I’m sure you remember what happened to our 15-year-old mango tree. Last month, hubby and I made a difficult decision to cut down the tree. We let the men from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cut down the mango tree, which is beginning to cause headaches to us. They happened to be in the neighborhood during the time to cut down a Kaimito (Star Apple) tree in the middle of the narrow street adjacent to our place. I told my husband to bid goodbye to the tree that gave us juicy Indian mangoes and cool shade at noon.

We had to cut down the tree because insensitive neighbors were looting the fruits without our permission. They stepped on the galvanized roof to get the mangoes as if they were walking on the ground. A temporary post supported the rusty roof to prevent it from caving in. You can only guess what will happen to someone if he steps on it, all for the value of a few mangoes. Another reason why we have to let go of the tree is rain pummeled the accumulated dried leaves and other debris into the gutter.

The workers used special saw blades to cut the tree into pieces. I felt sad during this time, but we had to do something to avoid future confrontations with insensitive neighbors. We still have two growing mango trees that my brother-in-law planted in front of our house.