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A Tree for Life
Text by Ronalyn M. Umali


In an unexpectedly rainy summer, many young adults are usually inside the comfort of their houses, drinking hot coco and watching their favorite movies. But around 4,000 youths stepped out, raised their hands, and participated in saving the life of Mother Earth.

This year’s Youth for Environment Summer Camp (YES Camp) held at the Teachers Camp in Baguio City was themed “1-2-Tree-4-LIFE” in response to saving the environment through a basic act: planting trees.

“We really have to promote planting trees to fight climate change, especially now that we can actually see and feel the drastic changes in the country,” said Joey Pelaez, Executive Director of the Department of Education Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (DepEd-CSCA).

Held last April 26 to 30, the 7th year of YES Camp focused on implanting to the youth the benefits of planting trees and what they could do in bringing back the life we took from the Earth, Pelaez said.

Last year’s YES Camp, on the other hand, focused on the youth’s awareness on climate change, global warming, and other vital environmental concerns. This year, the Executive Director said that concentrating on planting trees is a big aspect in fighting against global warming.

“We teach the youth on helping the environment not by just planning any trees but by endemic trees,” Pelaez said. Endemic trees are trees that are to be seen only in the Philippines. Planting foreign or unknown trees in the country may harm the cycle or destroy the natural flow or ecosystem.

Activities and celebrities
The five-day event was filled with different programs and activities made for elementary and high school students, teachers and Sangguniang Kabataan officers nationwide. Last year’s number of participants was doubled as representatives from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao crowded the venue, standing up for their regions and taking part on the move for environment.

Maria Magnolia Danganan, National Youth Desk Officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) opened the seminar by discussing climate change.

Aside from different seminars by professors and environmentalists, there were also games and different activities like poster-making, story telling, photo contest, poetry writing and interpretation, debate, dance contest, and beauty pageant.

Students as well as some SK officers joined various activities, engaging themselves to awareness and enjoyment at the same time.

The 7th YES Camp was highlighted by performances of various entertainers and celebrities. Girls of different ages cheered for Sam Concepcion, DepEd’s Spokesperson for the Youth, together with his dance group called Gigger Boys. Other celebrities like Geneva Cruz, Raymond Sajor, Carlo Aquino and Brenan Espartinez serenaded the crowd with their soothing voice.

Nevertheless, these performers were just a breather from the range of activities and seminars held during the event, the main purpose is to learn and act on rescuing the environment.

Environmentalists speak up
Some of the vital instruments in imbibing to the youth the mission to save environment are people knowledgeable on issues about climate change and global warming.

One is Pacita “Chit” Juan, Founder of Figaro Coffee Company and Co-Chair of the Philippine Coffee Board. Her talk circled on the question “how to live a sustainable life?” She said that the youth play a vital role in the country for they constitute about 65% of the total population. She added that the youth will become “very good ambassadors of the environment.”

Juan also took note of the three Rs, reuse, reduce, and recycle to help the environment. “Trash can be turned into crafts. The saying ‘may pera sa basura’ is really true,” she said.

At the end of her talk, she asked the youth to “make a statement and a stand, because the future is yours.”

Another speaker which enlightened the youth’s mind on environment was Jane Walker, Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF).

She came to the Philippine a couple of years ago only to find out the unfortunate condition of Filipino children. Seeing these kids living and eating in slum areas were the “biggest shock of my life,” she said.

Walker then decided to help these children by establishing the PCF Community School. Her motivation was the children, and keeping this on mind, she started recycling garbage, turning them to different products like bags and shoes.

“It’s hard to believe that everyday, each of us contributes to the detriment of our environment,” she said. “This generation, we messed up. And we are hoping that the young ones will get it right.”

On the other hand, Anthony Pangilinan talked about action planning. He presented different steps to attain the goal everyone wanted to achieve.

The celebrity and host charmed the audience with his charismatic stage presence and engaging talk. Pangilinan gave several pieces of advice, one of which is once someone made a step forward, he will “no longer be a transformer, but a conformer.”

But the speaker who highlighted the event was the Governor of Isabela province, Grace Padaca. Almost everyone was amazed in the story of how she was able to conquer and defeat the political dynasty in their province amidst her condition.

“Usually handicapped leaders do not win the election,” she said.

But she proved everyone wrong when she won in 2001 elections. The first thing she did was save the Sierra Madre rainforests. She created a task force team, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, to stop illegal loggers from ruining Isabela’s forests.

This was a tough fight for Padaca because many people, especially the ones gaining from illegal logging, were angry for this move. But fear from not winning the 2004 elections did not stop her from taking actions.

“Obsession in reelection is even more paralyzing than polio,” she said.

Up to now, she still continues her campaign on the reforestation of Sierra Madre, together with different government agencies and non-government organizations (NGO).

Tool for ROAD to 2020
Haribon, an NGO for saving the environment, joined this year’s YES Camp in Baguio, for it is in line with DepED’s campaign for planting endemic trees.

“This is a very great opportunity for Haribon because instead of us, going to different areas in the country, different regions are well-represented here all we have o do is conduct a seminar and teach them how to plant the right trees,” said Blas Tabaranza Jr., Chief Operating Officer of Haribon.

Last year, Haribon also joined in one of DepED’s environmental campaigns in Siliman University. But this year, the summer camp concentrated on planting trees which is one of the main advocacies of the organization.

“This will be a great help for us to accomplish our ROAD (Rainforestation Organizations and Advocates) to 2020 campaign,” he said.

Tabaranza added that awareness campaign is their main goal in the event, imparting on the students the importance of biodiversity in the country.

“It remains important for Haribon to continue its campaigns and advocacies especially now that we can see the hazards of the mistakes we’ve done in the past,” she said.