"waling-waling... Ma. Socorro Monfort, president of the Negros Occidental Orchid Society (NOOS), Inc., said the orchid variety comes from the word waring-waring [waling-waling ?] which means beautiful lady. ... She added: "Coming from Mindanao, it is our native and true orchid. It serves as a mother plant for Vanda hybrids."
... the society chose the flower as inspiration to kick off their 25th anniversary with the annual Waling-waling Festival which was started in 2002. Now, on its 5th year, the celebration gathered together at the Robinsons Bacolod fountain area last Sunday not only bunches upon bunches of the said flower, but also waring-warings [waling-waling...] in kimonas and patadyongs: the NOOS members. Along with the blossoming members, Julie C. Benedicto, who formed the group of orchid hobbyists in 1983, was also present to shed light on the society's history and continuous growth. "What Davao can do, we also can with our beautiful climate here," Benedicto revealed, referring to Davao's status as the country's biggest orchid producer. She recalled how orchid production among enthusiasts started really well, right until a period where some members got discouraged due to a series of stealing as the plant became popular and expensive. Now, the orchid people are enthusiastic again. Doreen Dofitas, who places herself right in the middle when membership tenure is concerned, shares how they "learn to be more caring" through monthly talks and educational activities. "If you share a passion with others, it becomes more interesting, more rewarding. When we get together, we don't only talk about orchid matters in the same level, we also get to learn from those who are more experienced," she added. ... Mrs. Monfort disclosed that they already have a laboratory of seedlings and a database for producers, even commercial growers, making them closer each time to developing a "true cutflower industry." And, it has also branched out into the community with its social service-related activities such as dental and medical missions, and contributions to the Gawad Kalinga project. "In 1984, after a big storm in Kabankalan, I remember us being among the first institutions to sent truck loads of food and other forms of assistance," Mrs. Monfort shared. .... Waling-waling got the Sander[i]ana part of its name from Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, who stayed in the mountains of Mindanao to check on the flower that was said to come out only once a year. In 1914, plant taxonomist Friedrich Richard Rudolfschlecter [Rudolf Schlechter] discovered that Vanda Sander[i]ana possessed characteristics of taxonomic value that no other Vanda species had. He then established a new generic name for the waling-waling, Euanthe. One can call it waling-waling or Vanda Sander[i]ana or Euanthe Sander[i]ana" URL : http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2007/08/20/life/an.orchid.of.many.names.blossoms.this.week.html ***************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
