Tulabut: Of Planting and Uprooting

Friday, May 6, 2011

THE first part of this column article, as the title dictates, has got something to do with taking care of the environment.

And what better way to do it but to plant trees. Easier said than done?

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That may seem so, especially on the need to re-plant hundreds of trees more as the current environmental degradation would require us to do so in order to help heal this ailing earth.

For example, how do we plant about a hundred thousand trees or more?

We don't just let the government answer that question. The private sector could always come in to do that.

Good thing that a non-government organization called Global Linkages Youth Foundation Inc. has launched a program called "Hamon Para Sa Kinabukasan". The undertaking is in support to restoring nature's beauty by planting more trees.

And it is not just planting trees. Bessie Rustia, the organization's president, has put the NGO to task by reaching out to the youth - in and out of school - by helping re-educate and emphasize to them the need to take care of Mother Earth.

The group has targeted to plant about 200,000 trees in various parts of Pampanga. It will be done through a series of tree-planting activities involving different schools and youth organizations.

To help raise funds for the project that would also include a computerized monitoring (maybe through a system like Google Map), the NGO is raising funds through a concert.

"Serenade for Nature" thus, will be held on May 28, 6:00 pm at Clark's Parade Grounds. It will feature great artists like Christian Bautista, Karylle, Jay Cayuca, the Taytay Symphony Orchestra, Resorts World Dancers and Pampanga's very own Aslag Kapampangan.

The concert is actually part of the series of activities under the "Hamon" project. The tree planting per se dubbed as "Balik Biyaya Sa Kalikasan", a reforestation program at Mabalacat College, will commence a day after the benefit concert. Oh by the way, the refo project will also include many areas of nearby provinces here in Central Luzon.

Another part of Hamon was the super successful conduct of "Inang Kalikasan, Bantayan at Pangalagaan", a documentary musicale held in January this year at Clark Expo that encourages youth to take care of the environment.

In all but its four playdates at the Clark Expo, the musicale was a great success with the main amphitheater almost filled to the rafters by schoolchildren. That one was a rousing success and I must say that Bessie's efforts (and that of Global Linkages) are really doing our youths a big, big favor.

I've known Bessie to be very busy with her Creative Travel business operations. Yet, she doesn't mind taking the risk of letting her office run its own course just so she could spend more time doing something noteworthy and noble.

What she and the NGO are doing is really commendable.

*****

On the uprooting side, whose bright idea was it to send the whole Mabalacat basketball team on sandals during the opening parade of the inter-town basketball league in San Fernando? Two of them, on account of colleague Joey Pavia, were even said to be not in uniform.

Whoever it was who thought about doing that, I would say that was a "sabotahe" with its main intent on putting to shame not only the leadership of the town but also its citizenry.

The team, supposedly being handled by one Carlo Dizon, a businessman and a Kagawad in Barangay Mabiga, Mabalacat, just knew how to make Mayor Boking turn red in shame and anger.

While another local paper quoted Dizon as saying that he has "not instructed to do that (wear sandals)," I believe that team managers should be responsible for making sure that players are dressed for the occasion.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case here and Carlo even admitted that he "arrived late for the parade," also per Joey's account.

If this Kagawad Dizon is the same nephew of my wife, I would say that he is very different now from the same Carlo that provided various teams from different barangays with basketball uniforms in the past. He has always been known to be generous to me and ever-ready to lend a hand and his presence in opening ceremonies.

As to why that impression suddenly changed with this brouhaha? Could it be that he was ill-advised by ill-intent persons that has influence over him?

He could answer that.

So the point was in putting LGU officials to shame was made. I hope that Carlo did not deliberately think about that. But I think Mayor Morales should pursue a case against those who were involved in this fiasco. He is very much justified in his angered speech during the flag raising ceremonies last Monday. I have never heard of the sweet-smiling mayor to be so mad in his public pronouncements as in this case.

Nakakahiya nga naman. The SK Provincial Federation which is spearheading this league is headed by Krizzanel Garbo - daughter of Board Member Cris Garbo - who is even from Mabalacat. She could have checked too if the team from her own town was dressed to the teeth prior to the parade of teams.

Boking's decision to put chief of staff June Magbalot in charge now was a prudent one. Knowing how the latter moves heaven and earth for logistical requirements, the team could now be taken good care of.