ARROCEROS RESURRECTED

by Bernie Lopez 

If you were to see an environment map of Manila, you will see a lone green dot in a sea of gray. That green dot is Arroceros Park in Plaza Laughton in the heart of the city, the rice port of Chinese traders during Spanish times.

This was where all the rice across the archipelago converged to feed the burgeoning Manila community. When the British invaded this Spanish colony, the local Chinese sided with them because they were looked down upon and oppressed by the Spaniards. Yet, ironically, the Chinese controlled local trade. When the Spaniards massacred them after defeating the British, there was a momentary halt in local trade. Today, this former rice port is the bastion of the lowly tree. The Arroceros forest park is the only one surviving in the entire metropolis, symbol of Mother Nature slowly being swallowed up by Man's concrete jungle.

 

The Arroceros park was a gift from then First Lady Ming Ramos and then Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim in 1993 to the green ladies of Winners Foundation, which pruned it and made it greener. When Mayor Atienza, now an 'environmentalist' in GMA's cabinet, took over in 2003, the Arroceros park suddenly died. In a series of maneuvers, the 'environmentalist' yanked the park from the hands of the green ladies, decimated more than half of the forest, only to put up a building. There was one giant ancient hardwood that was felled secretly, worth about half a million in the hardware store. That brought tears to some of the green ladies.

 

Atienza used his goons to disrupt the placard bearing green matrons, who did not hesitate to descend from their pristine palaces and face this rowdy bunch face to face. The National Historical Institute and the National Museum, supposed ally of the environment and of our heritage, cowered at the feet of the powerful Atienza. The green ladies were helpless to contain the tree-killing environmentalist.

 

Atienza was also the killer of a nearby forest park, the Meyhan Garden, which was actually an extension of Arroceros. Alas, Meyhan is now a bus station, spewing carbon monoxide for the glory of global warming. It was reported that Atienza had friends in the Chinese community with a plan to convert Arroceros and the rest of neighboring city lots into a giant mall. Another park, the UN Gardens was developed by Empire East. Developers do not have to kill green parks in order to develop. There are other places. Green parks should be untouchables.

 

When Alfredo Lim resurrected in the Manila mayoralty race against the younger Atienza in July 2007, like a Phoenix, Arroceros also resurrected. The very first order of Mayor Lim was to restore the green park to the green ladies. A Manila Seedling Bank inventory in 2003 revealed that there were 8,481 tress in Arroceros. When the green ladies returned, geodetic engineer Agustin Perida reported there were 1,423 trees left, which survived the clutches of the 'environmentalist'. The resolute green ladies did not hesitate to start all over again in a new reforestation effort.

 

The Winners vision was to make the park a meeting place of artists and students, like Greenwich in New York, Soho in London. We are still far from the sheer size of the art places in these affluent cities, but Winners promise we will somehow get there in time. Even during the time of Atienza who padlocked the gate, the artists would sneak in through a backdoor into the park on Sundays. Students would climb the fence when no one was looking. The artists would awe the student artist-wanna-bees with their impromptu art, from watercolor to charcoal pencil to pastel to plain Mongol pencil no. 2.

 

On the recent celebration of Earth Day, the spirit of the park under the Winners tutelage came back with vengeance. A large crowd gathered at Arroceros beneath the trees. There was a painting contest with judges from our prestigious art community. About a hundred contestants aged 4 to 12 joined the contest. The affair was in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, chaired by Nestor Jardin, who was the chair of the judges. Buddhists from the Chaitaniga (I hope I spelled that right) Community graced the occasion with their spiritual chants. The 3-piece Harmony Band played. Norie Onchiako and friends also graced the morning park concert. Artists from various art associations converged like the good old days. But this time, they did not have to pass the backdoor.

 

Winners conducts exclusive art auctions for the hoi poloi every once in a while in a five star hotel, to help the artists sell their stuff. Arroceros resurrected is their tool for not only nature lovers but also art lovers. I was thinking that Winners could perhaps forge a win-win situation by asking the former goons of Atienza to be part of the park today, as forest keepers perhaps. After all, there is no more war and everybody is a winner at Arroceros resurrected.

beteljuice7@gmail.com