It is quite surreal to see a non-Cebuano in the person of Fr. Robert Reyes almost single-handedly leading a lonesome battle to save some of the century-old Acacia trees lining the highway from Naga to Carcar now earmarked for destruction.
This Franciscan priest, best known for running for miles on end to bring to the public’s attention his advocacies, flew in from Manila last week and again the other day in this seemingly solitary campaign to stop the government from this drastic decision to cut some—not all by the way—of these trees.
Where are the environmentalists and heritage advocates as well as the members of the Jakosalem family, you might ask, who promised to go to court should one of these trees be felled? I understand Fr. Reyes was assisted by a local group of mountaineers and no one else.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), apparently in the interest of safety, has decided to issue permits to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for some of these trees that in the opinion of their experts are beyond salvation, with their inner cores rotten and ready to give way. This has apparently dissuaded advocates from hugging every tree marked for destruction.
This permit and the accidents caused by two trees that fell on cars within weeks of each other causing a traffic jam that this section of the national highway had never seen before, had apparently convinced the general public alike to be more practical and allow the destruction of these trees.
It was this column way back in 2011 that brought attention to the planned widening of the highway in these three localities that would impact over a hundred century-old trees, including the Acacia species that were planted during the term of Dionisio Jakosalem as governor of Cebu between 1907 and 1912. But these were planted by the Bureau of Public Works (BPW) to shade people who at this time would walk from their towns to reach the municipal capital of Cebu days later.
It is quite fitting, nay, even ironic, that the grandchild of BPW, the DPWH, has been tasked with unceremoniously cutting these trees.
I say unceremoniously because if this were in other countries or if these huge trees were on private property, there would have been a mereko or a shaman, an indigenous ritual specialist, who would first talk to these trees and perform rituals of explaining the reason for their destruction and assuaging and appeasing “whoever lived in them” (the “dili ingon nato”).
It is not so much that we believe in these tales but that in doing so, we show respect for the decades in which these trees served to shade people in this part of the world.
For me, the greatest respect for these trees is not planting 100 mangrove trees elsewhere. It is in replacing them with the same species of Acacia tree near or right where they were destroyed that shows respect and proper replacement. I understand some of these are now well within the right-of-way and their stumps will soon gave way to the completion of a cemented lane. Perhaps, their replacement can be planted on the shoulders of the highway within a section of the large sidewalk or beyond.
I am sure the elementals, the “dili ingon nato,” if you believe in them or not, would appreciate this gesture. This will also help dispel urban legends later on especially if this highway will have many unexplained accidents— Simbako! God forbid! — and people will then start talking about those trees that were cut without the decency of a rite of destruction.
Even Catholic priests can be asked to bless those trees before they are cut and killed. They deserve this final rite as part of God’s creation.
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The Bank of the Philippine Islands Cebu Library, jointly managed by the University of San Carlos and the BPI Foundation, is now open to the public from Monday to Friday during business and banking hours (9:00-4:00).
The library, which houses a fine collection not only of business and finance books and magazines but also Filipiniana literature, is located at the mezzanine of the BPI Magallanes branch, just across Cebu City Hall and behind Magellan’s Kiosk. Admission to this fully air conditioned library is free of charge as is the use of internet.
Last Monday, my good friend the populist historian and Rizal expert Ambeth Ocampo was at the library as part of a series of lectures hosted by BPI Foundation. There are many more intellectual exchanges being planned in the future. BPI Cebu Library is waiting for you all.
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