The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is investigating contractors involved in the reported earthballing of trees along Roxas Boulevard to determine whether environmental rules and permit conditions were violated. Recently, a social media video about the reported...
OF TREES AND FOREST I think I was on my way to a meeting—this was a while ago—when I happened to pass by a new sari-sari store being coated with fresh blue paint and bearing the logo of a popular soft-drink maker. Through the open door, I could see a couple of women arranging canned goods with...
The cutting of trees affected by the Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX) Project was undertaken only as a “last resort” after mitigation and conservation measures had already been considered, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Thursday, May 28. In DENR’s...
OF TREES AND FOREST It is saddening to read reports that two foreign tourists assaulted the owners of a local business in Siargao after seeing a pro-Palestinian flag outside the shop. The foreigners allegedly threw rocks at the storefront and destroyed a nearby CCTV camera. The local community...
OF TREES AND FOREST In 1992, I reluctantly decided to run for the lone congressional seat in the then-district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa. My introduction to politics came when my father-in-law, Congressman Filemon Celestino Aguilar, fell ill. As the May 1992 elections neared, people were busy...
OF TREES AND FOREST In school, when we were kids, we were presented with a magnificent, almost divine image of Mayon Volcano. In our textbooks, Mayon is often described in superlatives. Rising 2,463 meters above Albay, its near-perfect cone shape has made it one of the most recognizable natural...
OF TREES AND FOREST I have seen the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) Social Weather Survey of March 24-31, 2026 which found that 50 percent of adult Filipinos felt that their lives got worse, 26 percent said it was the same, and 23 percent saying it got better, compared to twelve months ago....
OF TREES AND FOREST Going to the movies is no longer the automatic weekend ritual it once was, even though cinemas have never looked—or sounded—better. Box office revenues remain disappointing, not just in the country but globally, as more and more audiences turn to streaming screens at home. A...
A small, fluffy visitor that looks like “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” seen darting across trees and power lines in Metro Manila, may appear harmless, even cute, but the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is warning the public as sightings continue to increase. From campuses to...
OF TREES AND FOREST Just like everyone else, I 've been watching how the Middle East conflict is unfolding and praying that somehow all the parties involved realize that peace is better than war. The economic ripples of the conflict are already showing up at sari-sari stores, tricycle drivers,...
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso was given due recognition by the Million Trees Foundation and the bamboo sector on Thursday, Feb. 19, for his administration 's 100,000-bamboo tree planting program as part of the city government 's expanded efforts in mitigating...
OF TREES AND FOREST I write these words not just as a former colleague, but as one who had the privilege of sharing with Speaker Joe de Venecia the burden—and the joy—of shaping our nation’s path. When I served as Senate President while he led the House, we stood on opposite ends of the same...
