Cebu City's missing trees

While cherry trees are now blossoming beautifully in Japan, signaling that spring is truly here and winter over, back  in Cebu City, more than a hundred trees, about 88 of these fire trees that add color to this city's streets, were reported missing by Cebu City Councilor Nida Cabrera last Thursday, April 3.

And the most intriguing part of this tale of the lost trees is that no one seems to know what happened to the trees, not even those in-charge of a project in the road where the trees used to be planted- the DPWH and the contractor WT Construction.

Goodness! How in the world can more than a hundred trees suddenly disappear without anyone knowing what happened to the trees?

Had the trees not been cut when transported, surely some police officers out in the streets that particular night would have noticed several trucks transporting the precious trees? However, had the trees been cut into smaller pieces, then that could have made transporting unnoticed in the still of the night?

The next day, April 4 Friday, CCTV footage solved the mystery about who took the trees, how the trees were uprooted, loaded, and transported.

Let the law apply and punish those responsible for the missing trees soonest please! And please also keep the footage safe - let us not allow the next tale to be that of the missing CCTV or altered CCTV footage!

When this article was being written April 4, Friday evening Councilor Cabrera informed us that the other trees were still missing. Perhaps Cebu City can offer some cash to informers who can lead the investigators to the trees, in case there are still those that can be saved?

It is ironic that while concerned Cebuanos joined the rest of the world for Earth Hour, showing their concern for Mother Earth, some irresponsible people used the cover of the dark night to cut and carry off so many precious trees!

Before this sad incident about Cebu City's missing trees, we were very happy to see so many beautiful cherry trees and other flowering trees lined up in many streets and in other public places in full, resplendent bloom in Japan! Every year, the flowers are in full bloom for a very brief period however, but though short, the beauty and joy these flowers provide the viewers are indescribable!

In our country, we seem to have very few tall flowering trees, but instead, we have so much other tiny flowers that bloom throughout the year. Very few trees in the streets of Cebu and now, Cebu City is short of 100 or more because of this latest tale of the missing trees!

Not only do we need more trees to cool this year's extreme summer heat. Trees protect us from global warming, from floods, from erosion, and so on. Trees also provide food for us, not to mention food for our souls with their beauty that remind us of God, Our Creator and the Creator of trees and all else beautiful.

Will the full truth behind these missing trees be fully known soon? Will Cebu City soon find the rest of the missing trees intact and safe?

Or will those in Cebu City recite this famous poem in the following manner from now on? (with apologies to poet Joyce Kilmer):

"I think that I shall never see, those lovely missing trees, those trees whose hungry mouths were prest, against the earth's sweet flowing breast; those trees that looked at God all day, And lifted their leafy arms to pray; those trees that could have in summer wear a nest of mayas in their hair; upon whose bosoms (no) snow has lain; (yet) who intimately lived with rain; Trees are cut by fools like them (who choose to forget that) only God can make a tree!"

Let us all pray together that those responsible for the missing trees experience God's and human justice soon so that from now on, more trees are saved, and, we can recite the classic poem again in its original version!

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