CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Public Works Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane has ordered a stop to the cutting of some 1,211 trees for the proposed widening of the MacArthur highway in this province amid protests.
At a public forum she held here yesterday, Sen. Jamby Madrigal, chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to withdraw the permit it issued to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in cutting close to 5,000 trees along the entire stretch of the old highway, also called the Manila North Road through Bulacan, Pampanga, and Tarlac.
Madrigal noted that the DPWH failed to abide by the provisions of the DENR permit by failing to turn over some 146 cut logs in this city to the local City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
She also expressed doubts that the DENR held enough public consultations in the areas affected by the road project before it issued an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) and permit to cut trees to the DPWH.
This city’s Mayor Oscar Rodriguez admitted during the forum that he was among those who had proposed the widening of the old highway to six lanes amid an expected increase of vehicles to ply routes towards the international ports at Clark and Subic freeport.
Rodriguez said that instead of cancelling the project altogether as urged by some local environmental groups, the government and the protesters should coordinate for "a win-win solution" to the problem on the trees.
He proposed that road widening already be done in limited areas where trees have already been cut. "Then let the public know the difference and judge for themselves," he said.
DPWH regional director Alfredo Tolentino said Ebdane issued to him a verbal order to stop the cutting of trees pending the holding of more talks with affected sectors. He said, however, that he would also order a stoppage to the cutting of trees in Tarlac pending a Senate inquiry into the controversy.
In a letter to Madrigal, the Federation of Homeowners Association of San Fernando said "we are in favor of pursuing and supporting the proposed economic and business plans but we are against the cutting of trees", adding that "cutting of trees will adversely affect the people’s health."
Local environmental leader Cecille Yumul expressed fears that cutting of the thousands of trees could lead to severe flooding in this city.
The road widening project would also involve the cutting of about 1,001 trees from Bamban to Capas in Tarlac and some 2,192 other trees from Tarlac City to San Manuel town at Tarlac’s boundary with Pangasinan.. Thousands more had already been cut along the old highway in Bulacan.
Only last week, Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. issued a clearance for "tree cutting and earth balling permit" to the DPWH covering the highway in Pampanga.
The trees affected by the road project in Pampanga alone include 779 fully grown Acacia, 36 balete, 175 camachile, 59 mango, and 60 narra trees. Scores of trees with commercial value include molave, tamarind, gemelina. and rubber trees.
Another 370 small sized trees or saplings with diameters at breast height of 25 centimeters and smaller were supposed to be "earth-balled" and transplanted in areas jointly identified by the DPWH and the local environment office concerned.
Under the permit and DENR guidelines, every tree that will be "damaged, destroyed and earth-balled" shall be replaced with "at least 30 seedlings approximately one centimeter in diameter and three feet in height" of indigenous species suitable for the areas.
