City Hall holds off video of tree rippers

The strongest evidence showing who uprooted trees along the Serging Osmeña Road would be video footage from security cameras.

However, the footage is not being released by the Cebu city government.

A request was made on Monday in a letter to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama but he told reporters he would wait for the recommendation of Councilor Dave Tumulak, who heads the Command Control Center.

Tumulak, in turn, said there were “protocols” to follow and that a court order is needed.

“The contractor already admitted that they did it. That’s enough evidence already,” said Tumulak, adding that “We’re also worried about the security issues if we release the footage.”

With or without the footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 is set to file a complaint today against WT Construction Inc., the contractor of the ongoing rehabilitation of the national road.

“We can request the court to issue a subpoena to produce documents or testimonies. We are serious about filing a case against WT Construction,” said Eddie Llamedo, spokesman of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7.

Over a week after the disapearance of at least 88 fire trees was condemned by Cebu City Councilor Nida Cabrera in a privilege speech other City Hall officials seem lukewarm about taking the contractor to task or pressing him to tell where the trees were taken.

The trees, planted over the past 7 years by the city government, were supposed to be earth-balled and transferred to a government site as stated in the permit issued by the DENR 7.

Representatives of DENR 7 and the Parks and Playgrounds Commission were also supposed to be present to witness the transfer, but had no idea the trees were already ripped out.

It was not immediately clear who set the policy in City Hall that requires a court order for the use of security camera video in a government inquiry about the destruction of the city-owned property.

Tumulak was the one who revealed immediately after the controversy broke that he watched the footage of the CCTVs and saw heavy equipment of WT Consruction removing the trees and loading them on dump trucks from 10 p.m. to dawn everyday from March 26 to 31.

In the letter to Mayor Rama, the DENR requested him to provide an official copy of the recording of the CCTV with an affidavit from the CCTV operator and possible affidavits from traffic personnel who may have witnessed the removal of the trees.

DENR Regional Executive Director Isabelo Montejo cited their joint efforts to get to the truth “as we try to get our act together for the continued protection of our envirionment and natural resources.”

The evidence is needed to reinforce the case.

The DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) head who conducted the inventory and reinventory of the trees has already executed an affidavit, Llamedo added.

WT Construction consultant Engr. Adolfo Quiroga will be one of the respondents, he added.

The DENR will cite two environmental laws, including the Forestry Code, Presidental Decree 705.

“They violated Presidential Decrees 953 and 705. According to PD 953, the officers of a corporation will be held liable, meaning it’s the president of WT construction including the board members,” Llamedo said.

In a phone interview with CDN, Quiroga said he will just wait for the case to be filed.

He declined to comment further.”Kaso naman kaha na. Ma sub judice man ko kung motubag ko ana,” Quiroga said.

(It’s already a case. I will be sub judice if I answer)

He said the contractor already submitted a formal reply to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7.

According to DPWH project Engr. Roy dela Cruz, they received it and submitted this with the DPWH’s own reply last Tuesday to CENRO.

But according to Llamedo of DENR, the environment didn’t get a copy yet.

“As of 4:30 pm yesterday (Tuesday), we haven’t received anything. I talked with CENRO Raul

Pasoc, he said they still didn’t get a reply,” Llamedo said.

The DENR issued a cease-and-desist order last April 4 to the DPWH to stop its earth-balling activity in the area pending an investigation. The actual road rehabilitation, however, was allowed to continue.