Campaigners bring bid to save trees to Church door

Fr. Robert Reyes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY—“Running priest” Robert Reyes has taken a national campaign to save century-old trees in three towns in Cebu province to the doorsteps of the Church.

Reyes, along with four mountaineers, ran for at least 2.5 kilometers on Wednesday to the Archbishop’s Residence on D. Jakosalem Street to personally deliver a letter of appeal to Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who had been quoted as saying that he supported the cutting of trees if the trees are sick.

Reyes’ group brought with it three narra saplings and placards that read: “Thou shall not kill. Life is sacred. Save the Naga, San Fernando and Carcar heritage trees.”

But only Fr. Mhar Balili, Palma’s secretary, was around to meet the group because Palma was in Virac, Catanduanes province, to attend the 40th anniversary celebration of the diocese.

Reyes, chair of the National Coalition to Save the Trees, presented to Balili the tree saplings which the running priest named “Archbishop Jose Palma Trees.”

Dedication

“I dedicate these saplings to him (Palma). This is a symbolic appeal to him: Bishop, the Church, instead of cutting trees, should plant,” said Reyes.

Reyes said he would plant the saplings in Naga City and hoped Palma would visit the trees soon.

“If the Church fought so valiantly against the culture of death through contraceptives, shouldn’t we have similar passion against the cutting and murder of Cebu’s heritage trees?” Reyes said, asking Balili to bless the tree seedlings.

He gave Balili his letter to Palma, requesting the archbishop to appeal for a moratorium on the “killing and murder of trees.”

Palma told reporters on Aug. 17 that he was in favor of cutting trees along the South Cebu Highway that are “diseased” because they pose a continuing risk to motorists and passersby.

Reyes also appealed to Gov. Hilario Davide III, who is in favor of cutting “sick” trees, to reconsider his stand.

Heritage

“I just can’t understand why the local government would not protect the heritage trees. I hope we can work together to save the trees,” Reyes told reporters, addressing himself to the governor.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas earlier declared 88 trees, many of them century-old, in San Fernando town and the cities of Naga and Carcar  “diseased and dying” and should be cut.

Four trees in Naga had been cut when Environment Secretary Ramon Paje issued a memorandum to DENR regional directors on Aug. 11, ordering a stop to tree cutting nationwide.

Paje said the DENR needed to “rethink” the agency’s role in sanctioning tree cutting for road projects.

The Central Visayas office of the DENR, however, stood firm on its evaluation that tree cutting was necessary.