The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region V is developing a Bicol Studies curriculum that begins with ecology and cuisine. According to a Technical Working Group member, environmental factors like rainfall and volcanic soil have shaped Bicolano identity, particularly the thriving of pili nuts. This approach aims to deepen understanding of the region's history and culture.
In a virtual meeting, the Technical Working Group of CHED Region V agreed to start the Bicol Studies curriculum with ecology to explore how the environment influences identity. Stephen B. Acabado, professor of anthropology at the University of California-Los Angeles and director of the Ifugao and Bicol Archaeological Projects, explains that the Bicol Region lies along the typhoon belt with high rainfall, warm temperatures, and well-drained volcanic soil from mountains like Mayon, Isarog, Asog, and Bulusan. These conditions enable the pili tree (Canarium ovatum) to thrive, becoming central to local economy and pasalubong gifts.
Pili is more than a local specialty; it has deep history. Fragments of Canarium nutshells were recovered from Niah Cave in Borneo, dating back about 12,000 years and associated with Early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Island Southeast Asia. This indicates a long tradition of human-forest interaction predating rice agriculture and the emergence of the 'Bicol' category.
The curriculum will examine items like sili, introduced to the Philippines in the last five centuries through colonial exchange, and laing made from taro and coconut, to show how foods become 'traditional.' Dr. Raul Bradecina of Partido State University raised the question of environmental influence on identity, linking climate science, economics, and local culture.
Research in psychology and education shows that strong ethnic identity correlates with higher academic engagement and lower levels of depression among youth. In Bicol, affected by migration, floods, storms, and uneven development, such a curriculum provides orientation for students, connecting their local foods and crops to thousands of years of history.