Two Ficus species that is very prominent in the Philippines. Ficus heteropoda (Alangas) and Ficus nota (Tibig). Both belong to the Moraceae family of trees.
One in the left is “alangas” and one in the right is the “tibig”. These trees are crucial during survival situations, they are an indicator that there is a watersource or body of water nearby. They also attract many animals which includes birds, fruit eating monitor lizards, fruit bats, and other small animals that feed on them since they are fruiting whole year round. Both fruits are edible once ripe, tibig is sweeter. You can also cook the young shoots as vegetable. The barks can be processed to make ropes and cordage. If you cut the roots and base trunk of the tibig, you will be able to harvest drinkable water which is also valued for its medicinal properties.
Traditional medicinal uses of tibig: the water harvested from its trunk has been used to treat fever, urinary tract infections, and muscle pain. Decoction of its roots and bark can be used to treat diabetes and hypertension. The Aetas also use its stem as repellant for hematophagous insects.
If you want to learn more about our native plants and animals, consider booking the Biodiversity walk class
The Biodiversity walk is a 1-Day outdoor excursion where students will enjoy an adventurous day-hike activity while fully immersing themselves in nature. A slow-paced, relaxed hike on an average trail difficulty with lots of enjoyable and fun stuff to learn about the local & exotic wildlife of the Philippines. During the entire day we will be identifying different types of plants and animals that we will encounter along the trail. Learn about their characteristics, habitat and their important role to our ecosystem.
This is a kid-friendly program with lots of fun group activities. Students/participants shall be required to bring their own meals (packed lunch, trail snack, & hydration). At noontime we will stay at a designated campsite where we will be having our meals and lunch break right in the middle of the wilderness.