President Arroyo yesterday received the new mussaenda hybrid plant named after her from the University of the Philippines in simple ceremonies at Malacañang.
The shrub was presented to the President at the Palace as the song "Bulaklak" by Kuh Ledesma played at Rizal Hall.
Mrs. Arroyo accepted the hybrid mussaenda shrub from UP president Emerlinda Roman, plant breeder Dr. Teresita Lazaro of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture and UP Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco.
First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was on hand to witness the presentation.
Lazaro said the mussaenda "Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo" was the first mussaenda hybrid named after a Philippine president and was officially registered with the National Seed Industry Council of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Considered a centennial breakthrough in Philippine horticulture, mussaenda hybrids were first bred in 1948 by Dr. Dioscoro Umali, former dean of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture.
An all-time favorite of landscapers, continuous crossing and backcrossing of the variety resulted in several colorful hybrids that are traditionally named after Philippine First Ladies.
According to Lazaro, the new hybrid befits Mrs. Arroyo, being a cross between mussaenda parents "Doña Aurora," named after Doña Aurora Quezon, and "Doña Evangelina," Mrs. Arroyo’s mother.
Lazaro said the new hybrid could be propagated only by grafting, unlike other hybrids that can be reproduced through stem cuttings.
Roman said the new hybrid was a gift of nature and a product of thorough research. It was named after Mrs. Arroyo in recognition of her achievements and leadership. — Aurea Calica