I PASSED by the Abuanan Road Sunday, July 15, that road that people love to pass these past many years because the branches from the acacia trees along portions of the street provide a beautiful sight and coolness from the heat of the sun.
However, to my great surprise, the beautiful arches of acacia trees in the middle of the road were no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by a row of pruned trees which is a pitiful and heartbreaking sight.
I was informed that the pruned trees will soon be cut by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for a road widening project, as the Abuanan Road will connect to the main highway through Bacolod City.
I then remembered that when I was in Jakarta, Indonesia two weeks ago, I had read and signed a petition in the Change.Org initiated by Sylvia Campos.
The petition asked to stop the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from approving DPWH request to kill 271 beautiful Acacia trees along Abuanan Road in Bago City, Negros Occidental planted 31 years ago.
Indeed, trees along the road like in Abuanan benefit the travellers and the environment. The trees give shade and coolness from the heat of the sun.
The Abuanan roadside trees act as an umbrella during rains, especially for the people walking on side of the road.
Unfortunately, it has become the practice of the DPWH to just cut and destroy the trees in the name of road widening and development, and not planting replacements.
The best solutions are for the DPWH to do the following:
(1). Earth-balling)
Earth-balling is a common practice when transferring trees. In fact, it is a method that is environment-friendly because it gives a better alternative to just cutting down the trees.
For example, the management of SM City Baguio earth-balled the 30 year-olds pine trees from a 1,500-square-meter space in Baguio City on April 2012 as part of efforts to “transplant” 182 trees and make space for a new parking lot. Makati City’s instant forest is an example of the application of the earth-balling practice that saves trees from being cut down.
(2). Redesign of road widening)
Since the Abuanan Road is a road widening project, the DPWH can just make a new road on the left side or right side of the trees, parallel to the existing road, and leave the trees as is. When that happens, the widened road will become a beautiful sight.
As I have mentioned, I was in Jakarta two weeks ago. The DPWH people should visit Jakarta and see for themselves how their roads, streets, and highways are full of trees, plants, shrubs, and landscaped gardens!
In the final analysis, progress and development do not only consist of road widening. It is also taking care of the environment, including the trees that give us oxygen to breathe, our wellness and life.
(Eli Gatanela is a lawyer, licensed real estate consultant and environmental/urban planner. For comments and feedback, e-mail eligat_ph@yahoo.com)