Around 500 Acacia trees are planted along the famous Academic Oval in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. These trees have made the Academic Oval more than academic – they have turned it into a place of people and their memories. Hundreds of thousands of students have walked along these silent giants, hoping they wouldn’t be late, hoping they wouldn’t have class or hoping that maybe the next class would be special. Activists of differing social economic backgrounds have walked and marched around this area, screaming for what they believe in, shaded by these trees that are adorned with ribbons of which ever group. Families of different sizes have flocked to the Sunken Garden, picnicking on Sunday afternoons under these massive structures. Generations of children have been making their first steps, and have been playing with their friends and have been getting their kites stuck in the overlapping branches of these trees. Lovers of all ages have met time and time again, watching the sunset with their hands intertwined, similar to the roots of these old, old trees. These trees are not just trees - they’re symbols. In the same way, the people who have been around these trees are not just people – they’re communities.
Words by Samantha Gonzales
Photo by Samantha Gonzales
(Source: thehues-upd, via febbeh)
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