DPWH nod needed to earthball trees

BEFORE a special tree-cutting permit is issued for the earthballing of 11 Narra trees in front of a new

mall, a clearance has to be secured from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Manila.
“It (earthballing) should be vetted first by the DPWH secretary because these trees are along the (S.

Osmeña) road,” said Eddie Llamedo, spokesman of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

(DENR) regional office.
He said the contractor of Robinsons Galleria Cebu, Constech Management Group Inc., can’t touch the

trees unless there is “explicit clearance” from DENR Manila and a special tree-cutting permit issued by

DENR 7.
Narra, he said, is considered a premium tree species.
Only two out of the 11 trees proposed to be earthballed may be moved based on their size, said Llamedo.
“Based on (DENR) guidelines, only 15 centimeters in diameter and below may be earthballed but if it is

more than 15, it is cutting already,” he said.
Based on the inspection report of the Cebu City Parks and Playgrounds Commission (PPC), the trunks of

two trees are 15 centimeters in diameter. The others range from 18 to 34 centimeters in diameter.
Constech has secured from barangay Tejero a resolution interposing no objection to the earthballing of

the trees to give way to the construction of the mall’s entrance and exit points.
The PPC also endorsed the proposal to DENR 7 last Friday.
Manolito Briones, head of PPC’s earthballing section, said that based on experience, even the bigger

trees can still survive being earth-balled if transferred nearby.
“We recommended that the trees be moved to the vacant spots at the side of the mall. But everything

depends on the DENR,” he told reporters.
Robinsons Galleria Cebu will have a soft opening on Oct. 21. /Reporter Jose Santino S. Bunachita