BAGUIO CITY, Philippines Catholics in Baguio City turned restive over yet another Benguet pine tree massacre in the city. Catholic Bishop Victor Vendico of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio, in addressing the faithful in the city and citizens, urged to oppose the mass killings of fully grown healthy trees to pave way for high-rise commercial buildings.

"The Diocese of Baguio is well aware with the past issue on the murder of 45 pine trees at a private lot in Legarda Rd. and the recent issue at Purok 3, Outlook Drive where 53 Benguet Pine and 1 Norfolk were cut permitted by the DENR office," Bendico stated.

He stressed that the diocese does not sanction such activities and hence firmly stand against tree cutting. Vista Land, owned by Vista Residences Inc.

, began the cutting of 54 trees at Outlook Drive after it was granted a permit to do so by the DENR. It already started cutting on June 24 and its permit ends on July 15. The tree cutting, however, is facing an uproar among residents and environmentalists.

Bendico said tree cutting gravely rejects the moral principle of the social doctrine of the Church on safeguarding the environment. The bishop elaborate on the principle which says that correct understanding of the environment prevents the utilitarian reduction of nature to a mere object to be manipulated and exploited.

The bishop said that the Diocese of Baguio through the Commission on Environment promotes the conservation, safeguarding and refurbishing of the environment as a common home. "Mankind has immense power to destroy the environment which we are doing very well at the moment, and we have the power to do it-if we choose to.

" The bishop said that the killing and cutting of trees contempts and despises the hard-founded works of the late Bishop Emeritus Carlito Cenzon. Cenzon was a famous religious leader in the North who fought for the preservation of Baguio's trees and environment.

He also was one of those who petitioned the Supreme Court to grant a permanent environmental protection of the Mt. Sto.

Tomas reserve. He was also active in numerous re-greening efforts and movements.

Hedied on June 26, 2019. Bendico said that the Church is strongly supporting those who expressed opposition and petitions against the tree cutting at Outlook Drive. He also said they are also strongly supporting the bid of the administration of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong that a moratorium on tree cutting and construction of high rise commercial building.

"We hope and pray that a moratorium be given favorable and proper action by the concerned government offices for the success of the Re-greening master plan of the City of Baguio," Bendico said. 'Legal tree cutting' The DENR Central Office granted aspecial private land timber permit to Vista Residences, Inc.

on May 4.The DENR-issued permit will pave way for high-rise condominium buildings.

According to the DENR, thepermit is subject to pertinent forestry laws, rules and regulations, while the developer, it said, was ordered to replace the fallen trees strictly with 5,400 Benguet pine tree seedlings. The net volume of the 54 naturally grown pine trees is 27.52 cubic meters.

Only last October,Magalong was pushing for a moratorium on tree cutting and construction of commercial buildings. He then claimed that Malacaaang approved in principle the moratorium.

A Baguio netizen said that the people have been fighting a good and fierce battle against the cutting of trees for so long. "We are supposed to be healing the land, why wound it anew? And 54 trees is a lot.

You might as well have razed a fire that burned the forest," the resident lamented. Another Baguio resident wrote an open letter addressed to Magalong on the continuous cutting of trees in Baguio.

"Throughout the years, a lot of private owned companies have already made it possible to cut down numerous trees. This is done for the sake of erecting buildings that take up wide spaces of land that used to be home to hundreds of trees.

This concerns us citizens knowing that Baguio is a place abundant with natural resources and part of what makes this city beautiful are our trees responsible for producing fresh and clean air," the resident pointed out. The resident said that with the visible problems, they wish to grab the attention of the mayor and seek help in stopping tree cutting because of building construction projects from ever happening in the future.

"This tree cutting activity is only one among many others that has already been implemented in the past and we hope that no more of these projects should be authorized in the future," stated in the letter. Magalong said, "We are saddened because we feel it is a big blow to our Regreening Master Plan amidst our request to the Office of the President for a tree-cutting moratorium.

" Circumstances like this emphasizes the need to hasten the issuance of the moratorium on tree-cutting and construction of high rise buildings in the city by the national government, he pointed out. The mayorpromised, "while the proposed moratorium has been taken over by this health crisis, we need to follow this up to ensure that our remaining trees will be preserved.

" DENR-CAR records showed that the property owner applied for a special private land timber permit in 2018, went through the lengthy process and complied with all the requirements including the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), barangay certificate and mayor's clearance which can only be issued after ample investigations and public consultations. The ECC was issued in 2017, barangay clearance on Sept.

11, 2018 and mayor's clearance on Oct.1, 2018. Records further showed that the company was required to redesign the original plan to reduce the number of trees to be affected.

The owner also complied with the compensatory requirement of 100 tree seedlings to each tree felled. In a meeting with the DENR-CAR executives led by Regional Executive Director Ralph Pablo and the property owner on June 25, the mayor asked the owner represented by Engr.

Ferdinand Salcedo to double the replacement to 200 per downed tree, to which the latter agreed.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan