The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) needs to communicate again its programs and directives to all especially the local government units (LGUs). What happened in Dagohoy where a contractor under the employ of the municipal local government cut all trees without regard for the laws regulating it is an embarrassment to the public. How the local government of Dagohoy in implementing a water-impounding project with funds from the Department of Agriculture could just allow its contractor to cut all those trees without coordinating with the DENR is proof of the LGU's ignorance about important laws on environment that DENR is enforcing. At worst it is a case of compartmentalized governance. When a government agency just rushes to implement its own project without regard or knowledge of how the project impacts on the programs of other government agencies, that is compartmentalization. And it is a shame to the image of public service that the Aquino administration is trying to paint to the people.

It behoves every government agency or instrumentality to know and respect the programs of other agencies because they belong to one government. Unless the government itself can get this straight, it cannot expect the people to respect and follow the laws. For a long long time, government, through DENR, has been advocating a healthy environment through the planting of trees or reforestation activities to maintain a balance ecology in this era of climate change. Instead of giving an example so people will willingly adopt it, here comes a local government unit that disregarded all this by cutting all the trees on the way of a water impounding project. It is a correct project for the farmers implemented the wrong way. All the while it was thought that it was the Department of Agriculture (DA) that cut the trees in order to build a water impounding project that will provide irrigation water to the rice farms of the farmers in its service area. It turned out DA is only a funding agency of the project that would be implemented by the municipal local government of Dagohoy which in turn contracted it out to a private contractor.

What happened is both a case of compartmentalization occasioned by negligence to check on the requirement for the implementation of the project and over eagerness to provide service to the farmers. Tree planting is not just an advocacy. It is a necessity that must be understood and complied with by everyone. Unless that is understood in its right context, the same will be disregarded and violated time and time again. And if the violation comes from a local government unit or any government agency for that matter, the public will follow soon with impunity.

It should therefore be incumbent now for the DENR to re-educate the people and all government agencies on the reason for such program and why rules and regulations governing it must be followed to the letter. This is timely since we have just barely recovered from the disasters that hit the country, particularly Bohol and Eastern Visayas that were greatly damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda. People will be receptive to whatever communication plan DENR can come up with. It is necessary to take this seriously now if this generation intends to avoid the curse of future generations every time they will be subjected to violent climate disturbance because there are no more trees to protect them.