Not at nature’s expense
THE move of the Pangasinan provincial government to cut down 192 fully grown trees of different species around the Capitol grounds has stirred not only local outrage but also condemnation from environmentalists across the country and even abroad.
The anger has prompted the launch of an online campaign dubbed “Save the Capitol trees.”
These trees are not just ornamental. For decades, they have provided shade and coolness to the public during scorching summers and served as a natural barrier against sandstorms sweeping from the nearby Lingayen Gulf.
Soon, however, these age-old trees may be gone — felled with permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) itself. This is not the first time. Last year, 64 trees were already taken down. Now, with the new permit extended by DENR, the Capitol grounds — once lush with greenery, now stand on the brink of becoming bald and barren.
Back on memory lane, these trees were planted in the aftermath of World War II, when the Provincial Capitol was rebuilt following its wholesale destruction from cannon fires and bombs when the Allied liberation forces pounded the shores before their beach landing on January 9, 1945.
Governors — from Juan D.G. Rodriguez to Conrado Estrella, Francisco Duque Jr., Cipriano Primicias Jr., Vicente Millora, and Aguedo Agbayani — were instrumental in adding to the tree grove, turning the capitol into a green sanctuary. For decades, these trees stood as silent witnesses to Pangasinan’s history.
All this heritage is now being sacrificed for what is touted as “redevelopment” with a reflective pool and an eight-storey tower.
But progress should not mean erasing the past, much less destroying living testaments to it. It is a fact that in this era of intensifying climate change, it is all the more important that every tree matters.
True development is not measured by concrete and steel alone. It is measured by sustainability, by respect for history, and by the wisdom to preserve what gives life to future generations.
Cutting down nearly two hundred century-old trees in the name of modernization could not be considered progress — it is a tragedy.
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