THEY TOOK the road less traveled, crossed winding rivers and climbed steep hills to plant mahogany seedlings in order to save their mountainous town of Santa Elena in Camarines Norte from landslides and flooding.

The slopes have been rendered treeless from logging and other human activities.

For four hours on Oct. 24, 18-year-old Emmanuel Camota and some 100 people almost his age walked seven kilometers from the town’s poblacion through a trail that cuts through rice fields, streams, grasslands and thickets to plant the seedlings.

They were accompanied by village officials.

‘Sagip Kabataan’

A total of 200 seedlings were planted as part of the Sagip Kabataan (Save the Youth) program of Barangay Poblacion. The program aims to solve or reduce cases of juvenile delinquency, which, barangay chair Antonio Callejo acknowledged, have risen to an alarming level.

“That is why we have started sustainable activities aimed to divert the attention of the youth in our village to productive activities, such as those that promote awareness of current environmental trend and issues,” Callejo said.

“We want them to participate in fun-filled but productive activities,” he added.

The trail ascends the slopes and escarpments of Mount Cadig, a watershed area and the highest point of the town, where a number of streams and rivers tumble. From the slopes, the whole town looks like a clearing in a sea of green.

A yakal tree, called by residents as a “centennial tree” due to its impressive girth and age, grows nearby.

Worth the effort

“The long walk and climb was tiring, but I felt good after I had planted a tree because I did something good for nature. Sulit ’yung pagod (It was worth the effort),” Camota said.

He said the two seedlings he planted would help save generations from flood and other calamities. “Right now, the seedlings are powerless, but they will save generations after me, just like how the trees that were planted by past generations are helping us and sparing us from disasters now.”

Lizete Vera Andaya, 17, shared his sentiments. She named the tree she planted Kinabukasan (Future).

“I expect the tree to grow old with me,” she said, knowing that it would outgrow and outlive her.

For years, logging has been rampant in the forested mountains in the northernmost province of Bicol, and residents have blamed it for the flash floods in the low-lying towns of Vinzons and Daet.

Another chance

“By planting trees, we are giving the forest another chance to live,” said Jermaine Manalo, 16, who trekked in her maroon-and-white PE uniform. Manalo is a senior high school student of Maria Aurora Academy in the town proper.

Planting trees, Manalo said, would help cushion the destructive effects of global warming. “Trees absorb carbon dioxide in the air,” she said.

“The roots of trees also hold back the soil,” she added.

Manalo said she hoped that the newly planted trees would not be uprooted by charcoal producers. She said she was willing to return to take care of the tree she had planted and named after her.

Planting a tree, she said, gave her a sense of purpose. “It helped in developing my personality. It encouraged me to have concern for the future.”