800 trees planted in Bukidnon to remember eco-martyr priest

VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon — Some 35 years after environmental advocate-priest Neri Lito Satur was ambushed and killed by alleged members of an illegal logging syndicate, Bukidnon remembered his sacrifice on Wednesday, Oct. 14, through province-wide tree planting and solemn memorial rites.

Around 800 seedlings of endemic, native, and exotic tree species were planted at the Kaamulan Provincial Nursery inside Kaamulan Park, Malaybalay City.

The activity was spearheaded by the Bukidnon Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO), joined by uniformed personnel, national government agencies, students, and academic representatives.

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The annual commemoration is anchored on Provincial Ordinance No. 2004-06R (9th SP), which officially declared every October 14 as “Fr. Neri Satur Day.”

The provincial policy honors the priest’s historic stand against illegal logging and serves as a permanent commitment to Bukidnon’s campaign for responsible environmental stewardship and forest protection.

In Barangay Guinoyoran, Valencia City—where the 29-year-old priest served as parish priest before his death—parishioners, local ecology groups, and clergy gathered for a blessing and candle-lighting ceremony at the ambush site.

Fr. Wilmer Tumapon of the Guinoyoran Parish Church led the blessing at the exact spot where Satur was slain on October 14, 1991.

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Attendees lit candles beside mature trees planted over the past three decades in memory of the eco-martyr, who served as a deputized forest ranger actively intercepting illegal timber shipments.

The memorial served as the province-wide culmination of the Diocese of Malaybalay’s annual observance of the “Season of Creation.”

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Recalling the priest’s enduring impact, veteran DXDB Radyo Bandilyo broadcaster Diomedes Demit, who reported alongside Satur in the early 1990s, shared one of his iconic statements: “Life may come to an end, but the campaign against the destruction of nature will never cease.”