The venerable Acacia trees of urban Cebu

The large venerable Acacia trees located along the Carcar - Naga City Highway (and elsewhere) have provided nearly a century of measurable benefits and services to the inhabitants of the communities where they populate. They are not quite the Dipterocarp trees of South Asia but big and broad enough to force people to notice, even a passing tourist such as myself. They are clearly impressive and certainly invaluable organisms.

Over past several decades Cebu Island has vastly changed by development and growth. It has changed so much that the Acacia trees of Cebu, once forest trees located on some remote stretch of roadway in the hinterlands- now exist as urban trees amid sprawl with densely populated communities and traffic. By their proximity to large populations (and by the long-term human health and environmental benefits they provide) urban trees require far greater care and management than previously because of the risk they pose to the public. That is the saga that is presently being played out here along the highway with the recent fatalities and injuries. All trees large and small pose some level of risk to the public. Yet to minimize those risks requires an elevated duty of care, effective tree management inputs and a devotion of financial resources far greater than what DENR has been willing to spend on them in the past.

And with urban trees, branch or whole tree failures are no longer viewed as Acts of God but the absence of the duty of care by those charged with their care.

Part of the democratic discussion and inputs by the public for urban trees must include a demand as to the DENR strategy for managing the trees' needs, now and in the future. An introduction to the Art and Science of Arboriculture, and Urban Forestry (in both higher education and for a tree care industry) is a most positive step forward to better managing Cebu's vital urban tree resource and for ensuring the safety of the public.

(Dr. Glaeser is a plant biologist, independent consulting arborist and authority on urban trees. His daily activity finds him devoting endless hours to the trees of the urban forest of the City of New York. By his knowledge and experiences he guides a variety of clients ranging from municipalities, landscape architect firms, engineers, and litigation attorneys to improve their understanding of how trees behave and function in urban areas. He has spent time as a graduate student in the horticultural sciences program at UPLB, Los Banos.)

The curious case of Oscar Pistorius

Bernard Inocentes S. Garcia

Dumanjug, Cebu

Recently,   The Philippine Star carried on its front page two interesting pictures. At the upper left was South African "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, while at the center were common inmates of the Caloocan City Jail. Pistorius is a lucky man, the Filipino inmates are not.

The South African has been found guilty of negligent shooting but not of murder. The judge said there was insufficient evidence to show he had intended to kill his girlfriend, Reeva Steencamp, on Feb. 14, 2013. But it was not the verdict that made Oscar Pistorius a curious case.

During his trial, the double-amputee athlete did not stay in jail as he had been released on bail. It was not even this that made his case an eye-opener.

The Caloocan City inmates were shown looking at the camera, and some were seen smiling as they welcomed new cellmates. Their smiles though did not show the sad plight of prisoners in this country: slow trials and over-populated jails. A neighbor has been in jail for seven years, and until now the trial has not ended.

What made Oscar Pistorius a curious case is this: His trial started on March 3, 2014, and after six months, or on Sept. 11, 2014, he had his verdict. Six months, and the trial ended.

In our country, even a one-year trial for a criminal case is impossible, unless the accused himself pleads guilty. Many are languishing in our congested jails.

For a prisoner, being away from family and helpless in their time of need is mental torture. Being locked inside prison without the luxury of walking in the streets, or of simply breathing in the fresh air of the countryside is punishment enough. Thus, any measure to uplift our penal system is a welcome development; for instance, the establishment of new courtrooms.

To decongest jails, perhaps, we could start with speedy trials and the early resolution of cases, like in the case of Oscar Pistorius.