Amid Pope’s Visit, Pine Trees in Baguio Were Allegedly Cut to Give Way to “Sky Park”
In the middle of the Pope’s visit in the Philippines, with almost all media outlets focused on providing full coverage about this momentous event, a shopping mall titan allegedly took this opportunity to cut down pine trees in Baguio City to give way to its “sky park.”
According to a report from ABS-CBN News, 60 pine trees were cut down in the vicinity of SM City Baguio to give way to its seven-story sky park project. Witnesses said that approximately 100 workers began cutting the pine trees around Saturday midnight “without the use of any heavy machinery.”
However, ABS-CBN News mentioned that in an official statement issued by SM City Baguio, the temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) was already lifted on December 2014. Furthermore, the said mall claims that their sky park will have green facilities “that will help absorb the impact of climate change.”
(Image from Facebook)
From the SM City Baguio’s official statement:
“A Sky Park, which features green walls consisting of live plants will help improve air quality, making the mall both relaxing and enjoyable for the whole family. It also consists of a sewerage treatment plant (STP), and an underground rainwater catchment tank in the basement. The excess space of catchment tank will provide many additional parking space-will help decongest traffic along Upper Session Road.”Â
The report added that the said mall secured final approval with necessary permits for the project.
Still, this caused dismay to many. One netizen shared sentiments on Facebook about this incident along with the photo above. The post said:
I am absolutely heartbroken- I am sure na madami din pong tao ang malungkot ngayong araw na ito.
Malungkot, but we have to move on.
I will cherish the lessons- in a short span of time, we were given a chance to understand what is truly going on in Baguio.
I understand Baguio better now, how it works, how politicians work- how everything moves in general.
I don’t want to blame anyone right now- this is a phase that we have to accept.
Gusto kong mag reflect ang madaming tao sa klase ng Baguio City na meron tayo- at kung saan siya pupunta.
Where is Baguio City headed- and what will be the repercussions of this act.
I am sure we all know the lessons here—there is no need for cliches- The truth is staring at us in the face.
Madami ako natutunan on a personal level and I will use this- to enhance everything that I see in the world- everything that I will create in the future- dadalhin ko ang mga aral na nakuha ko dito.
Masakit ang paraan ng Universe minsan magturo sa tao- pero lalawakan ko ang isip ko dito.
Despite the fact that the trees are gone, the lessons are here to stay. Nasa atin po dalhin kung ano man ang mga lessons na ito.
This might seem like a resounding defeat- but only to people who do not understand what has happened and what will happen.
For me, I just see more reasons to fight for the Baguio I love- but this time- using a number of unconventional methods- methods that have not been tried before.
Whatever I have learned here for the past 3 years would be used para iimprove ang Baguio na gusto kong ipreserve-Mahal natin lahat ang Baguio-
We can still help, we can still rebuild- but this time with better ideas, methods and solutions.
With better research- and with an open mind.
I know and I will make sure that those 182 trees did not die in vain.
(Rough translation:
I am absolutely heartbroken- I am sure a lot of people are also sad today.
It is sad but we have to move on.
I will cherish the lessons- in a short span of time, we were given a chance to understand what is truly going on in Baguio.
I understand Baguio better now, how it works, how politicians work- how everything moves in general.
I don’t want to blame anyone right now- this is a phase that we have to accept.
I want the people of Baguio to reflect about what kind of city we have and where it is going.
Where is Baguio City headed- and what will be the repercussions of this act.
I am sure we all know the lessons here—there is no need for cliches- The truth is staring at us in the face.
I have learned a lot on a personal level and I will use this- to enhance everything that I see in the world- everything that I will create in the future- I will carry the lessons I have learned here.
Sometimes, the way the universe teaches us a lesson is painful but I will have a open mind about it.
Despite the fact that the trees are gone, the lessons are here to stay. It is in us how we will learn from its lessons.
This might seem like a resounding defeat- but only to people who do not understand what has happened and what will happen.
For me, I just see more reasons to fight for the Baguio I love- but this time- using a number of unconventional methods- methods that have not been tried before.
Whatever I have learned here for the past 3 years would be used to improve the Baguio that I want to preserve-We all love Baguio-
We can still help, we can still rebuild- but this time with better ideas, methods and solutions.
With better research- and with an open mind.
I know and I will make sure that those 182 trees did not die in vain.
We are not sure if 60 pine trees (according to ABS-CBN News) or 182 trees (according to a netizen’s post) were cut down. Either way, the effect can be seen on the photo below that is also going viral on the Internet.
(Image uploaded via imgur)
In 2012, the said mall was already reported for cutting and balling up pine trees to give way to a multi-level parking lot and entertainment plaza. Thousands joined the rally against it back then. The local court temporarily stopped what was dubbed as “tree massacre” when a TEPO was granted. However, as per the mall’s official statement mentioned above, the TEPO was already lifted in December 2014.
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Amid Pope’s Visit, Pine Trees in Baguio Were Allegedly Cut to Give Way to “Sky Park”
