If what happened along the national highway in barangay Inoburan, Naga City last Thursday evening happened elsewhere, like say Middle Earth or somewhere in deep space, then mountaineer Dondon Dimpas wouldn’t have to climb the giant, ailing acacia tree to protect it from chainsaw-wielding teams of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Instead, the acacia tree may have come to life, to be commanded by Treebeard the Ent — a leader of a race of giant tree-like beings dreamed up by author JRR Tolkien — or by Groot, that giant sentient alien tree being of that Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy to mow down the intruders who dare to cut him down or his branches.
But we live in the real world populated by pencil-pushing bureaucrats like Regional DPWH Director Ador Canlas who, processing complaints inside their air-conditioned offices and reporting and consulting with their Manila offices more than with their people on the ground or even with the DENR, decide then and there to cut down the trees in order to be done with them.
Reasoning that these trees are diseased and thus dying — or so they say basing their assessment on an inspection done by foresters — Canlas only wants to expedite the cutting of the century old trees in part to expedite completion of the Carcar City-Naga City road widening project.
Former congressman Eduardo Gullas not only shares that same motivation, he actually lobbied for the billion peso project in his first term.
Unlike Canlas, Gullas is a political animal of the traditional kind who nevertheless knows growing public antipathy when he sees it.
His proposal for an independent third party inspection of the century-old trees, while dovetailing with the independent inspection of the trees being lobbied by environmental groups, is motivated by his desire that the century-old trees should be dealt with immediately, whether they be cut down or preserved, so as not to compromise the road widening project.
Still, it may not hurt for the DPWH and the DENR to at least delay the cutting of the trees until there is undeniable material evidence that the trees need to go or be preserved through various means.
If the trees have to go, the DPWH should coordinate with the local governments concerned to expedite the cutting of the trees to ensure the safety of the residents living nearby and with minimal inconvenience to the motorists, who’ve had to endure hour-long traffic gridlocks for the past few days.
We owe it not only to the residents of Cebu but to the trees themselves for providing us with shade and other intangible benefits through the years to make an effort to preserve them for ourselves, our children and future generations.
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