People come first
During my earlier years as mayor, Cebu City was hit by Typhoon Ruping. I engaged on a massive tree planting program using the empty barrels from our asphalt batching plant.
We would not transplant the seedling until they were three years old. That was the advise I got from the Parks Chief of the Singaporean government. It worked. More than half survived compared to about five percent from transplanting puny seedlings. Those large mahogany trees outside your house may have been part of the program but the most visible would be the tree-lined road going to the MCIAA terminal. That was a gift from the Cebu City Government to all the Cebuanos.
Today, we have a major social issue on the cutting of trees along the National Road. Should they be cut? Of course. People come first.
Someone brought up the point why I did not plant trees at the SRP. It is because I already feared the problem of designing a development to save the trees planted. So I did not plant trees. Now, there is no problem.
I am glad I made the right decision. Look at SM's upcoming mall. The tree planting should be after not before the construction of the mall.
I have no regrets. The message I share with the reader is what I learned from the book "Jurassic Park." Why worry about mother earth? You can explode a million atom bombs and the earth will still be there. It is the people who will disappear. People should come first.
Tom Osmeña
Guadalupe, Cebu City
Thank you, Annie
Dear Annie,
Thank you again for publishing my opinion as open letter in The Freeman Opinion.
But this is only the first step. I know that changes in politics, in mind, need time - as the change from dictatorship to democracy to real democracy without corruption and nepotism.
The next step has to be to reject the publication of advertisements that violates the human rights. As The Freeman is Fair and Fearless in publishing opinions against the intention and project of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, The Freeman should also be fair and fearless against mighty companies.
For me it was disappointing that on August 28 there were again four poor clients of VECO pilloried and publicly humiliated. Instead of discussing this problem, The Freeman was publishing on page 1 this very stupid "ice bucket challenge" where B and C celebrites seek the chance to get published in newspaper and TV. If I gave my donation fighting ALS I did it for my own and not for getting published for such a stupid challenge. When I will be back in Germany I will notify this case to the Commission of Human Rights at the UN in New York.
Best regards
Peter Laux
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