‘You-made’

I came across an interview of the late former US president Ronald Reagan where he said, “People look to the government to solve their problems, but the problem is the government is the problem.”

Like many leaders who have sat in office and in power, Reagan knew too well that government cannot solve the problem of humanity or nations. Only “humans can really help humans” and while acting individually, when done so in numbers, we cause change and solve problems.

For instance, I have not heard of a really organized, well-led, well-funded movement of thousands of people working at “regreening,” making “green corridors” and urban reforestation in Metro Manila or the Philippines.

We have laws, we have government and private sector spurts and brush fire movements (ningas cogon) that come and go. But no “landmark” samples of human-made, “so big it can’t be ignored” projects.

Yes, we have the Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, but that has not really expanded or significantly impacted urban regreening. There is the Aroceros Park that fights for its life. There is even the two-kilometer Bilar-man made forest of Bohol, originally intended as reforestation and erosion control and has now become a tourist attraction, but the actual “movements” simply are few and far in between.

There are, to be fair, a handful of committed
regreening advocates and NGOs. But we have not elicited the admiration and commitment of millions of Filipinos. But there is hope and this is what we should all work on: recognizing, acknowledging any and all efforts and projects that contribute to the regreening of Metro Manila, the country and promoting such activities.

Last Thursday, I was invited to speak at the first Jetour Nationals sales conference and that brought me to an area I had never yet visited. While many of us plant enthusiasts are familiar with the Centris Sunday market for plants and related supplies, I never passed through the Vertis North properties where roads were lined with fine leaf bamboos, different types of plants, all somehow softening the modern buildings in the area.

Critics might jump in and say that “landscaping” and use of foreign varieties does not qualify as authentic regreening. Maybe, but in the absence of any effort versus the abundance of criticism and opinions, sorry I’ll praise any and all efforts to plant trees and cover bare grounds and open space.

Two weeks ago, I saw a short reel on Meta/ Facebook where a local shared a video of Medellin, Colombia, claiming that the city had managed to lower temperatures by one to four degrees because of the city’s greening program, encouraging business establishments, developers and residents to take part in planting and propagating local plant varieties.

Some may raise an eyebrow, but unless you’ve done the test and experiment, you can’t simply brush off the claim. A building I am very familiar with faced the challenge of having a west facing frontage. That meant that every afternoon, the building directly absorbed afternoon sun and required air conditioning that cost thousands of pesos.

Many similar building owners all over the Philippines have faced the same challenge and in general they are forced to cover their windows with ugly aluminum skinned insulation material, further making their facades ugly or look like warehouses.

While the insulation material could bring down temperatures by four to five degrees and cut electricity bills, ugly is ugly. The solution was to grow a plant-vine commonly called “Buhok ni Maria.” In six months, the vine had covered the facade, hid the ugly view of roofs and presented an eco-friendly face to the building.

Singapore the island state has shown the world how effective and beautiful greening projects can be when integrated with heavy infrastructure. It is generally accepted that without such green practices of incorporating massive amounts of plants, trees and water features, the city-state would be hotter than normal.

In addition to the positive environmental impact, the Singaporean model now stands as an example of how urban greenery can become a tourist attraction, especially for the hundreds of thousands or millions of plantitos and plantitas around the world. The Netherlands, for example, has turned their tulip production, flower expos and greenhouses into both agricultural and tourism businesses.

In Bangkok, all areas under flyovers and skyways are generally planted, painted and maintained and many streets feature pruned trees and shrubs. In Taiwan, we noticed that the space beneath their skyways are used as parking on weekdays and plant and food stores on weekends where you see hundreds of varieties of plants.

In the Philippines, it goes without saying that the iconic San Miguel Corporation (SMC) headquarters in the Ortigas business district is one of the pioneer examples of incorporating landscape architecture and design. Anyone who gets a chance to visit the SMC headquarters always notices the tall acacia trees hosting different types of Philippine ferns, a modest size koi pond and, last but not least, they have the employees’ Backyard Bukid, where they plant vegetables and harvest them for personal consumption.

As we approach the Christmas season, I’m almost certain that different LGUs and commercial districts will be throwing money putting up “tunnels of lights” and electric Christmas trees. Some might even put up disposable Christmas trees. Why not simply launch “human-made” green corridors? Let us call on all plantitos and plantitas to go beyond their walls and gardens.

Start along the Pasig River from Intramuros, Manila up to Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Marikina and further. If no one in the LGU wants to, then just walk around with seeds, stick them into the ground, water them with your water bottle when you go for a walk or jog. Soon we will have trees and, God-willing, human-made urban forests!

What you plant now will provide the shade for tomorrow’s Filipinos.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]