On her farm visits in Atok, Usec. Evelyn G. Laviña, Undersecretary for High Value Crops and Rural Credit was disheartened as she noticed that almost all parts of the municipality is deforested.
She said that as they were roaming around farms, she is overwhelmed because Atok have potentials that is really needed by the market but her heart was squeezed noticing that most of the mountains are totally denuded. Thus, she recommended to the farmers to give importance to their source of water not only to adapt with climate change but also to sustain farming, because without water, farmers cannot plant and produce.
According to Joseph Domingo, an elder from the community, Atok was composed of a vast forest before. But when Franklin Haight, the first American who came to Atok started cultivating for vegetables, the Chinese followed. They rented lands and turned them to agricultural lands by deforesting them..
Moreover, during the regime of Ramon Magsaysay, he disallowed the stay of foreigners making the Chinese leave. When they left,, most of the trees were also gone, he added.
With the present situation, Usec. Laviña suggested to the residents to revive their forest. First they should have a plan for their area and they should really set a certain area where the water source should be sustained.
She commended the Haight Family for allocating a portion of their land for the development of the Sakura Park. The Sakura Park is a tie-up project between the Kochi Prefecture and Benguet Province. It is aimed not only to preserve the environment and natural resources but also to serve as a tourist destination once the trees are grow and start bearing flowers.
The 8.3 hectare Sakura Park as explained by Edward Haight which was rented for 25 years to be planted with cherry blossoms or “Sakura” is for the community and everybody is welcome to conduct events or have picnics there. ** Karen T. Gawigawen
