Parishioners appeal to save trees in Poro

CEBU, Philippines — Over 700 trees, some are century-old, are set to be cut to pave the way for a Capitol-funded road widening project in Poro town in Camotes Island.

The officers of Sto. Niño Parish Pastoral Council in Eastern Poblacion, Poro, led by Fr. Joel Bonza, appealed to the local government unit to save the trees.

The parish officials claimed that the people from the barangays affected by the project were not consulted about the project. According to them, not all stakeholders were invited during the public hearing.

Bonza, who is advocating for the protection of environment as inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ or “Care for Our Common Home”, said the people must be involved in the process in whatever projects to be implemented.

The parish officials said they are grateful to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for the road widening project in the Municipality of Poro but environmental protection should also be considered.

According to them, the over 700 trees along the 13.43-kilometer road project traversing Barangays Mercedes, Daan Paz, Esperanza, Adela and San Jose in Poro up to the boundary of the neighboring town of Tudela are very important amid the worsening effect of climate change.

The Capitol has allocated P237,885,000 for the phase 3 of the road widening project that is affecting the said trees.

“Since our environment now is not the environment then. We are now in the state of climate emergency. We have to balance economic development and environment which is now degrading,” the parish council officials said.

Bonza said that among the tress that have already been marked for cutting are 60 to 70 year-old and even century-old Acacia, Lomboy and Bangcal.

“We must make an alternative plan to save them. We must consider them in our plan of development. They are there before we were born. We have to respect them. They have also life. We are interconnected to one another. They give us life through their oxygen released and we also give them life through our carbon dioxide. We are not superior to them. They are our essential partners. Let us listen also to the voice of the Earth, not just our own and the economical voice,” Bonza added.

According to the priest, although the widening project is now on its third phase, pertinent documents concerning the program of works and the environmental impact statement from phase 1 and phase 2 were not made available to them.

“The proponent said that it is the responsibility of the LGU since they are just implementing the project clear of obstruction. But the LGU was not clear in their presentation that they complied, they just assumed. We want to see the documents,” Bonza said.

He said that there had been cutting of trees from the previous concreting but the promised replacement is absent until now.

“They said that they are preparing 10,000 seedlings as replacement for these trees to be cut but they cannot show to us the trees that they replaced from previous trees being cut. There must be a contract to have tree growing not just tree planting,” said Bonza.

He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must also ensure that this is being complied with.

Bonza also noted some flood control projects that are affecting the trees in some barangays in Poro. They were allegedly told that the trees are to be cut because it will damage the concreted road and pose danger to the public when there is a strong typhoon.

“We considered these specific problems but we must look on the larger problem. We are now in the state of climate emergencies. We are exposed to extreme heat, shortage of water, flood, strong typhoon the reason of these is our environment is not anymore balance because we only want to cut trees, destroy the ecosystem in our Mother Earth," Bonza said.

He added that the “planet is falling into disrepair” and these trees are indispensable in the ecosystem because these can prevent flood and shortage of water as well as reduce the high temperature.

They proposed to redesign the road widening project in such a way that cutting of trees will be avoided. – /FPL (FREEMAN)