The Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans) is a large evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia. Its trunk is dark brown, with deeply fissured bark, looking somewhat like a bittergourd. It grows in an irregular shape from 10 to 25m high. Its leaves are light green and oval in shape. Its yellowish flowers have a distinct fragrance and the fruits of the tree are bitter tasting red berries, which are eaten by birds and fruit bats. Source: Tembusu, Wikipedia

Dr Gene Segarra Navera

Senior Lecturer

Centre for English Language Communication
National University of Singapore

Fellow (Honorary)

Tembusu College
National University of Singapore

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Dr Gene Segarra Navera is Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer at the Centre for English Language Communication.  Gene has served the University Town Academic Curriculum since 2014 by offering ideas and exposition modules on Oratory and the Public Mind and Discourse, Citizenship and Society.  He also teaches a critique and expression module titled Citizen Speak: Persuasion and Polarization in Society at the Ridge View Residential College.

Gene has more than 18 years of experience in university teaching, research, and extension.  He holds a PhD in English Language Studies from NUS, and writes in the areas of rhetoric and public address, critical discourse studies, and writing and speech communication pedagogies.  Before coming to Singapore to pursue his doctoral studies in 2007, he taught speech communication and argumentative writing courses in the University of the Philippines Los Baños where he was Outstanding Teacher in the Humanities and Social Sciences in 2004.

Gene has published papers and book chapters on Philippine presidential rhetoric and facilitation practices in writing and communication instruction.  He is the author of the book The Rhetoric of PNoy: Image, Myth and Rhetorical Citizenship in Philippine Presidential Speeches (2018).