Press Release
Statement of Sen. Ralph Recto On the Vaccination Site in the Manila Bay Reclamation Area
The trees will not be chainsawed by illegal loggers, but the lot on which they stand will be used for a facility that will protect millions of lives.
On a per square meter basis, the property will benefit thousands of people. It is a social project that packs enough "goodwill density" to justify the lot being used to meet a public emergency.
Yes, the trees there serve as urban lungs. But what also cannot be denied is that the lifesaving facility that will be built serves the same purpose, to protect people from getting COVID so they won't be gasping for air on the driveways of overwhelmed hospitals.