Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said he will ask the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to allow the cutting of five trees sticking out of the road which pose a threat to travelers passing the national highway from Naga to Carcar cities.
“It’s obvious that these trees are a threat to public safety. They’re in the middle of the road. They’re not even illuminated so motorists will not be able to see them from afar at night,” he said in an interview after the inauguration of a road concreting project in San Fernando town, southern Cebu, yesterday.
Davide said he was surprised by the request of the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC) to the DPWH and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to have these five trees cut.
In an Oct. 27 letter, MLC lead convenor Marc Canton said the five trees are not heritage trees and need to be “removed from the road as soon as possible” as they pose an extreme risk to the safety of motorists.
“I thought they were for the preservation of trees?” Davide commented.
However, the five trees in Naga are differently situated from four century-old Acacias in the City of Naga and over 70 other roadside trees in Carcar and San Fernando identified for cutting down for a road widening project by DPWH and DENR, and opposed by the MLC.
Davide said he maintains his stand that trees that pose hazards to public safety should be cut down. He said he also agrees with the recommendation of tree pathologist Dr. Ernesto Militante to prune, and not cut down century-old acacia trees. The governor wrote Environment Secretary Ramon Paje back last August asking him to lift his order against cutting trees affected by road expansion projects. Davide said he had yet to receive an answer from Paje.
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