There is a need to make residents of Novaliches, especially the youth, realize the historical role their district had played during the fight for Philippine independence from Spain in the 1890s.
Rep. Alfred Vargas of Quezon City’s 5th District (Novaliches area) made this observation after he was told about the history of a century-old tree that has links to the Katipunan and is located at the campus of the 72-year-old Metro Manila College (MMC) in Barangay Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City.
MMC was the former Novaliches Academy (NA), the pioneer secondary educational institution established in 1947 in the former town of Novaliches which is now divided between Quezon City and Caloocan City.
The so-called “Katipunan Tree” is actually an old Duhat (java plum) tree which was renamed as such in April 1980 to perpetuate the memory of the revolutionary group Katipunan or the “Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan” (Highest and Most Venerable Society of the Sons of the Country) also known as the KKK.
With Gat Andres Bonifacio at its leadership, the KKK started the revolution against the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines on Aug. 23, 1896.
During a recent meeting at the MMC Guest House, Vargas was briefed on how the old tree got its name “Katipunan” by Mrs. Natividad Miranda Villano, former MMC principal and now member of the Board of Trustees of the “Gawad Metronian Educational Foundation Inc. (GMEFI) of the same college.
The old Duhat tree is estimated to be more than 180 years old.
Villano said the Duhat tree which is estimated to be more than 180 years old at present, was renamed “Katipunan Tree” on April 26, 1980 by then National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (now Department of Education or DepEd), the Tree Preservation Foundation of the Philippines Inc. (TPFPI), and the MMC led by Dr. Mamerto S. Miranda, founder of the college.
Among the others present in the meeting were Dr. Eveleyne M. Dominguez, president of GMEFI; Maria Aurora M. Villafuerte, secretary; Billy Miranda and Nante Mendoza Serrano, president, and vice president, respectively, of the Novaliches People’s Alliance-Movement (NPAM); and former Barangay Novaliches Proper Kagawad Yolly Santiago Mendoza.
After the meeting, the veteran legislator and his companions proceeded to the tree site and inspected its marker. According to the marker, Bonifacio and his men were often seen holding meetings under the tree’s shade.
On several occasions, the revolutionary heroine Melchora Aquino, better known as “Tandang Sora,” was also there, nursing and feeding the wounded and sick Katipuneros.
“To memorialize its history, I will initiate the production and publication of a coffee table book.”
The seasoned lawmaker noted that the ancient tree is indeed a pride of Novaliches, and to memorialize its history, in particular, and Novaliches, in general, he would initiate the production and publication of a coffee table book which would feature both old and modern photographs about Novaliches.
In connection with this, he requested Novaliches residents, particularly those born in the district and have been long-time residents, to provide his office with old pictures about Novaliches for possible inclusion in the coffee table book.
Despite its old age, the Duhat tree continues to bear fruits, but these are becoming smaller every year and not as succulent or juicy as they were before.
Its shade and height also have been reduced as detached old branches and twigs have not been replaced with new ones.
The Duhat tree is located about 2 kilometers away from the La Mesa Dam and the old Barrio Pasong Putik in Novaliches, where Tandang Sora was captured by the Spanish Civil Guards before her incarceration and eventual exile to the Marianas Islands in 1896.
To prolong its life, the MMC officials requested the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in June 2014 to conduct rehabilitation, treatment and removal of the decayed portion inside the callous of the old tree.