“They paved paradise to put up a parking lot”, goes the opening lyrics of the 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Canadian singer Joni Mitchell. The words may very well echo plans by the University of the Philippines-Cebu to cut down 19 trees on campus.
The song is often mistaken for a love song but it carries a clear advocacy for protection of the environment.
But there’s nothing sentimental about the opposition by some UP Cebu students, environmental groups and barangay Lahug residents to plans to cut down big leafy Acacias to make room for four additional school buildings priced at P31 million.
They question campus architect Dioscoro’s contention that there is “no more buildable land” in the school vicinity that isn’t occupied by trees or informal settlers, and an examination of the building plans may bear out his assessment.
But those opposing the plans don’t buy that.
The disclosure that the state university is chasing after last year’s budget to fund new building projects may provide fuel to their position to review those plans and prepare a better alternative.
The budget, if not acted on, will revert back to the national treasury and everyone knows how slow Congress, and by extension the national government, acts on funding requests.
The UP Cebu administration’s chase after the budget may force them to squeeze options that don’t require cutting down trees, such as building around them or probably even tearing down existing structures and building new ones even if it meant risking the displacement of more students for better facilities.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has yet to review minutes of last Wednesday’s public hearing on the tree-cutting plans, but their approval is key to hurdling any obstacles for cutting down the trees, which have for many years been a big part of the campus’ ambience of a relaxed, green retreat for thinkers and scholars.
Time is against those who oppose the plans, as far as presenting an alternative plan to build those school buildings are concerned.
We mentioned Mitchell’s song for its lyrics that remind us of the permanence of a decision to remove large living monuments, which what trees really are.
“They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ‘em.”
It’s just become too easy in Cebu City to uproot and dismember the remaining vegetation that prevents the city from becoming a dusty, congested, urban dessert.
The 80 trees that lined Osmeña Road disappeared overnight without a whimper from City Hall two years ago. Another series of Fire Trees face the same fate across the seminaries in Mabolo as a mindless solution to car traffic. Why should the sacrifice be made as well in UP Cebu without a struggle?
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