On April 30, DCCA and the Office of the Mayor of Rota launched the preservation project during the Fifth Annual Traditional Medicine Conference.
DCCA Rota Resident Director Lourdes T. Manglona said the project promotes the restoration, propagation and preservation of medicinal plants while passing the Suruhana knowledge and skills to future generation.
Suruhana are traditional herbal healers.
“Despite some hurdles and obstacles, work in progress continues to move forward and the people of Rota are proud of the hardworking employees of the Office of Mayor of Rota, DCCA, the Department of Public Works, the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Department of Land and Natural Resources for their concerted collaboration,” Manglona said.
Rota Mayor Joseph S. Inos said the DCCA staff vigorously toiled the land by hand with the help of DPW to prepare the project site.
DLNR, he said, assisted with transferring the live plants while MVA contributed by lending its water truck during the initial construction phase.
Last year, the mayor’s office asked DCCA to develop and design a project for the preservation of traditional medicinal plants used by the Suruhana.
Inos identified a suitable location and asked the Department of Public Lands to allow the use of public land in Dadang area.
Julieta A. Calvo, then-DCCA acting resident director, told Variety that 99 percent of all the medicinal plants had been planted in the area.
Calvo said DCCA was “vigorously campaigning” for the preservation of the herbal plants and encouraging students and herbal practitioners to plant and propagate them.
To instill awareness among students, Calvo said the DCCA holds an annual traditional medicine event where schools are invited to participate in demonstrations involving medicinal plants.
“We are getting a very positive participation of the students,” Calvo said.
