Rotarians declare 'solidarity' with Palafox on Subic issue

Members of the Rotary Club of Manila have expressed their support to architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr., a Rotarian himself, who gave up a $1-million architectural fee “rather than destroy a two-hectare tree park” to give way to a hotel-casino complex by Korean investors at the Subic Bay Freeport.

“We declare our solidarity with the cause of Rotarian Jun Palafox, whose uncompromising stand has thrust him into the limelight and for which we are proud,” the Rotarians said in a statement furnished The STAR.

In the statement titled “Relocate the project, not the trees,” the Rotarians lauded Palafox “for putting Rotary’s principle ‘Service Above Self’ and the Four-Way Test in his profession.”

Those who signed the statement were former trade and industry secretary Cesar Bautista, former DTI undersecretary Ces Follosco, former Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Arsenio Bartolome, former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno, former American Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Marsh Thomson, former insurance commissioner Benjamin Santos, Rotary Club of Manila president Romy Batino, former Rotary Club of Manila president Alejandro Yap Jr., Rotary Club of Manila director Rico Domingo, and Rotarians Carlo Munoz, Jorge Salazar and James Chua.

The Rotarians expressed their support to save the tree park considered an urban forest by the SBMA Ecology Center, saying they have followed the controversial issue in the newspapers and read the arguments from both sides.

They noted that the two-hectare tree park has a total of 366 trees and palms, mostly old-growth and mature trees, with diameter ranging from 15 to 180 centimeters, with 37 endangered and several of unknown species, based on the Sept. 11, 2008 inventory report of the SBMA Ecology Center, and “that being densely stocked, is already considered an urban forest” by the center.

Thus, the Rotarians said saving the trees by balling them for transfer to other relocation sites will be a “fruitless exercise” because of the age, size, extensive root system of most of the trees in the park, and that “replacing those that will not survive by planting saplings means a wait of many years.”

In view of this, they said the “primordial question” is, “Why relocate the trees and not the project?” when there are “still plenty of open spaces” in the commercial business district of the Subic Bay Freeport.

The Rotarians said the site “serves as the only tree park being enjoyed by employees and workers of the SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) and locators alike in the commercial business district.” PhilStar

Task Force Hanjin Holds Medical Mission

for Residents of Relocation Site

Subic Zambales- Around 250 residents from Agusuhin Relocation Site showed up during a medical mission held last weekend by the Office of Governor Amor Deloso - Task Force Hanjin (TFH), the Zambales War Against Poverty Foundation (ZWAP) and the Rotary Club of Downtown Olongapo that gave medical and dental services to the displaced residents of Agusuhin, Subic Town.

The joint medical mission headed by Zambales Governor Amor Deloso and Task Force Hanjin Chairman and ZWAP President Ramon Lacbain II gave free medical check-ups, medicines, tooth extraction and dental prophylaxis.
Residents of the relocation site express their utmost gratitude since according to them this is the first medical mission that reaches out to their place. " wala pong pumupunta dito, kasi napakataas ng lugar namin at mahirap akyatin, kayo lang ang nagtiyaga na makarating dito para tulungan kami" (no medical mission was held here since our place is so high and the roads are too steep that it is hard to climb, you were the only medical team who came to help us) says Gloria Calig, one of the residents at the relocation Site.

About 400 residents of sitio Agusuhin in barangay Cawag, Subic were transferred to Agusuhin Relocation Site to give way to the more than 1.6 billion dollar shipbuilding project of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC). Task Force Hanjin uncovers the anomalous P18 Million infrastructure fund given by the HHIC to the contractors for the construction of the needed facilities needed by the residents, like the schools, church and health centers. But unfortunately, the health center that would cater to the medical needs of the residents was left unfinished by the contractors.

" We (TFH) feel the urgent need of the residents here for medical attention, so we find means to attend to their needs. There are lots of problems here, and medical attention is but a small part of it, but we will try to attend to all their needs and perhaps alleviate them from their present misery here in the relocation site" Lacbain said.

According to TFH chairman Lacbain, Governor Deloso already approved the construction of the needed facilities in the relocation site, like the footbridge, school canteen, comfort rooms, water tank and the slope protection for the foundation of the two elementary school builidngs. "Construction of these facilities might start next week" Lacbain aptly says.

The medical mission he added is part of the Zambales government and Task Force Hanjin's mission to ensure that every resident of Zambales is healthy and being given proper medical attention regardless of financial status.
The attending doctors during the medical mission were Dr. Reynaldo Valencia, Dr. Johny Castor, Dr. Leah Labampa, Dr. Emily Camus, Dr. Lekky Gabaga and Dr. Tess Yabut