OK so you've been to several garden show in the Philippines and still failed to find some interesting CP's.
So what is your last option? Let me guess... IMPORTING right? Well this might be hard for beginners like us
ten years ago but today everything is just a mouse click away.
To tell you honestly, I have already done this just last year (2002) and Im planning to do it again this year (2003).
There are actually just a few requirements for importing plants. If you are reading this article (of couse they are), you are lucky enough
that you did not experience what I've experienced. The worst thing here is that my initial inquiry from the Bureau of Plant
and Industry (yes its not the Bureau of Agriculture as I initially thought) have just discouraged me of my plan to import. Well
the person whom I have talked to my not actually understood what I was trying to ask her. Imagine I was told that I can not
import nepenthes because it is already an endangered species? Well I guess she was just confused by the word import and export.
Ok so I forgive her and that is where our conversation ends. Then when I did a second inquiry another staff told me that I have to ask my
vendor to provide a list of all insects/pest affecting nepenthes and should be certified by Malaysia's Department of Agriculture. I really
cant understand what they are telling me since they dont seem to know what they are saying. So one day, what I did is I personally went to BPI (not the bank ok) and went straight to the quarantine department where I met the guy who looks like
like someone who holds a highier position on that department. I guess I was lucky to have a chance to talk to him (as he looks very knowledgeable)
and was very happy to know that I can import the Neps. So basically, I was asked to fill up an import form which only cost 10 pesos. At the back
of this form I sketched the place where I will keep my neps. After submitting the form, I have waited for 3 days for my import permit approval.
That easy.... Opps before I forgot, you must also ask your vendor to provide you with a Pythosanitary Certificate and CITES. Depending on your vendor,
this can be free or you have to pay for additional fee. Once you have confirmed your orders, you may send the import permit to the vendor
so they can ship the plants to your address. Then have your garden pots ready as in less than a week you will be welcoming your new Plants.
This year 2003 I applied again for an import permit. I was a bit confident this time that what had happened to me last year will not happen again. However, there were still some disappoints
that I have experienced on my application. The permit was delayed for a week simply because the personnel where I submitted my application was not able to file it. So when the day came for me to
verify if it is ready for pickup, they can not find my paper on the folder for release. SO another lesson learned is to ask the full name of the person where you submitted your request. This is because,
the personnel dont report to the office everyday so it may be hard to track you application if the person whom you dealt with is not in the office. BTW, they are now in a newly renovated building but unfortunately,
only the building have changed for the better but their service is still not good. I just hope that on my third time they wont give me anymore headaches or else i'll feed them to my neps :)
For inquiry you can call the Bureau of Plant Industry (Quarantine Department) at 4040409. Address is BPI 692 San Andres St. Malate, Manila or email me. Good luck !!!
First batch of nepenthes (August 19,2002) 13 pieces but only 7 made it. Bareroot plants are quite risky. If only I new that potted neps are allowed in our country, I should have ordered the potted once.
Well charge it to experience.
Second batch of nepenthes (July 11,2002) 18 pieces. It now comes with a name tag and these are potted plants. Survival rate is alot
bigger comapred with the bareroot plants.
