By Digoy Fernandez
THE heading of this particular blog is sure to jolt a few sensibilities given its pretty sweeping characterization of the Filipino’s penchant for abusing many of the God-given attributes of this country. I had not planned on writing on the topic of the unfortunate trees in Plaza Roma, but something just clicked and “made me do it”!
First of all, I will not make any accusations against the two major parties — Bambi Harper and Secretary Lito Atienza — involved, not only because I know them well, but because I know that the fault sometimes lies elsewhere. When I read about the contractor that supposedly massacred said trees instead of following the instructions to ball some of those worth saving, I was reminded of what happens all too often when ignorant workers proceed to “trim” branches of trees. Supposedly to prevent them from hitting electric wires or from becoming too extensive and dangerous in times when typhoon winds can cause them to break and cause damage.
Meralco, for example, has an excellent manual for use by its people, and now, their sub-contractors, in the trimming of trees. Unfortunately, all these sub-contractors do is to use long bolos (machetes) and proceed to hack away at branches of trees. In other countries, the “tree doctors” and maintenance personnel in charge of this task first study the tree involved, visualize the way they want the branches to spread out, and, work with the knowledge of how their trimming activities will affect the tree’s health and future growth.
They use tree trimmers or small chainsaws to cut off the offending branches, apply paint or an antiseptic to the portion cut to cauterize the “wound.” They know that indiscriminate cutting or trimming will only cause water-sprouts to grow and spread, causing even more dense foliage than before, defeating the purpose of the exercise. They also fail to paint the wounded limb, which will then allow moisture to come in and cause rotting, and the inevitable insect infestation. Besides, no one should trim during the rainy season. The wet season will surely cause fungus to take root in the wounded portions of trees not well cut or trimmed. Best time to do trimming activities is during the months of January to March!
Why do I say this? Because I saw my pet peeve, the Meralco sub-contractor working our area, in our village the other day, hard at work chopping off the tops of our trees. These people are no less culpable than the contractor who got his signals crossed in the ill-fated Plaza Roma incident.
Meanwhile, I always watch my favorite shows on Nat Geo, Discovery, and the Animal channels, and am almost always struck by the beauty of the world’s many (fast vanishing) wild places. But nothing catches one’s attention like a meandering stream or a pristine river making its way through a wildlife habitat.
Unfortunately, there are practically no more clean rivers in highly urbanized areas these days. Unlike during the pre-war times then my late father and his friends would play hookey from their classes at the old Ateneo in Intramuros in order to swim across the Pasig. To do so now would invite sure sickness and possibly death from the many noxious and poisonous bacteria and other strange flotsam and jetsam in the river. (By the way, the Pasig River ferry is a pleasant cruise, as my classmates and I found out as we made our way from Guadalupe to Escolta in order to have a joyful lunch in the Binondo area!)
The care for nature and our habitat is something that can’t simply be learned in school. Parents have to teach and ingrain in their children why trees are beneficial, for example, instead of setting a bad example and cutting them down because they shed leaves!
Households have to perfect the task of separating garbage, and contractors have to respect this practice and not simply dump everything together in a landfill. This will defeat the practice of waste segregation in the first place. We also have the duty to teach children not to litter, not to leave used chewing gum under tables and chairs, not to urinate in [laces other than toilets, and other minutiae like these.
Then, maybe we will begin to see a sea change in the terrible attitude many Filipinos have with respect to the things they take for granted, especially their habitats.
7 Feedbacks on "Filipinos’ terrible attitude toward trees, environment"
David B Katague
I really identify with your article in teaching the spirit and the attitude of being eco-friendly to the filipinos in general. This reminds me that every chance I had while I am in Marinduque ( 6 months of the year) I have to teach the children of the neighboring area not to scatter or throw their garbage (plastic bags, cans, refuse and sometimes even human waste) along the beach. I told them all the waste products that they throw along the shore will go the ocean and kill the fish, which will eventually cut the source of the livelihood of their parents as fishermen.
I hope you keep writing articles on our duties as abiding citizens to help keep our environment clean.
Michael Santos
How painfully true. I am in a business that literally thrives on nature, as it is the trees that grace our place that make our Farm an actual “destination.” Ironically, I’ve noticed at work, that people generally have a deep-seated affinity for trees, but have grown up resigned to the disastrous idea that urban areas will always be concrete jungles. There seems to be no substantial push from urban dwellers themselves to make space for trees. Here in the local scene, the environment certainly is in the collective consciousness, but it remains just simmering in the backburner.
Adriano Torontes
Is there a word for conservation in the Filipino language? Every living thing is killed, harvested or cut down as though there is no tomorrow. Have we not learned that landslides, drought,fish kills in our rivers and seas are of our own making?
Rodolfo
Nakakahiyang sabihin ito, pero Filipinos living in the Philippines are mahihina ang mga pag-iisip sa mundo na ito and have one of the most backward cultures.
Bohol Forum
The provincial government of Bohol is guilty of tree massacre, too. The officials cut all the trees that had been existing in front of the Capitol for more than half a century. After cutting all the giant trees, they beautified the ground by filling in worthless sand and gravel. It was preposterous. But what can we do against a government’s heartless treatment toward trees?
franchie b.
I agree 100% with the title of this article. In the Subic Freeport, countless trees have been cut since the Americans left. Now, there is a 1.6 ha. mini golf area with 366 century-old trees, including narra and other endangered species, that has been leased to a korean co. who will build a hotel/casino complex. How can one explain such lunacy of SBMA officials, if not for profit? How, in view of other available areas or vacant buildings? Allegedly, not all trees will be cut but why did the co. lease and fence off the whole area. These are not the only trees in danger of being cut but so many more such old growth in the central business district in the name of development. Mr. Fernandez, since you said you know Lito Atienza, can you please request him to intervene as denr sec. while no ECC has been issued? Isn’t there a law prohibiting the cutting of very old trees? Why is it that the Americans took care of the environment in Subic much better than the present occupants and Filipinos at that? The thought that these trees in the Subic CBD area will be gone soon gives me sleepless nights because I was here long before the US Navy left and SBMA took over.
wonderwoman
Rodolfo Says:
September 13th, 2008 at 6:45 am
This is my rejoinder to your directly insult to that Filipino race. You said, “Filipinos living in the Philippines are mahihina ang mga pag-iisip sa mundo na ito and have one of the most backward cultures.”
Why not go back to your parent’s country. Your race has plundered our country more than any invader we had before. You are ungrateful. Your parents are nothing but economic migrants, and after enriching yourself thru legal and illegal means, now you insult your host country.
Who benefited from the deforestation in our country? What ethnic race is deeply engages in the illegal logging? Ethnic Filipinos generally doesn’t have huge capital to finance such business venture, much more to organize one. The lumber we buy from Chinese Hardware, majority of which were illegally harvested did not come from a Filipino.
Who owns the big bulldozers and heavy forklift in the forested area, who owns the road graders and heavy road rollers that built the road to the logging area? Who owns the heavy sixteen wheeler trucks that howl the logs, who own the burgess that transports it, who bribes the forestry personnel, the DENR check points, the military check points, the Mayors. who process the buy-products of the lumber into plywood? Who owns these businesses? Who owns the big hardware’s in the Philippines? Not the ethnic Filipinos. Not us, it’s you, and you made a stu_ _p remark!
Good for your contemporaries, the head of DENR is also an ethnic Chinese. It is easier to engage in illegal logging.
Go back to your country! You’re not welcome here! Even the Spaniards in the past aim their cannons at your Binondo community and at present, many countries hate you because your are pirating their intellectual properties or patents.
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