TREES are vital to our existence.
More so now that people yearn for natural oxygen that comes from trees.
But some of these trees, whether endemic or not, are being sacrificed to give way to infrastructure advancements specifically road widening projects.
While this road widening will still boil down to public welfare because people will still use it after its completion, cutting trees without hesitation really hurts many including the environment.
Nature has its way of staging a comeback through natural disasters where everybody will be affected, not just those who cut the trees that were grown for years.
Trees are important aside from being a source of oxygen. They likewise help filter the unrestrained heat of the sun, helping provide a cozy ambiance that is precious to anyone including many other reasons.
Some places in Bacolod City with grown trees erecting closer to existing roads were utilized to widen existing roads. And trees became the usual supreme sacrifice of development.
People countered such moves. Just like a group of few individuals whose love for the environment reign supreme in their cause.
Local artists led by Tibor Espinosa, an advocate of Kahoy Kabuhi Ko, advocacy inspired by Burog Alvarado, son of renowned artist Noni Alvarado, launched a signature drive beside the bridge in Barangay Alangilan on April 18 to encourage others to support a cause opposing the wanton means of cutting trees.
He was joined by local artists and musicians Hernan Mijares, Ram Martinez, and John Blase Gerona who sang pro-environment songs while seeking people's support on their advocacy dubbed as Kahoy Kabuhi Ko. "Outdoor is our life. Nature is our home."
They expressed their grievance against agencies of government that were responsible for cutting trees to give way to road widening.
In their Kahoy Kabuhi Ko petition, it states, "we appeal for the protection and sparing of the native trees in roads leading to Barangay Alangilan, the bike capital of Bacolod City."
Native trees provide essential benefits to the local ecosystem including protection of the watershed and freshwater resources, improving continuity with the local natural landscape, reduction of noise and carbon pollution, and provision of food and shelter for endemic flora and fauna species, among many others.
Studies have revealed that people who are exposed to areas with good canopy have experienced less psychological stress.
They called on the DPWH, the Local Government of Bacolod, and Office of the Representative of Bacolod to refuse permission to further cut down native trees in some areas in Barangays Granada and Alangilan for the road widening projects.