MANILA — The Philippines watches with solemn reflection as Juan Ponce Enrile, former Defense Minister under Ferdinand Marcos, faces the twilight of his life. While the nation contemplates the passing of one of its most enduring political figures, history recalls the shadows cast by his decades-long influence on both people and the land.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Enrile was not only a key government official but also a major beneficiary of the Marcos-era logging boom. His San Jose Timber Corporation operated a massive concession in Northern Samar, an area once celebrated for its lush forests and rich biodiversity. Satellite imagery and historical reports indicate that by the late 1980s, the surrounding forests were largely decimated, leaving a scarred landscape vulnerable to flooding—a consequence still felt by communities today.

This commercial and political entanglement also bore tragic human costs. Villages near the logging concessions became militarized zones, patrolled by paramilitary units and soldiers tasked with “protecting” the timber operations. The infamous Sag-od Massacre of September 15, 1981, left 45 villagers—including women and children—dead after armed men attacked under the pretense of rooting out insurgents. Survivors were left with grief and the injustice of a system that cleared both military forces and corporate entities of accountability.

Decades later, the environmental and social repercussions persist. The hills of Las Navas bear the memory of vanished trees, eroded soil, and rivers burdened with debris, a quiet testament to the consequences of unbridled power and exploitation. Locals recount the “tubig na may kahoy,” the floodwaters that carry reminders of forests long gone and the human lives overshadowed by greed and authority.

As Enrile clings to life, the nation is left to grapple with the complex legacy of a man whose influence shaped both the political and ecological landscape of the Philippines. In Northern Samar, the forests, though stripped bare, remain witnesses to history, silently carrying the stories of communities lost, lives uprooted, and a land forever altered by the intertwining of power and ambition.

This moment serves as a stark reminder: the passage of a figure like Enrile cannot erase the enduring consequences of actions that shaped the country’s environment and its people. The forests may be gone, but their memory—and the memory of those affected—endures.