OpinionsTree HuggerWhat might have been the Valencia Bugo trees

What might have been the Valencia Bugo trees

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Yesterday I got a note from Nicky Dumapit, one of our environmental friends. They have cut down the Bugo, Garuga Floribunda, those huge old trees along the Valencia road fronting a church.

A very sad day for the many who have come to know of those four Bugo trees.

A long time ago, the Department of Public Works & Highways in the Province called the Valencianons for a public consultation. The government agency designated the time of the meeting at around 9am and the particular date, and the exact venue. A good number of people came to the spot of the Bugo trees along the Valencia road.

After waiting more than an hour for the government agency that invited us to the public consultation, many people left, including the Valencia Mayor. And by the time DPWH finally arrived, most of the interested people had already gone home except for a very few.

When we learned this year that the trees were to be cut, the Friends of the Environment in Negros Oriental (FENOr) decided to plead for the trees. On May 4, we wrote a letter to the DPWH District Engineer whose office happens to be in the southern town of Siaton. (The town of Valencia belongs to the 3rd District.)

Sr. Rosa Fulleros, a Carmelite nun (who just turned 80 years old) and myself drove all the way to Siaton to personally deliver the letter to Engr. Angel C. Beltran Jr.

Precisely, we asked to consider “narrowing” the road into three lanes at least in the area where the Bugo trees were. We argued that since their plan just before reaching Valencia proper was for the road up to make a sharp left turn towards the town of Bacong, it would still be necessary to slow down the traffic.

In a recent post on Facebook, former Board Member Erwin Macias lamented the cutting of the trees: They could have just put markers on the road to show that the road narrows ahead, and probably put reflective markers around… the trees for the benefit of motorists…they could have even put ground lights to illuminate the tree at night para dili hazard, plus, lami pa tan-awon.

During our meeting with the DPWH District Engineer in Siaton, the big plan to continue making highways came up. “Duterte’s mandate is to build, build, build! We will be building four-lane and even six-lane highways throughout Negros Oriental.” And he added proudly, “Dumaguete will become like Cebu and Davao!”

To which Sister Rosa and I promptly intervened, “But we do NOT want to become like Cebu and Davao with their horrendous traffic and rampant unchecked growth! We are a University Town. We would rather that the people of Dumaguete and Valencia be consulted about the kind of city we want to live in.”

But it seems, ALL “obstacles” to the road- widening projects MUST go.

Our plea was not heard. When we asked what kind of trees DPWH will replace for each tree they have cut in this road-widening project, the District Engineer did not really know but mentioned mahogany.

Again, we promptly extolled the benefits of replanting native species.

The lady engineer in charge of the project assured us they will replant with native trees. She said 100 seedlings for every tree they cut.

The story has not ended. We will ask for an inventory of all the trees they have cut throughout this road-widening project. We will also ask the particular species and the exact locations where they will replant the replacement native seedlings.

This is a plea to other Valencianons to join us in affixing your signatures to this document.

If there are enough people with passion, we can still save many other trees in our environment that have not been cut. Truly, that is a possibility.

______________________________________

Author’s email: [email protected]

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