A PROPOSED ordinance requiring marriage license applicants to plant trees, which was junked several years ago by the Cebu City Council, is being revived. Cebu City north district Councilor Nestor Archival is reviving a proposed ordinance entitled: “No Trees, No License Ordinance.” This measure is now pending before the committee on laws, ordinances and styling and in the committee on health for review.
Is Archival short of ideas that he is reviving this ordinance, which was junked by his former colleagues in the City Council? This ordinance was proposed by former councilor Nida Cabrera almost a decade ago, but junked by the councilors after a series of sessions for various reasons.
Archival, a known environmentalist, said the measure is very timely in support of the campaign of the Cebu City Government to plant a million trees in three years to promote the protection and preservation of the environment. He said “the increasing number of offspring produced every year is one of the reasons why trees should be preserved and protected because aside from trees being used to build family homes, the number of people who need the oxygen produced by these trees is increasing.”
Requiring applicants to plant at least two trees, fruit-bearing trees or not, before securing a marriage license is issued as an additional requirement set forth in Executive Order 209 series of 1987, or the “The Family Code of the Philippines” and other existing laws and local ordinances.
But let me be clear on this. Tree planting is not a requirement under this EO. But there are other local government units (LGUs), through the same ordinances and church parishes, that made this a requisite for marriage.
During the hearing, when Cabrera proposed this measure 10 years ago, lawyer Evangeline Abatayo, local civil registrar, opposed the measure. She then said that the measure would open another source of possible corruption among unscrupulous government personnel that marriage applicants will just bribe the personnel in charge to get a certificate even without actually planting trees because it would be additional hassle for the applicants. Some applicants will even bribe officers to get “pre-marriage counseling” certificates without attending an actual seminar.
Abatayo said this requirement would discourage applicants from applying in Cebu City, thus affecting the revenue collection of the local registrar’s office. The would-be couple will go to other LGUs to apply and hold their wedding ceremonies there because this is an additional burden on their part. I don’t know if Abatayo maintains this position until now or has changed her stand.
But would this really help a lot for our reforestation and greening program? I doubt. I agree with Abatayo that this will just become another source of corruption. The would-be couple will just bribe the barangay captain who will issue the certificate to get clearance.
On the practical side, can we ask Archival where the designated properties for the tree planting activity are? Will the applicants just plant the trees in their own backyard or at the property of their neighbors? Does the requirement go until the actual planting only? Who will nurture the trees since our purpose here is to make the trees grow for environmental protection?
Our government embarked on a multi-billion greening program. But what are the results? Nothing. Because the government failed to protect those reforestation programs.
They encouraged people and even provide a financial package for reforestation, but the government is also the one destroying what people have planted because they harvested some of the trees. The kaingeros in the mountains cut and burn trees and use them for charcoal or use them for housing materials. Government allowed the cutting of trees in exchange for development. Look what happened to those trees in the center isle along Sergio Osmena Jr. St. at the North Reclamation Area several years ago?
What is Archival’s point in his ordinance? Is it for environmental protection or to use these trees when the time comes for housing materials because that’s what he says in his proposed measure—so that these trees can be used to “build family homes.”
Sus, nganong ato pa man gyud lisud-lisuron nang magpakasal? Daku pa na sila’g gasto sa kumbira. Himuon na lang ning rason nga dili magpakasal. Mag-live in na lang. (Why give those who wish to marry a hard time? They will still need to spend a lot for the wedding feast. They will just use this as a reason not to get married and instead just live together.)