22/03/2026
A quiet patch of green in the middle of urban Quezon City is becoming the center of a growing debate, as plans to convert a long-standing ricefield inside the University of the Philippines Diliman into a themed garden and wellness park draw criticism from historians, environmentalists, and community members.
In a social media post, UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology professor Dr. Benjamin M. Vallejo Jr. raises concerns about the proposed development, arguing that the site carries layers of history that go far beyond its current agricultural use. “There is a ricefield in Quezon City which the UP administration wants to turn into an SDG garden and park,” he writes, noting that the plan includes “urban gardens, wellness spaces which includes jogging paths and cycling lanes.”
According to Dr. Vallejo, the land’s agricultural roots stretch back centuries. “The area has been urban gardens/farms since the Commonwealth era (1935–1946),” he says, adding that the ricefields likely date back even earlier, to the Spanish colonial period when nearby Krus na Ligas is founded as a 17th-century “visita,” or chapel-of-ease, for residents who cannot travel far to attend Mass.
He also links the site to the country’s revolutionary past. Dr. Vallejo writes that the ricefields are crossed by Andres Bonifacio and his Katipunan forces in August 1896 after their retreat from the Battle of San Juan. “Bonifacio lost the Pinaglabanan battle and had to regroup in a secluded place,” he explains, adding that the fighters are fed by local residents and likely source rice from the same fields.
Personal stories further reinforce the land’s historical ties. Dr. Vallejo recounts a conversation with a retired UP staff member whose ancestors once till the same ricefields and are linked to the Katipunan. “Her great-great grandfather was with the Katipunan and tilled the ricefields,” he writes, adding that the man personally knows revolutionary matriarch Tandang Sora, who buys produce from farmers in Diliman and Marikina.
Beyond its historical significance, Dr. Vallejo also points to the area’s ecological value. He recalls a field trip in the 1980s, noting that the land “still produced more than a ton per hectare,” and suggests that its survival amid rapid urbanization is not accidental. “There must be reason why it remained a ricefield,” he says.
For Dr. Vallejo, the issue is not the concept of sustainable development itself but the motivations behind it. “I am an environmental scientist and I don’t have a problem with SDG parks and urban farms for the right reasons which respects people, culture and history,” he writes. However, he expresses concern that the project could be tied to commercialization efforts, asking, “For whom is this SDG green space really?”
As debates continue, Dr. Vallejo offers a broader reflection on the university’s identity and its historical roots. “More seriously, the UP seems to be losing its moorings from the revolutionary movement that made us into a Filipino nation,” he says, framing the ricefield as more than just land—but a symbol of memory, resistance, and the country’s shared past.
*****
Dr. Vallejo is a Professor at the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from James Cook University in Australia, along with a Master of Statistics, MSc in Marine Science, and a BSc in Fisheries from the University of the Philippines. He has also worked as a research associate at the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management, now known as WorldFish.
