Makati City should plant trees in Osmeña highway

South Super Highway in Makati City is now called Osmeña Highway. The squatters along the railroad tracks have been transferred to sites were they have better housing facilities. What we would like to see now is Makati City developing the areas where the squatters resided into one of the most beautiful highways in all of Metro Manila. All it would take would be the planting of flame trees and golden shower trees along the whole stretch of the highway. That would undoubtedly convert it into Metro Manila’s model highway. Flame trees and golden showers are undoubtedly two of our most beautiful trees. But one hardly sees any of these two trees not only in Metro Manila but anywhere. What a wonderful highway Osmeña highway would be if it were lined with our two most beautiful trees.

When one travels outside Metro Manila, one often sees signs that contain Joyce Kilmer’s classic poem called Trees. Wouldn’t it be better if instead of the poem called Trees what we would actually see are trees themselves and what better trees can we display than the caballero and the golden shower. And it is Makati City that can launch this project.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently asked big time timber operators in CARAGA to produce thousands of seedlings to augment the seedling productions of the DENR. What the city of Makati can do is to ask every student to plant one tree. It will be a permanent heritage that they will leave the city long after they have finished school. Makati City will have the most beautiful highway. Imagine Osmeña Highway lined up with flame trees and golden showers.

Incidentally, we don’t have to limit the planting of these trees exclusively to Osmeña highway. The main highways of Makati City do not have interesting trees. Makati schools must really go into a tree-planting project. In just a few years, it will be the most naturally decorated city in all of Metro Manila. Perhaps the way to achieve this is to start the project in each and every barangay. And let us not forget the so-called plush villages. They could set the example for all the other villages.

Such a project would have to start with the production of the hundreds if not thousands of seedlings and they would probably have to be planted, grown and nurtured outside the villages. This would provide jobs and generate income for the people in the rural areas.

Joyce Kilmer’s poem ends with these two lines:

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree.

True! But anyone can plant a tree. And that means duplicating the work of God. We urged our good friend Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay to initiate a model tree planting project for the whole country. The planting of the flame trees and golden shower trees along Osmeña Highway would be a great way to start this trend.