Development vs. heritage: The fight to save UP Diliman’s historic ricefields

Inside the controversy over the proposed “SDG Wellness Park”: Why a patch of Quezon City farmland is the heart of Philippine revolutionary history.

A quiet patch of green at the heart of Quezon City has become a high-stakes battlefield for urban planners and historians. The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman administration’s plan to convert its long-standing ricefields into a themed “SDG Garden and Wellness Park” is drawing sharp criticism from those who argue that the land’s value cannot be measured by modern amenities alone.

The development blueprint—wellness or “greenwashing”?

According to Dr. Benjamin M. Vallejo Jr., a professor at the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM), the proposed development aims to introduce “urban gardens and wellness spaces,” including jogging paths and cycling lanes. While framed under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), critics question if the project prioritizes aesthetic “greenwashing” over the site’s existing ecological and historical functions.

Centuries of sustenance: A living archive

The site is not merely a vacant lot; it is a living archive. Dr. Vallejo notes that the area has served as urban farmland since the Commonwealth era (1935–1946), with roots stretching back to the 17th-century Spanish colonial period. The fields were likely established alongside the founding of nearby Krus na Ligas as a visita (chapel-of-ease).

The Katipunan connection

The most potent argument against development lies in the land’s ties to the Philippine Revolution. Historical accounts suggest these fields were crossed by Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan forces in August 1896 following the Battle of San Juan.

After the retreat from Pinaglabanan, revolutionaries regrouped in these secluded areas. Local oral histories, including accounts from retired UP staff, link their ancestors—who tilled these exact fields—to the Katipunan. These farmers reportedly supplied produce to Melchora “Tandang Sora” Aquino, the “Mother of the Revolution,” who managed logistics for the movement between Diliman and Marikina.

The “business” of sustainability

As an environmental scientist, Dr. Vallejo clarifies that his opposition isn’t toward sustainable spaces but toward the potential “commercialization” of university assets. “I don’t have a problem with SDG parks… for the right reasons, which respect people, culture, and history,” he writes. His central query strikes at the heart of the university’s land-use policy: “For whom is this SDG green space really?”

The tension reflects a broader trend in Philippine real estate and institutional development, where “wellness” branding often displaces heritage sites. For the UP community, the rice field remains a symbol of resistance and a rare surviving link to the nation’s agrarian and revolutionary moorings.

The environmental ledger

To understand the stakes of the “SDG Garden” vs. the “Ricefield,” we have to look at the numbers. While a manicured park offers human wellness benefits, the existing ricefield acts as a specialized ecological engine.