Beavers and cyclops in Phl

CTALK

- CITO BELTRAN

I no longer have any doubts that there are giant beavers in the Philippines and one-eyed DENR officials who are either cyclops or myopic. All you need to search are images of the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and other past super typhoons that washed all the proof downhill or downstream and created islands of cut logs and wood slabs!

Last week, ABS-CBN posted images captured by drone cameras featuring parts of Taal Lake covered with assorted sizes of trees, logs, cut slabs and more. That was in the general vicinity where a major landslide cut off the towns of Talisay and Laurel. Who would have imagined that so many trees and cut lumber could wash down from the area, given that it is generally a tourism and vacation hub.

Either all those cut trees were the result of massive real estate development over decades or they came from areas not generally accessible to motorists or the public. But given "the lake of evidence," what can people expect from the secretary of the DENR? Is the department going to seriously investigate or should we start poking the bear, a.k.a the ombudsman, to look at the undeniable proof that someone has been remiss in doing their jobs?

In the meantime, how many more lakes, rivers and lowlands need to be rolled flat by logs, rocks and mud before the administration of PBBM does something similar to the tree planting programs of Apo Ferdinand Marcos Sr.? Several typhoons have hit the country in the past two months, a lot of flooding has occurred but the only people who talk about "deforestation" and the need for serious tree planting programs are the victims!