A plea for Cebu City's center-island trees

I write this piece not as a distant observer, but as a native son of Cebu City, a person whose childhood memories are deeply intertwined with the tree-lined center island of what was once known as San Jose dela Montaña Avenue, renamed to Juan Luna Avenue, and again renamed Pope John Paul II Avenue.

I remember fondly those early morning walks with my father from our home in Emerald Street, Casals Village, Mabolo, to the Carmelite Monastery. The trees along the route from our house to Juan Luna Avenue always cast their gentle shadows over us, especially memorable from those early morning walks to Mass on my birthdays.

Now, I learn with unease that these trees are at risk of succumbing to a road widening project. Last Wednesday, the Cebu City Council discussed a letter that requested for the passage of a ‘resolution interposing no objection’ for the earth-balling of 33 Fire trees from the center island of Juan Luna Avenue. The request also included the cutting of two Mahogany trees and the earth-balling of eight Narra trees and an Indian tree at the Lahug Triangular Island.

I was surprised to hear about the plan to remove the center islands and their trees in Mabolo and Lahug for a slight road widening. Last time I heard, we were supposed to be aiming for a Singapore-like city. This plan makes me question whether our city planners have seen Singapore's beautiful, tree-lined streets.

This proposal to cut down trees for a bit more road space is short-sighted. A couple of extra feet of road space is not worth losing these trees. I wonder if our city planners fully grasp the impact of their decisions on our environment and quality of life.

Instead of hearing about plans to plant more trees along roads --an initiative that should be a priority today-- we're confronted with proposals for their removal. The last significant tree-planting initiative in the city I can recall was during the early 1990s. Those very trees now beautify and cool the streets of Lahug and Kamputhaw areas, including Molave and Tojong streets, with their comforting shade. Indeed, we should be investing in expanding our urban greenery, rather than stripping our city of its natural beauty due to poor urban planning or to accommodate more vehicular traffic.

But mind you, government isn't the only entity showing a lack of vision for green urban planning. Those familiar with Cebu IT Park will remember the open, grassy area at the center of the business park. It was a green oasis where many, myself included, used to jog every afternoon in the early 2010s. Regrettably, this green space was replaced a few years ago by a concrete central bloc, filled with restaurants and cafes adjacent to a large mall. This transformation was a missed opportunity by the private developers of the business park to maintain and enhance urban greenery.

It is heartening to see some members of our city council understand the importance of preserving Cebu City's urban tree canopy. I’m praying that Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the committee on environment, will stand his ground in protecting the center islands, our city's own "pocket parks". It was also mentioned in a Sun.Star Cebu report that Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, herself a Lahug resident, revealed during the council session that she had personally planted some trees on Lahug Triangular Island, and she warned CENRO against removing them. Likewise commendable is Councilor Philip Zafra’s rightful questioning of the earth-balling method’s efficacy based on past failures of the city in preserving earth-balled trees.