PEZA Plans To Cut Trees in Camp John Hay for Economic Zone Expansion

The Philippines Economic Zone Administration or PEZA, in a latest report covered by a local media organization in Baguio City, is planning to occupy 20% of Camp John Hay for its economic activity expansion. PEZA, which is hundred meters away from the former Voice of America Relay Station Facility, is primarily located in Loacan Barangay, one of the busiest local district of Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines.

According to the report and based on the action plans prepared by PEZA, there are almost 13,000 pine trees that threatened to be cleared inside the historical landmark of Camp John Hay and Voice of America Relay Station Facility.

In a statement issued by Mr. Tereso Panga, the PEZA administrator of Baguio City, he said that only 200 pine tress were applied for cutting permit from the Department of Natural Resources or DENR.

The callousness of the administrator comes into play. Either its 13,000 or 200, Camp John Hay and the Voice of America are the only two remaining landmarks in the city of pines that have a protected forested area, which covered by old and new pine trees. The old pine trees are witness to the intense battle of American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers in WWII.

I should know because I am a former VOA employee who helped protect the forested areas of the facility. Bullets from 50 calibers mounted in US fighter planes still lodged or stuck among old pine trees mightily standing in the quite, calm and relaxing environment of Camp John Hay, US Embassy and the Voice of America.

And now the Philippine government through the PEZA wants to destroy the beauty, serenity, rustic and forested environment of the former American facilities. The PEZA intends to ruin the already commercialized facilities in place of hundreds of millions of investments.

Instead of protecting the dwindling forested areas and natural resources of the country, government officials in cahoots with multinational investment companies, are busy in crafting secret plans or schemes to establish their designed plan of actions to control, operate and take advantage of the country’s wealth with deceit and lies.