Low Risk of Falling

There was no easy answer yesterday to the question of whether 88 trees along the South Cebu Highway should be cut down and who would be blamed if another century-old Acacia falls down.

Dr. Roger Z. Guzman, the veteran forester who was called in for a third party assessment, said most of the “severed and defective trees” which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has tagged for cutting could still be saved.

He said the trees “can still be sustained with low risk to motorists and pedestrians in terms of sudden fall without external cause.”

Guzman said his “rapid assessment” in Naga, Carcar and San Fernando from Aug. 13 to 15 showed that “most of the trees identified as diseased were caused by physical injuries”.

For example, the base of several trees he inspected were “wrapped with cement” from the road work, roots were cut off. Branches were improperly pruned, which allowed disease to set in. People living nearby would also burn leaves or garbage at the base.

He suggested options such as tree surgery, pruning, and other interventions to be supervised by DENR foresters, aside from a more in-depth study of the matter.

“I’m not here to impose,” he said during a presentation of his findings at the Capitol yesterday. “These are options you can consider.”

Others present were representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7, Capitol disaster office, and civil society members of the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC) and the Philippine Earth Justice Center, the NGO which flew in Guzman from Manila.

The DENR 7, which presented its own assessment with photos of decayed and ‘defective” trees, firmly stood by its evaluation that removal was necessary.

It took them six months and two separate teams of foresters to assess 25 trees in Carcar city alone, said Eduardo Inting, DENR Regional Technical Director for Forestry Management Services.
“As much as possible we want to save them,” he said, but they found out that nine trees in Carcar were “beyond saving.”

He said a “tree pathologist” is needed to decide the matter since de Guzman’s expertise was silviculture, which deals with the management of forests.

“The only reason we have to call a pathologist is because our assessment was questioned,” said Inting, who remarked that it was “insulting” for the DENR since the issue of the trees in the road widening project in South Cebu wouldn’t have dragged on this long if the original evaluation of DENR was “respected”.

Inting said that the DENR’s concern boils down to two questions: Who will pay for the tree surgery? Who will take responsibility if another accident happens after the two century-old Acacias fell by the highway in Carcar and San Fernando last month?

Dr. Guzman, who said his voluntary service in Cebu was in answer to a request by the PEJC, other environment NGOs and Fr. Robert Reyes, tried to underscore the common goal of all stakeholders.

He praised the DENR foresters for using the right “instrument” in assessing the trees and sharing their experience.

“We have the technology to address this situation. We are all partners in our love for trees,”he said.

“Cost shouldn’t be a problem because this is our mandate to protect and maintain the trees.”
Citizen stakeholders stepped in to smooth over the start of tensions in the discussion.

Mark Canton of MLC said it was important to continue an open discussion and collaboration for the good of Cebu.

The group agreed to meet again on Tuesday this time with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Director Ador Canlas to explore next steps with DENR and other civil society groups.

Rudy Alix of MLC said it was possible to have “both trees and progress together”.

As a “peace offering”, he said the MLC would donate boring instruments which can be used to check the interior condition of trees.

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