We congratulate DENR for nationwide tree planting

Last February 5, we were very happy to learn that in a project called Green Philippine Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had planted more than 800,000 seedlings and saplings on almost 4,000 kilometers of the nation’s main thoroughfares from Luzon to Mindanao. It certainly exceeded our dream of seeing the area where squatters along the railroad tracks were transferred to the provinces transformed into a kilometers long forest. We thought it would give Makati a new and better image. Now, the DENR has done it nationwide in the main highways of the country. We wonder if they could also do it in Makati. Makati is the financial center of Metro Manila and it would be great if the high-rise buildings were made to blend a kilometers-long forest. Imagine what the highway there would look like if the trees planted were, let us say, flame trees and golden showers.

The sad part is that a few weeks after the trees were planted, typhoon Milenyo struck and definitely brought many trees down. We wonder to what extent it may have caused the 802,514 trees that Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes planted. Undoubtedly, many trees have been affected, we just hope that they can be saved or replaced.

We, of course, like the idea of having choice trees planted all along the nation’s thoroughfares but as an addendum to the project, we should now get the barangays involved. It would be good if all individual barangays took steps to maximize the number of trees in their communities. It would also be great if the Department of Education got involved in the tree-planting project. Just imagine if every student would plant a tree in their communities. What a great change that would make.

At the moment, sad to say, what we see all around us are the trees that were devastated by typhoon Milenyo. That typhoon is the first to strike Metro Manila in 12 years, and it has definitely caused a lot of damage to the trees. On top of this, it has projected the dangers that billboards pose. No less than two-dozen billboards were blown down and one of them killed a motorist. The typhoon itself killed seventeen people and now a new typhoon called Neneng is expected to intensify as it heads for Luzon.

Typhoon Milenyo caught Metro Manila by surprise. Now, let the whole of Luzon take the necessary steps that could help lessen the damage that said typhoon could bring. We hope that if there are remaining billboards, they would be brought down and the trees are pruned to protect them from the winds. If possible, the esteros should be cleaned to prevent unnecessary floods. We cannot avoid typhoons. But we can take measures that can reduce their damage.