A reply to Lastimosa's column

Dear Mr. Lastimosa:

This is in reply to your column in The Freeman which came out today, 21 February 2015, alleging, among others, that our company, 8990 Housing Development Corporation, did not have the proper permits to cut the trees found inside our property in relation to our development of a housing project located in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.

As a responsible developer with a track record of more than 10 years, we know that the ECC issued by the EMB-DENR does not give us the blanket authority to cut the trees inside our property. That is why as early as October 3, 2014, we already wrote to Mr. Raul Pasoc, the OIC of CENRO Cebu City, asking for a permit to cut down the trees inside our proposed subdivision project. On November 4, 2014, Mr. Pasoc replied that CENRO interposed no objection to cut the trees since they were deregulated species and planted within private property as provided pursuant to DENR Administrative Order No. 1990-79. CENRO also endorsed our request to the DENR Regional Office for the issuance of a clearance in order for CENRO to issue a Certificate of Tree Plantation Ownership so that we could harvest the trees. Thereafter, on January 13, 2015, the DENR Regional Director Isabelo Montejo issued a Memorandum addressed to the CENRO granting the clearance.  Copies of said correspondence are hereto attached for your perusal.

We hope this clears any misunderstanding of the status of our project and its permits and we would appreciate it if you could present our side in your column so that the misperception of the reading public will be corrected.

Atty. ANTHONY VINCENT S. SOTTO

General Manager for Operations 8990 Holdings Inc.