June 25 is designated as Philippine Arbor Day, a day for planting trees and ornamental plants and other form or relevant activities to promote a healthier ecosystem. Arbor Day is a holiday where individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. It originated in Nebraska City in the United States in 1872.
Proclamation No. 643, s. 2004, declared June 25 as Philippines Arbor Day. It calls for the active participation of all government agencies, including government owned and controlled corporation (GOCCs), private sector, schools and civil society groups and the citizenry in tree planting activities. It is ironic that one of many issues emerging during the environment month is the tree cutting cases by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for road widening projects all over the country.
Various affected communities and advocacy groups opposed the tree cutting activities from Pangasinan, to Iloilo, Cebu and Baguio. In Pangasinan alone, a total of 770 trees that lined the road from Rosales town to Sison town were already marked for cutting, but spared for the time being after the provincial board filed a resolution opposing the cutting of trees.
The opposition may have been triggered by the growing awareness of communities to the issues of climate change which brought about the increasing natural disasters the country experienced in the last couple of years, the latest of which is the super storm, Haiyan or Yolanda. Likewise, in this social networking age photos and videos of environmentally destructive activities can go viral. Especially when the trees that were cut were outputs/results of tree planting efforts by individuals and communities inspired by the Rio Earth Summit to conserve nature for the next generations, twenty-two years ago.
The tree cutting issues raised against the DPWH send mixed signals to the general public regarding the government policies and law enforcement. Climate change is upon us. Planting trees, protecting our remaining natural forests and forest restoration are concrete steps for short term and long term climate change strategies.
Haribon Foundation calls on the implementing agencies to plant indigenous trees and to enforce laws governing tree cutting and the general public to be vigilant in protecting the trees, forests and the environment in general by engaging concerned agencies and institutions to a dialogue on how best we can protect our trees and forests in spite of development.
Finally, Haribon likewise calls on the President Benigno Aquino and the legislative bodies to include the Forest Resources Bill in its legislative priorities. The Forest Resources bill seeks to update the 1975 Revised Forestry Code as legislative basis for forest management that would address conservation and sustainable development. It is currently filed at both Houses in Congress.
-Haribon Foundation
