CENRO told to conduct inventory of trees to be affected by Ciudad

CEBU, Philippines - The Community and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Cebu City was ordered to find out the types of trees that will be affected by the Ciudad Project in Barangay Apas.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional technical director for lands Diana Apistar has ordered CENRO personnel upon the request of the Cebu City Council.

The members of the city council requested for an inventory of trees following reports that several trees will be affected if the project pushes through.

The Fifth Avenue Property Development Corporation, developer of the 2.8 hectare Ciudad Project, had already conducted its own inventory of trees and submitted its report to the Environmental Management Bureau.

Jonji Gonzales, spokesman of the developer, said there are only 332 species of trees within the project site, mostly are not endemic trees which can be cut down even without a permit from the DENR.

Councilor Nida Cabrera, chairperson of the City Council’s Committee on Environment, recently sponsored a resolution asking the DENR to conduct an inventory of trees. It was South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña who first brought up the issue of trees allegedly being cut off by the developer.

In fact, Osmeña filed graft charges against the EMB officials for allegedly allowing the developer to cut down trees within the project site. The developer denied cutting down trees.

According to Gonzales, old endemic trees that will be affected will be earth-balled and will be transferred to another area.

City Agriculturist Julito Baclayon volunteered to share his expertise in balling out the trees and have it replanted at the South Road Properties.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete had asked Baclayon to make a detailed letter explaining the process on how these giant old endemic trees can be replanted like what he did to the giant Acacia trees in Plaza Independencia that were affected by the tunnel construction.

The Ciudad Project is a joint venture of the Province of Cebu and the Fifth Avenue Property Development Corporation. (FREEMAN)