Highway robbery and trees

Highway robbery and trees

I have been dashing around Luzon lately to give talks, accompany a chess team, visit relatives and friends, among others. On my route to my destinations I noticed a lot of repairs being made along the highway. They caused heavy traffic and they are almost impassable making it dangerous and inconvenient to motorists and travelers.

I ask why we have to repair these roads almost every year. Why does it have to be done this year when our people are going on their way to spend their summer vacation in provinces and tourists areas? Some say that this is a “highway robbery” because the roads do not show any major damage that would require repair yet they insist on repairing them. Others say that the repair of these roads means that election is in the offing. The billboards of politicians who initiate these road projects of course provide them political mileage.

Our people are irked by these uncalled for repair of the roads. They question the spending initiatives of the government. Instead of using the people’s money to these misplaced priority projects, they should have been more wisely used in the construction of additional classrooms for our children or to other social services that are more responsive to the needs of our people.

Another concern is that many trees along the highway are being cut down. These trees probably were planted by boy or girl scouts or members of civic organizations. Now that these trees are full grown it is shocking that they have to be cut down. Are they chopped down because of a highway expansion project or because they pose hazards to telephone and electric companies? Many are upset by this cutting of trees along the highway and are confused as to how the government could have permitted this given its commitment to clean and green programs and initiatives on sustainable development.

There should be a national regulation on the planting of trees along the highway. DENR, DPWH and other concerned government agencies should coordinate with electric and telephone companies, local government units, and civic organizations on the technicalities and procedures to follow on planting of trees along the highway. We should remember that the trees did not grow along the highway spontaneously. They were planted there on purpose.