Council proposal wants ‘earth balling’ stopped: Greenpeace urges SM to uphold court ruling

BAGUIO CITY-- Environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday urged the ShoeMart Development Corp. (SM) management to uphold the temporary environment protection order (TEPO) issued by a court, halting the uprooting of pine trees within the mall's property in this summer capital.

Francis dela Cruz, Greenpeace public outreach coordinator, made the appeal after the group received reports that the mall management continued with the earth balling of the trees in the shopping mall's premises despite the order.

Meanwhile, citing the pendency of a case filed before the Regional Trial Court of Baguio City in connection with the earth balling of trees by SM, city councilor Edison R. Bilog filed a resolution with the city council to request SM to discontinue further earth balling activities within its property bearing on its planned redevelopment.

Bilogsaid to date SM has already uprooted about ten trees relative to their plan of redevelopment to convert a portion of Luneta Hill into a parking lot and entertainment plaza.

He also reiterated that the earth balling of trees more than ten years of age have a very low survival rate when replanted since less than 20 percent of transplanted trees survive while the rest will degenerate.

The proposed resolution also cited the fact that since January of this year, various Baguio residents and groups have been battling against the plan of SM to remove 182 trees from Luneta as part of their plan to expand its mall complex, and that on April 9, it had begun its planned redevelopment in earnest by earth balling several trees.

Concerned groups and individuals strongly protested the move begun by SM which, at one point, generated a minor scuffle between the protesters and some guards of the mall and, which consequently resulted in the issuance by the RTC of a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO).

The said order granted by the court, Bilogsaid in his proposed measure, is effective for three days and which could be extended upon proper motion by the concerned party.

SM agreed to abide by the said TEPO, nonetheless Bilog’s proposal seeks to dissuade SM from continuing with its earth balling activities until after the main case on the matter shall have been decided and as a show of respect to the court.

In Quezon City, Dela Cruz told reporters the least SM management can do is to respect the TEPO and let the court do its work,

He said that the shopping mall's management should take the time when the 72-hour TEPO is enforced to explain further to the public its reasons why it would cut down 182 pine trees in its premises.

“Is it legal? It seems it is. But is it just? What bothers the people fighting the uprooting of the pine trees is the manner kungpaanona-execute and then they have been saying that it is for the parking lot and now to prevent erosion," Dela Cruz said.

He said the SM management has already assured the public, particularly those groups who are objecting the uprooting of the pine trees, that the trees would be transferred to areas identified by "experts."

Dela Cruz said when people go to Baguio, they would not mind if there are no parking lots in places where they would stay.

"It's the least of your concern where to park your car or vehicle when you go to Baguio," he said.

He said before the uproar in the uprooting of the pine trees, several peoples and environment organizations had been protesting the construction of the SM City mall in Baguio, which is also called The City of Pines.

"I remember that there were natives or indigenous people who went there where the mall is now situated and danced and put a curse on the place," Dela Cruz said.

He said currently, Project Save 182, a coaltion of cultural, indigenous and environment groups recently formed at the social networking site Facebook, is now seeking public support to oppose the uprooting of the trees at SM CIty Baguio.

The group is now mulling the filing of a case for the SM Baguio management's reported defiance of the TEPO, Dela Cruz added.

The court on April 10 issued a temporary environmental protection order stopping SM malls, one of the country's biggest chains, from uprooting the trees in downtown Baguio, known as the city of pines and the Philippines' summer capital.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. had previously secured permission to expand the existing mall and promised to replant the towering Alnus and pine trees in another location to make room for a new multilevel development.

Environmentalists objected and took to the site at midnight when workers began clearing the land.

They have also started online petitions against the tree cutting.