Nature Lovers Of Baguio And Benguet, This One's For You

A month ago, we participated in a tree planting activity at Mt. Kabuyao in Tuba, Benguet. Dubbed Reforest The Road, the event aimed to reclaim portions of the forest that were destroyed because of an allegedly illegal road project. Hundreds of pine tree and coffee seedlings were planted that day. Participants in the event came from all walks of life - policemen, religious groups, folks from the media and private individuals. Needless to say, it was a productive day.

This coming Sunday (August 31), another tree planting activity is scheduled at the same site by the same organization that came up with the first one. The Cordillera Conservation Trust will be providing the seedlings to be planted at the destroyed forest. Everyone is invited to join the event. Assembly area will be at the Kabuyao Elementary School at 7:00 am. Bring with you your digging tools. Getting to the planting area will require a bit of hiking so it's recommended that you bring enough water and snacks with you.

Below is a picture of two young cows that live near the creek at the base of the river. They will greatly benefit from the trees to be planted at the destroyed forest above them. Their survival will depend on how the citizens of Baguio and Benguet protect and preserve the forest they are living in.

Photo by cordilleransun.com

If you can recall, the destruction in Mt. Kabuyao (hundreds of trees were cut and huge portions of the mountain were excavated) happened a couple of months ago. No other than Baguio City congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. has been tagged in the environmental atrocity. As of this writing, the cases filed against the solon seem to be stuck and not proceeding anywhere.

The chatter around what happened in Mt. Kabuyao has dwindled in recent weeks. This is why it's great that the Cordillera Conservation Trust is organizing another tree planting activity to be held there. This not only helps in rehabilitating the area, it also redirects people's attention to the damage done to the forest there. We won't forget what transpired there, will we? Visit the CCT's Facebook page for the latest updates on the upcoming tree planting event.

Just An Old Video Of Congressman Aliping Saying He's Against The Cutting Of Trees

A couple of years ago, the biggest talk of the town in Baguio City was SM's cutting and earthballing of trees within its property in Luneta Hill. Fortunately, the efforts of concerned citizens and various groups were able to successfully prevent the further cutting of the trees.

Today, Baguio City has found itself in the middle of yet another environmental case which is much, much worse than its predecessor. This time, however, the one implicated in causing the destruction is not a private entity like SM. This time, it's no other than the city's top official, Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. himself. The solon is allegedly behind the cutting of trees, burning of trees, and destructive earth excavations in Mt. Sto. Tomas in Tuba, Benguet. Hundreds of trees are now dead. Three springs and a dam that serve as water sources for Baguio City and Tuba were damaged. And the earth has been exposed to soil erosion which can cause further damage to the watershed and forest reserve.

The irony in this is the fact that a few years back when the SM issue was brewing, Aliping (who was then a Baguio City councilor) was against the cutting and earthballing of trees in Luneta Hill. In the video below, Aliping personally claims that he's "against the cutting of trees". So what happened to Aliping's former stance? Did he change his mind? Is he now a pro instead of an anti? One thing is for sure, Aliping promised during his campaign last year that he will protect and preserve the environment. In his own words, he promised "pagbabagong rumerespeto sa kalikasan at kapaligiran". But what's been done in Mt. Sto. Tomas is the complete opposite of respect.

In the instance that you can't see the video above, here's a transcript: "To our friends who are opposing the cutting of trees at the Luneta Hill as an expansion. Personally, I am against the cutting of trees. Secondly, this rally that took place a while back is actually the expression of the people's sentiments against the cutting and earthballing of trees in that site. 

Now it would be unfair for the Sm management to just immediately earthball in as much as the council recommended, the committee recommended the earthballing to be undertaken by a monitoring group so we have first to compose the monitoring group. And more importantly, there is now the temporary environmental protection order issued by the court so that has to be respected. And as far as I'm concerned, personally, I am against the cutting of trees."

So, there you go.