๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐| ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ -๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ
Not all queens wear crowns in the city. Some bloom quietly in the wild, standing tall among the trees.
Among the thousand orchid species in the Philippines, one reigns supreme—the Waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana). Known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids- one of our country’s most treasured blooms and most-desired by orchid enthusiasts and horticulturists.
In Davao City, it shines as an icon of the Kadayawan Festival, the city’s grandest celebration of culture and harvest.
Found and thrives only in the treetops of Mindanao forests—in Mt. Apo where it was first discovered in 1880, in a few areas of Davao, Zamboanga and Cotabato, among other sites. Its rare beauty makes it more than a flower; it is a living symbol of our rich heritage.
For the Bagobo people, the Waling-waling was once revered as “waring-waring” or diwata—a goddess of the forest—offered in rituals as a sign of gratitude. Like a true queen, it blooms only once a year, from July to October. Yet its rarity also became its curse. Because of overcollection and demand, it was nearly lost in the wild.
This Buwan ng Wika, the Waling-waling reminds us that being Filipino is not only in the words we speak. It is in the names of our native plants, the stories of our Indigenous communities, and the treasures that grow in our forests.
This rare, high-priced orchid faces near-extinction in the wild and is under the protection of RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
On June 17 2026, Senate approves on third and final reading Senate Bill. No. 2092 declaring Waling-waling as the National Orchid of the Philippines, which carries a message that every Filipino and every Dabawenyo can embrace: Protect what makes us uniquely ours, before its beauty becomes only a memory.
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