Dying Timberland in Pearl of Orient Seas

In the coastal town of Currimao in the northern Philippines, the sound of ear-piercing chainsaw echoes with the widespread fear that the unbearable heat will continue to escalate, as more trees have been cut down for a sweeping solar power development. The threat was not immediately felt, when the project to install solar panels in a pine trees forest land along a beach, just a few hundred meters from the residences, was introduced in 2015 to tackle energy scarcity and instability - one of the country's problems hindering economic growth. Rejections amongst watch groups and experts, however, soon emerged, fearing that uprooting hundreds, if not thousands, of trees in exchange for the solar power plant would take a heavy toll on the environment and people’s health. Victims of the tree-cutting include 73-year-old resident Leonardo, whose wife passed away in 2020 following a heart attack. He believes that her passing is caused by the rising heat in the town, which is a common cause of cardia arrest. The residents there are now tied to living with the pain of losing their beloved timberland and enduring the unbearable heat.