By Isabel Taylor Escoda

FIRST of all, the headline to your column should have been “Has justice been served to Cebuanos’ loss of fire trees?”

I remember the pledge made years ago by those who demolished the trees that they would earth-ball the ones they felled. But like most politicians’ pledges, it was just a lot of hot air.

Doubtless this is mainly because most folks scoff at the law, also there are no enforcers of the law. As you rightly pointed out, the so-called penalty of imprisonment and a fine is ridiculous.

I still remember the two giant firetrees at our hilltop home in Tinaan, Naga when my late father was manager of the Cepoc cement plant. It breaks my heart to see they are gone and that other trees up and down the province have been decimated with impunity.

It’s sad that there simply is no respect for our planet earth.