Trees don’t need people; people need trees.

The biological equation is that simple.

A forest is not only a self-replenishing gigantic oxygen tank; it is also a gargantuan sponge that soaks up rainwater.  

It’s that easy to understand even for young children: I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.

But many grownups  still don’t get it.

Stupid and greedy people cut them down, and so when the rains come the flood is on.

And then people perish – more than a thousand of them as of the latest count.

Environmental terrorism by illegal loggers and miners should, therefore, now be made a high crime.

The Aquino administration apparently heading toward this dirtection as it is seriously considering taking action against illegal logging and mining operators for the  massive flash floods unleashed  by Sendong that killed more than 1,000 people in Region 10, notably Cagayan de Oro and Iligan as well as Dumaguete City.

President Aquino created a task force that would investigate the tragedy to unmask those accountable and prevent it from happening in the future.

“The taskforce would be composed of representatives of the Departments of Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare and Development, Public Works and Highways, Science and Technology, Justice, Environment and Natural Resources, and the Mindanao Development Authority,” the President said following his visit to Cagayan de Oro City Tuesday.

He said he expects the newly appointed governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to curb illegal logging in the region that causes flash floods and disasters.

The President said he wants the fact-finding team to come up with a report soon so his administration can take action, stressing he wants the findings to be finished in not more than three months.

The investigation will focus on Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, and Dumaguete City, he said, adding that other areas would also be included.

Asked about the need to seriously look into illegal mining and illegal logging and amending the existing laws, P-Noy said the rights of businesses must be respected.

He said logging concessionaires have the right to harvest the trees that they planted and the government can’t easily stop their operations.

For its part, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines has serially called on the government to crack down on small and fly-by-night mining operators whose methods are considered more destructive to the environment.

Small-scale mining is largely unregulated, and there  is no industry umbrella organization with self-policing functions.