The adage, "The apple does not fall far from the tree," naturally comes to mind when one thinks about sons and fathers.

In the case of the Ferdinands, Marcos Sr., and Marcos Jr., critics will likely say it is true — and even when the son is doing his best to establish his own character, some people will try to bring back the conversation to that undeniable blood kinship.

Still, if we were to dig even more into the matter, we may simply look into recent events where one may be forced to think about how this could grow into something. Bear fruit, so to speak (though this may be pushing the cliches to the limit}.

Seriously now, did you wonder why Bongbong's main activity on his 65th birthday this year (13 September, just two days away from his late father's 11 September) was a tree planting event in San Mateo, Rizal?

Photos show him wielding a shovel to plant bamboo at the former sanitary landfill at Pintong Bukawe village in San Mateo. This was the kick-off ceremony for a greening project in Calabarzon where "over 8,000 seedlings and bamboo planting stocks" are meant to be planted in parts of Region 4-A.

I choose to see that birthday activity in a positive light.

I imagine the President, last October, being flown above the "disheartening" sight of the flattened areas in Maguindanao where super typhoon "Paeng" raged past: Murky floodwaters and crops drowned, rooftops looking like neglected puzzle pieces by the wayside. The sight must have firmed up his resolve to do something about the matter.

Marcos Jr. probably recalled the speech he made that day in Rizal: "The challenges we hurdled in recent years highlighted the fact that we have one Earth. We must spare no effort to ensure that it survives in the years to come.

"We have to do this as a concrete step that we take so that nature is cared for because it desperately needs that care, and it desperately needs that attention," he said.

Just days ago, he reiterated this call for nationwide cooperation when it comes to reforesting and protecting our environment. He urged people to plant trees, the most basic of solutions to address the yearly flooding caused by the ever-intensifying typhoons.

Tree planting, he reiterated, is "not a small thing," adding that it is not just something we must do to save the environment, but also to save lives. In other words, Marcos Jr. wants people to walk their talk — to actually act on the knowledge that the earth needs trees and people need an ecological balance to survive.

Of course, the naysayers have brought up a memory: The group called Pamalakaya will not believe this resolve to reforest coming from Marcos Jr. because they say that his father, Marcos Sr., through his decrees decades ago caused the depletion of the country's mangrove cover.

Their demand: Make sure you go beyond tree planting sessions and actually "reject reclamation projects" such as in Manila Bay so that what remains of our mangroves will be protected and more may be restored.

Beyond wielding a shovel to plant the seeds of environmental action, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should exercise a firm hand in ensuring that policies are set in place, rules are followed, and laws are enforced to keep the earth alive for humanity. Maybe when planted seeds grow and bear fruit, we can create a new proverb.