Governor still worried about risk of tree fall
After three rounds of examination by various tree experts, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III still worries about old Acacia trees falling on the Naga-Carcar road.
“My stand is still my previous stand,” he told reporters the other day.
Davide, who has repeatedly said his top priority is public safety, said he would meet soon with mayors of Carcar, San Fernando and Naga to discuss the findings of Dr. Ernesto Militante, the tree pathologist who inspected three century-old Acacia trees in the City of Naga and remaining roadside trees in the south Cebu highway.
Last Thursday, Militante gave his report in an exit conference at the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7. He said the trees were still alive and actually “healing” but need to be pruned to balance top-heavy crowns, and their roots need to be freed from the “strangulation” of concrete at the base.
DENR 7, in reaction, said the agency had “no budget” for tree rehabilitation.
This prompted Capitol disaster office head Baltazar Tribunalo to state in the meeting that Cebu province had the equipment and resources for this, and would set another meeting with Governor Davide and the mayors to discuss how to coordinate pruning.
Militante was the second independent expert, after silviculturist Dr. Roger Guzman, who said there was no reason to cut the trees along the south Cebu highway.
DENR 7 foresters had earlier endorsed the immediate cutting of 88 trees in Naga, Carcar and San Fernando for being “diseased or defective”, posing danger of falling on passersby.
Governor Davide wrote Environment Secretary Ramon Paje asking him to reconsider his order in August withdrawing all tree-cutting permits. Davide is still waiting for a reply.
“If it is diseased and dying and if it poses danger to public safety, the tree should be cut down. We really cannot say. There are even people who are healthy but get a heart attack the following day. We can never tell,” Davide said last week.
To settle the issue, DENR and environmentalists had agreed to call in a third expert, tree pathologist Militante.
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