DPWH: No funds yet for trees replacement

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways-7 is still waiting for the release of the P8 million budget for the purchase of seedlings.

DPWH-7 information officer Marie Nillama said the seedlings will be planted as replacement for the trees that will be uprooted or earth-balled in the on-going P1.25 billion worth of Naga-Carcar road expansion project.

“We thought nga ang mga seedlings libre ra nga ihatag sa DENR, mao na nga wa na siya ma apil sa among budget sa region. We made the request last year to our head office and until now, wa pa ma release ang budget,” said Nillama.

Despite of this, the road expansion project continues leaving behind in the meantime the portions with trees.

“Padayon gihapon ang maong proyekto. Wa lang sa to trabahoa ang portion nga naay mga trees,” she added.

The project was initiated by former Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas.

Gullas earlier said the project would be beneficial among Cebuanos as well as the Boholanos and the Negrenses who pass this road on their way to Cebu City.

 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources earlier emphasized that no cutting of trees shall be done unless replaced with 13,800 of native and indigenous seedlings by DPWH.

Inventory of trees conducted by a joint team of DENR-7 and DPWH-7, has found a total of 155 different trees will be affected by the on-going project.

Of the 155 trees, 25 of these are century old acacia trees. Of the 25 trees, eight of these were considered to be defective and hazardous since these are now in the advance stage of decay and could no longer be rehabilitated.

Aside from having no budget yet for the replanting, an environmentalist group, the Philippine Earth Justice Center, continues to oppose and condemned  the proposed cutting of so-called heritage trees  and fruit-bearing trees that are affected by the project. (FREEMAN)