A number of trees along the roadside near the old airport in Barangay Singcang-Airport in Bacolod City fell last month, not because of natural circumstances but because they were intentionally cut by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Officials of the barangay and the city government of Bacolod endorsed the cutting of those trees, while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a cutting permit to the DPWH. So what is the big deal about it? Let it be known that the trees involved were not just ordinary varieties but they were premium, valuable, and ecologically important species. Although they were planted, two of the trees are classified as threatened species of the Philippines and the world.
The cut trees included our national tree, Narra, known to science as Pterocarpusindicus, which is already categorized as vulnerable to extinction in the list of threatened species of the Philippines, as provided for in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order 2017-11. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified Narraas endangered, the second highest threat category of species. On the other hand, Molave (Vitexparvifora), also locally known as Tugas in Negros, Leyte, Cebu, and Samar, is similarly listed by the DENR as vulnerable species, although the IUCN considers it at the lower risk status.
No amount of justifications, indignations, and explanations would ever bring back those trees, because they are now gone, and replacing them by planting new seedlings is entirely a different story.
Finger pointing among local officials and even the order of an investigation on circumstances leading to the cutting of trees will not help anymore. Documents showed local authorities sanctioned such act of the DPWH, through the endorsement issued by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod and the Sangguniang Pambarangay of Singcang Airport. The photos of the cut trees circulated online and became trending a topic in both social and mainstream media, which resulted to the outrage of the general public.
The DPWH sought the endorsement of local governments and applied for a permit from the DENR for the cutting of 15 trees of Molave, 12 Narra, seven Mahogany and one Eucalyptus along the roadside near the old Bacolod airport. According to the DPWH, the cutting was necessary to give way for its ongoing project involving sidewalk improvement and installation of streetlights from the Bacolod public plaza to the old airport amounting to P32 million.
Bacolod DPWH district engineer Jaime Javellana was quoted in media reports to have said that the cutting was also for the safety of pedestrians, commuters, and motorists since the roots of these trees were already damaged.Out of 35 permitted trees to be cut, 29 were consummated, while the rest were spared from cutting after negative reactions from the public became viral in various media platforms.
The arguments of the DPWH on this particular concern are quite farfetched. If the purpose of cutting the trees was for sidewalk improvement and street lighting, I believe there are strategies that could be used to consider the surrounding environment, including the presence of trees. In other places, engineering designs incorporate green technologies, and so in planning structural projects, environmental considerations are given paramount importance, especially concerns related to ecological and aesthetic values, as well as the promotion of open and green spaces, like green corridors, greenbelts,and green buffer zones, among others. The trees, aside from their water absorbing capacity, are also crucial in carbon-oxygen cycles, and, therefore, they help maintain cooler environment while serving as carbon-absorbing agents.
These Narra and Molave trees have survived numerous weather disturbances since they were planted several decades ago, and they were already fully-grown and standing tall before they were cut. These species are resilient and could withstand varying weather conditions and environment, and so I am wondering what are the evidences of the DPWH to claim that the roots of cut trees were already damaged. I don’t know if the DENR inventory and inspection of trees prior to the cutting manifested this justification of the DPWH.
The claim that the actions of officials of Barangay Singcang-Airport and Bacolod City in endorsing the cutting of trees were purely ministerial sounds ridiculous. Any resolution issued by the different levels of sanggunians, from barangay to the province, becomes a policy declaration by itself. It should be noted that the various sanggunians are local policy-makers, and, therefore, their official acts must be aided with public consultation as part of the legislative processes, especially on matters pertaining to the environment. The Local Government Code further mandates local governments to protect the environment.
I understand the position of the DENR to issue a cutting permit since the DPWH had complied with all documentations and other requirements. There seems to be “pressures,” too, from the “higher ups” of national government agencies to hasten the implementation of infrastructure projects of the DPWH, the likely reason why the permitting system for the cutting of Narra trees, that was once the sole authority of the DENR secretary, was turned over to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officers. While the DENR local officials found no reason to decline the application, they should have acted cautiously since the involved trees were threatened species.
The DENR is similarly mandated to protect threatened species. It recommends, in fact, the propagation and use of indigenous and native species, such as Narra and Molave, for forest rehabilitation and restoration. The population of threatened species is getting limited and scarce. Instead of immediately issuing a cutting permit, the DENR, with the DPWH, should have explored other options or alternatives than cutting, especially when it comes to infrastructure and landscape designs. I hope these considerations are taken into account in future projects of the DPWH, especially in areas where trees, either planted or naturally growing, and other vegetation exist.
Once converted into lumber, the commercial value of Narra and Molave is at the higher cost. These species are good lumber materials for housing, furniture, and fixtures. Was it one possible interest in cutting the Molave and Narra trees at the roadside of the old Bacolod airport?*