UNDERVIEW

Watching the pine trees go by
Mike Guimbatan

There was wisdom when a concrete pine tree was erected at the top of Session Road by a former city mayor. A hundred years from now and the next generations of Baguio will look up at the concrete replica pine tree as their only heritage of what a live pine tree looks like.

The journalistic questions What, Where and When can easily be answered but as to the Why and the How, only the present generation knows. Here’s why. Every tree that cuts across development will have to go and every corner of the city is becoming concrete which prevents rainwater from reaching the aquifers. Instead, the open spaces and concrete pavements will allow a free flow of run-off water to low lying areas.

We will soon have headlines that read “low lying portions of this once Pine city, nestled 2,000 feet above sea level has been flooded…” Another headline might soon describe that the cleanest and greenest city has now become the opposite.

What could have happened? Here’s how. Public officials are giving away our green treasures while people watch helplessly. Recently, environment officials announced that 497 trees within the Camp John Hay Reservation will have to be removed from a four hectare area leased to the MOOG Control Corporation.

The clearance to remove the pine cover was issued by supposed protector of trees -- the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Jose “Lito” Atienza who signed the two pages death certificate in its official term “No- Cutting” permit issued last October 6 to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) through Mr. Tesoro Panga, Zone Administrator.

The only information that can be deduced from the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) is that the 496 trees obstruct the planned development of the area by Moog Control Corp.

Even if the permit signed by Atienza states “…subject trees should be saved from cutting. Instead, a Permit to Earthball the affected trees is hereby granted”, but who believes in the principle of balling nowadays after most of the balled pine trees inside John Hay died.

The balling technology applies only to pole-sized trees but the trees that are to be affected are matured trees who could even be older that Atienza himself. These trees are witnesses to the old American occupation. The trees survived bullet holes, bombs and mortars during world war. The trees survived natural calamities and even termite infestations. Now they have to go with the mere stroke of a pen.

This Pine tree butcher and his henchmen attempts to fool Baguio folks that balling method excuses them from natural crime. Of course we will soon hear the reasons that “we did our best but the trees died”. Literally, balling method is binolahan in Ilocano.

CEPMO forester Villamor Bacullo explained “many factors are considered in earthballing like tree kind/specie, roots system, diameter, age, height, habitat, and time. Once any of the aspect is affected this will complicate or affect the survival of a certain tree”.

Earlier, the city stopped talking about the impending development of a forested area near the Baguio Convention center owned by GSIS that entered into a joint venture with SM Development Corporation. Out of the inventoried 967 trees in the area, a total of 313 trees were recommended for cutting and 105 for balling and transplanting thus, a total of 549 trees will remain.

Slowly all the pine trees go by the hundreds because of greed under the guise of development. In the GSIS-SM development deal, many city officials talked a lot…then suddenly stopped like magic. We expect the same way with the latest cutting permit issued by Secretary Atienza.

Under the social contract theory in governance, people give their trust and support to the government who will in turn provide protection and services. When the trust given to public officials no longer work, the contract fails and it will be the option of people to save themselves or their heritage. Author Edmund Burke said “Evil prevails when good men do nothing”. Good bye pine trees, good bye Baguio…