Dexter Patrick S.

Baltazar
NASC 10
Book review- Power from the Forest: The Politics of Logging
This book by Marites Vitug discussed deeper into the seemingly obstructive linkage
between forest (resources), which according to her the most ravaged of the countrys natural
resources, and politics. By generalization, the investigative literature emphasized the different
violations on forest laws and forestry issues that were implicitly tolerated and helped by the
government (during the Marcos regime) and politicians.
Within the scope of politics, it was given enough depth that these big names in the
legislation would enter the domain of trading and sales once in the position then disregard laws
against overexploitation in the process. In turn, this untruly practice resulted to the failure of
implementing policies since the problem existed primarily from the internal. This issue was
explicated in the second chapter wherein it was believed that the source of continuous forest
reserves decimation was not at all recent. It became clearer that some of the resources abused
were renewable but it is a known fact that a natural forest ecosystem can never get back to its
original form, condition, and biodiversity after a major obliteration. Aquino administration,
although cannot fully assure people of safety from vigilante groups, tried to recover lost gains in
forest protection and the shaping of policies.
The book featured an intense thoroughness tackling the ban for commercial logging and
how the bill about addressing the situation was not even near to the possibility of it as a
particular law of the land. Moreover, the manuscript conferred about the relentless usage of trees
by the military forces against the insurgents/rebels. Another aspect were those guerillas who try
to be protective of their bases and forests and at the same time take into their hands loads of
money garnered by taxing the logging companies. All these topics were presented in a manner
that would bulk up to support how illegal logging affected tribal communities in a matter of
survival and ancestral land ownership. It has been an unimaginable dilemma for these indigenous
people because they are already dealing with scarcity of resources. It was clearly not realized that
a tree signifies a human being. As to address the problem, the alternative to the timber license
agreement equating to forests managed by communities gave a materializing idea of hope.
An eye-opener; as she said, there was not a book about forestry issues at her time and that
was why she dedicated this to the policy makers, government, students, and the citizenry. An
aware public that catalyzes the advocacies and developments to run steadily, active nongovernment organizations for support and a secretary for environment that acts and listens are
what the chapter The Distant Green Years points out. It just goes without question that there is
still a chance for change if and only if the system changes internally and revoke those who take it
by greed. The book was not easy to read for its compelling aggregation of encounters that further
destroy the environment but it was written with such effort to be understood by everyone.