture andyellow cuprocide – have proven effective incontrolling coffee rust disease.

The Department of Agricultural Educationdeveloped student manuals on crop and livestock

production. Shown (right side) is DionesioCaday, Principal of Bulacan National Agricultural

School, appreciating a manual on swineproduction, as Wilhemina Dancel, College

Research Assistant, looks on.

Extension workers from 12 Asian countries came for a six-week extension training course in Los Baños in 1957.Shown in the picture with Dean Uichanco at the center are Professors Valentin Cedillo, Obdulia F. Sison, Martin Jarmin, and Nora C. Quebral.

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The College also established a strong cooperation with thePresidential Assistant for Community Development (PACD). Toeasily access existing expertise in the College, the CommunityDevelopment Training Center was constructed in the College. Thein-service training for extension and community development workerswas undertaken by the College Department of Agricultural Educationand the Bureau of Agricultural Extension.

Community Development Training Center, now the Local Government Development Academy

Mrs. Luz Magsaysay cuts the ribbon at the Community DevelopmentCenter inauguration on October 8, 1953. Others in the photo areProf. V. Cedillo, Mrs. L.B. Uichanco, Atty. and Mrs. R. Binamira.

Barangay Development Workers practicing Bayanihan:gathering river stones for a construction project

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING CENTER

Monthly Bulletin

Barangay Development Workers takingtheir oath of office after graduation in 1955

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Novel Approach in Farm and Home Development

Dr. A. B. Lewis (second from left) of the Council on Economic andCultural Affairs of New York interviews a farmer-cooperator in the farmand home development project in Batangas. Left of Dr. Lewis areproject team members Romeo Dizon and Basilio de los Reyes.

Batangas Governor FelicianoLeviste (left) congratulating

Dean Uichanco (center) for thesuccess of the College Farm and

Home Development Project inTanauan, Batangas. Third from

left is Professor Leopoldo deGuzman, Project Leader and

Head of the FHD Office.

I nitiation of research on effective and efficientsystem of farm development was undertaken by theDepartment of Agricultural Economics. This researchproject expanded to become the Farm and HomeDevelopment Office (FHDO) in 1962. The novelapproach demonstrated how a four-man team, eachrepresenting a field of specialization, can efficientlyintroduce innovations in farming and home managementin four pilot communities. The project also undertooktraining of supervised credit technicians for the CentralBank and DBP, as well as extension agents of Albay,Batangas and Laguna provinces.

An external evaluation of the FHDO program in1966 showed very positive results that demonstratedthe right team approach in extension work for theBureau of Agricultural Extension to follow.

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Establishment of the Agricultural Credit andCooperatives Institute (ACCI) to ServeSoutheast Asian Countries

I n general, farmers in the Philippines and in Asia arepredominantly small-scale farmers without capital. They badly needcredit. Thus, there is a need for farmers to organize themselves intocooperatives to solve their common problems.

In 1957, the ICA gave the College a grant of $175,000.00 toestablish the Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives Institute (ACCI),a training center for Southeast Asia. The Institute held regionalseminars and workshops on operation of credit and cooperativesorganizations. Courses taught included agricultural banking, creditunions, agricultural prices, farm and loan appraisal, and cooperativesmanagement. ACCI and the Department of Agricultural Economicsalso undertook field research in credit and cooperatives.20

Through the years, ACCI developed several major trainingprograms, namely:

1. Local training programs• Training for the Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives

Farmers’ Association (ACCFA) and Farmers’ CoopMarketing Association (FACOMA) in rice, sugarcane,tobacco, and abaca

• Training for rural bankers and officers, with emphasis on“supervised credit scheme.”

• Training for the Agricultural Credit Administration (ACA),the predecessor of the Land Bank of the Philippines

• Training for Samahang Nayon during Martial Law yearsand until 1989

• Training for the Credit Development Authority after theEDSA Revolution

2. International training programs• Third Country Training Program for Asia and the Pacific

Region, with financial support from USAID• Training for the International Coop Alliance (ICA)

Obviously, ACCI’s long-term impact in the development ofextremely important human resources and leaders in agriculturalcredit and cooperatives in the Philippines and in Asia and thePacific Region is no less than outstanding.

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DIRECTORSOF ACCITHROUGHTHE YEARS

Dr. Pedro R. Sandoval(1959-1960)

Dr. Nathaniel B. Tablante(1960-1967)

Dr. Vicente U. Quintana(1969-1970)

Dr. Ernesto P. Abarrientos(1974-1975)

Prof. Jesus Sta. Iglesia(1976-1977)

Dr. Eulogio T. Castillo(1989-1992)(2004-2007t)

Dr. Arnold M. Naldoza1978-1982)

Dr. Rodolfo M. Matienzo(1982-1985)

Dr. Leandro R. Rola(1986-1989)

Dr. Leodegario M. Ilag(1992-1995)

Prof. Severino I. Medina Jr.(1966-1997)(1998-2003)

(2007-present)

Third Country Training Program:Bangladeshi trainees in rural banking (1964)

Training for the Farmers’ Coop Marketing Association (FACOMA) (1963)

Practicum raining for rural bankers in“Supervised Credit” (1961)

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