It’s good that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has directed all its offices to trim trees along the national roads. This is a relief for advocates against the cutting of the old trees, especially those along the San Fernando to Carcar highway in southern Cebu.
The debate has been ongoing because local government units consider these trees, which the Deppartment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said are be old and diseased, are alsodangerous.
Environmental advocates say that these trees can still be cured. There is no need to cut them as these can be trimmed to prevent them fro falling especially when there’s a typhoon.
Mayor Abe Canoy, in an 888 news forum, insisted that these trees are a threat to public safety, and that we could still plant more trees anyway. Mayor Canoy said that trees must not be planted along the highway, but rather on the hills so as not to block a locality’s progress.
But let us realize that the trees do have important functions in our lives, especially on our health.
There are ways to accommodate the concerns of all stakeholders.
The DPWH’s latest directive may not answer the concerns of some local government units but for the environment advocates, it is a welcome development in their struggle to preserve the old century old trees.
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I am happy that Vice President Jejomar Binay has committed to cooperate with the investigation to be conducted by the Department of Justice on the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building 2.
Hopefully, he makes good his commitment and will no longer evade the investigation. It’s about time that Binay would cooperate and finally answer the issues against him and his family.
At the same time, I also hope that Secretary Leila de Lima will not allow herself to be used in the highly partisan politics in the investigation on the vice president.
The Senate Blue Ribbon committee should now stop its investigation. Clearly, it is being used by Cayetano and Trillanes to boost their chances in the 2016 elections.
If they really have all the evidence to pin down the vice president, it is best that they file a case before the Office of the Ombudsman, an office considered by many as credible and insulated from politics..
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I know Cebu City Councilor Roberto “Bob” Cabarrubias. He is a good man but I honestly did not understand his behavior during the voting for the City Council reorganization.
Even before the voting, Councilor Bob had signified his intention to support the planned reorganization of Council committees, and had talked with Mayor Mike Rama.
There may be a hidden reason why he failed to deliver his commitment to Team Rama. Whatever the reason was, we just have to respect the good councilor. Mayor Rama is not a vengeful person. He is kind and generous, especially if he sees one as truly honest to him and his administration.
Former congressman Tommy Osmeña, in his Facebook account, said he was proud of Cabarrubias, asserting that he is not for sale.
In a way, Osmeña is correct because Mayor Rama never offered anything monetary to the councilor in exchange for his support. The mayor has been consistent in that practice.
Osmeña is always proud of taking good care of his men but I think Gerry Carillo, Richie Osmeña and Noel Wenceslao think otherwise.
They could not understand why Osmeña allowed Delute to file an administrative case against them in the Office of the President.
They believe that as a supporter and member of the BOPK, Osmeña should have convinced Delute to exclude them from the case. Osmeña did not, and instead gave Delute the go signal.