DENR set to issue permanent protection order for Naga trees

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said he  will issue a permanent protection order for the 21 trees that were spared from cutting when land was cleared for  a sports oval project of the Naga City government.

“He (Paje) thought that everything was in order between stakeholders and the Naga City government,” said Rudy Alix, a Movement for Livable Cebu (MLC) convenor who attended a dialog with Paje at his Manila office yesterday.

“The secretary was very accommodating. He weighs things. It  was  the first time that he heard the side of the stakeholders,” Alix added.

Winley dela Fuente, president of the Naga City Central School’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), said Paje thought that the Department of Education (DepEd) was the proponent of the sports oval project.

“Paje will send a letter to the DepEd regional office to verify the project,” dela Fuente said.

Requirements

He said he told Paje that the sports oval project was spearheaded by the Naga City government.

Alix and dela Fuente were joined by Naga City Councilor Venci Del Mar and two Manila based environmental groups during the dialog.

In  previous interviews Ma. Obdulla Lescano, Naga City Environment and Natural Officer (CENRO) said the budget for the project is shared by the Naga City government and the DepEd through its Special Education Fund (SEF).

She even claimed that they have no problems in terms of requirements because they have complete documents.

Lescano said the project started last May 5 but it was delayed because they waited on the DENR central office to issue the permit.

Questionable

The P68 million sports oval project is targeted for completion on January 30 next year.

“Since the cutting of trees is already finished, Secretary Paje will issue an order anytime this week a permanent protection order to the 21 saved trees,” dela Fuente said.

After the dialogue, dela Fuente said they gave a white folder that contains a one page petition letter for the removal of DENR-7 regional executive director Isabelo Montejo.

The petition letter called for Montejo’s removal for “his failure to provide protection for the Naga City trees by granting two tree cutting permits.”

“We find questionable that the permits were granted without exercising due diligence in finding out whether the necessary legal requirements for the project have been satisfied,” the letter read.

Existing policy

“He (Paje) said that he still needs to read our petition. The good secretary has no comments yet regarding the petition letter,” dela Fuente said.

DENR-7 spokesman Eddie Llamedo said they welcome any questions to their issuance of a special tree cutting permit to the Naga City government.

“As far as DENR-7 is concerned, the regional director grants the permit as long as it has the imprimatur or clearance from the DENR central office through undersecretary for field operations,” he said.

“The DENR-7 is merely implementing the existing policy on the issuance of special cutting permits. It cannot supersede or revoke a lawful order from DENR central office,” Llamedo added.