Group threatens boycott of SM mall in Baguio City | Sun.Star.

By JM Agreda
January 13, 2012

 OCCUPY and boycott.

This is the battle cry of protesters against the planned earth-balling of 172 trees in Luneta Hill as their numbers continue to grow and are on the brink of occupying and staging a protest rally against retail giant SM.

A group of local artists are now calling to occupy the road going to the mall starting tomorrow, Saturday, until the mass rally called for by Cordillera Ecological Center Director Michael Bengwayan, the lead petitioner, on January 20.

Local artist Florenda Pedro said they have been calling students and concerned citizens to join them in their cause in occupying the mall entrance in protest of the mall chain’s plan to earth-ball trees to give way for its expansion.

She said their preliminary plan involves the group staging peaceful protests in the road surrounding the mall by playing of gongs, performance poetry, dance and music jam convincing consumers to rethink their decision to patronize the mall.

The protest stemmed from the petition of Bengwayan accusing the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and city officials from failing to protect the pine and alnus trees inside the mall premises.

Since the online petition started Monday, some 2,000 concerned individuals affixed their support to the cause which Bengwayan claimed will be sent to President Benigno Aquino III, Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection Nereus Acosta and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje calling to stop the mall’s expansion.

The area where the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a tree cutting and earth-balling permit October 27 last year and eventually issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate will be the site for the proposed mall expansion.

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