Arrogance of the rich

IN RETROSPECT

Ashley Manabat

== A piece of unsolicited advice to PAMCHAM: If you plant trees, make sure you do it the right way and never mind the photographers==

What's wrong with this guy Rene Romero? He must have completely lost his senses. He now wants the total removal of trees that lined the shoulders of the McArthur Highway.
Hold your horses, sir, but if you insist on your stupid proposal, may the wrath of God spare your soul from eternal damnation in hell.
Romero may think that by coming out in the open and advocating for the total removal of trees that lined the highway, he must be picturing himself as a courageous and crusading individual fighting for the good of the people.
How wrong are you, sir? Your selfish motivation surely does not reflect that of the public good. Moreso, by destroying the environment.
In a newspaper report, Romero said "the move (total removal of trees along the highway) is to avoid further accidents and ensure the safety of motorists and commuters."
Romero said he was "prompted to make the call following recent accident involving a fallen Camachile tree that caused injuries to passengers of a public utility jeepney along the Baliti section of MacArthur Highway last week." He added that the MacArthur Highway "should be made safe of the dangers of falling branches and trees that have been planted too close to road shoulders."

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Mr. Romero completely missed the point.
By training his guns on the hapless trees, he is literally barking on the wrong trees.
For one, the trees are not only innocent victims of his arrogance but their benefits and advantages far outweigh whatever disadvantages they may have.
For another, their presence do not cause trouble but contribute immensely to clean air by absorbing the emissions of passing vehicles thereby reducing pollution. They give out oxygen. The trees absorb rainwater and considerably lessen floods. Without the trees, we will be in for a lot worse.

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Acacia trees dominate the tree-species that lined the highway. According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the Ark-of-the-Covenant was made of acacia. "Acacia seyal is thought to be the Shittah-tree of the Bible, which supplied shittim-wood. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant."
It is said that perhaps the most famous acacia is the "Arbre du Ténéré in Niger." The reason for the tree's fame is that it used to be the most isolated tree in the world, approximately 400 km (249 mi) from any other tree. The tree was knocked down

by a truck driver in 1973. Senseless. Could this be the fate of the trees that line the MacArthur Highway?

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Instead, Mr. Romero can train his guns on the city government. Righfully so, the city government more than any other, has the moral obligation and duty to care for the trees so that no branches will fall even with gale force winds. The city government should make sure that the trees are regularly cared for by pruning them.
Pruning crews along the North Luzopn expressway (NLEX) can be seen almost daily working on the trees that line the expressway. Why can't the city government do the same?
Mr. Romero can also petition the city council to come up with a legislation that will ensure the regular and proper caring of the trees and even set aside funds for that purpose.
If his calls go unheeded, then Romero can sue the city government to jolt them from their stupor.

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There is no argument in Romero's call to join the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAMCHAM) in tree planting activities. It is the right thing to do in this day and age when caring for mother earth is not only a pastime but an obligation.
A piece of unsolicited advice to PAMCHAM: If you plant trees, make sure you do it the right way and never mind the photographers. It will be a mistake to plant trees and forget about them. Proper caring must be made by watering them and nurturing them until their roots take firm hold of the ground and therefore guarantee their survival. It will be foolhardy to plant trees and have your pictures taken and then go home and forget. The only thing you got then was a picture of you planting a tree but it wilted and died afterwards for lack of care. No good.

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In the meantime, Romero is also exhorting the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to "exercise more political muscle and remove the trees in favor of the on-going construction of a six-lane highway in this city."
I was with DPWH Regional Director Fred Tolentino at the Edsa-Shangrila Hotel last week and he expressed surprise at Romero's statement. He was even a bit amused.
A six-lane highway is nothing compared to the benefits we derived from hundreds of trees.

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But if Mr. Romero is bent on curving traffic congestion along the highway, then expanding it would not be the only solution.
The proposed construction of service roads parallel to the NLEx is a sound solution. Newspaper reports said "groups and officials welcomed the initiative to offer an alternate measure seen to decongest traffic along MacArthur Highway."
Even "land owners, realtors and business groups to be affected by the 20-meter-wide service roads on the sides of the NLEx manifested support for the proposal."
What about upgrading existing alternate routes like the Clark Circumferential Road? This is another sound idea. As it is, motorists avoid the Clark Circumferential Road because it is pockmarked. There are actually numerous alternate routes that motorists can take in order to avoid the congested MacArthur Highway. But sadly, most of these alternate routes have been neglected and sometimes only 4x4 vehicles can pass on them.

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I am personally surprised with Romero's intent. I thought Romero would be the last man to call for the total destruction of trees. I know for a fact that Mr. Romero is a water diviner. It's a gift. Romero can locate an underground water source with a divining rod. It's a communion with nature. Maybe Mr. Romero lost his gift and his love for nature. So sad indeed!