Atienza's help sought on cutting of trees in Olongapo City school

An environmental group is asking Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza to shift his attention from the Subic Freeport Zone to the backyard of a public school in Olongapo City.

This, as the Steward and Vanguard of the Earth Movement (SAVE) said trees, which “had stood there for as long as generations... could recall,” were felled to the surprise of students of the Olongapo City National High School (OCNHS).

In a letter to The STAR dated Jan. 22, Relly Javier, president of SAVE, accused school officials of allowing or authorizing the “axing” of the trees, reportedly including narra and mahogany.

Javier said they have information that “more trees are lined up for the chopping block.”

It was not clear though how many trees were already cut and how many more trees were to be felled within the school grounds.

“The trees… were cut on a weekend so when the students returned to classes on a Monday they were surprised that the shady area where they used to hang around during breaks and sometimes hold their classes had been stripped of trees and greenery,” Javier said.

“Secretary Atienza should act on this matter. (He) must do something to save the remaining trees,” he said.

Javier said the cutting of trees, especially on public lands such as the site of the OCNHS, is prohibited under the law unless permitted by the DENR.

While controversy has erupted over plans to cut trees to give way to a casino-hotel project at the Subic Bay Freeport, Javier said Atienza should also give attention to the OCNHS “where trees... had fallen victims to people with the least care for the environment.”

School officials, according to Javier, tried “to cover up the environmental crime by quickly ordering the logs hauled out of the campus” upon learning that his group was monitoring the cutting of trees and taking photographs as evidence.