CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Local officials have slammed government offices here that handle the redevelopment project in Divisoria after finding out that they cut down old Mahogany trees without the necessary permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
ONE of the old Mahogany trees in Plaza Divisoria in Cagayan de Oro City marked with a number by the authorities. (Photo courtesy of Tom Udasco via Raul Ilogon)
Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez reacted after Councilor Roger Abaday, chairman of the committee on environment, said that the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO), the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Initao, and representatives of Project Lunhaw allegedly agreed to cut the trees without a permit for the sake of public safety.
"As per you, telling us that it has no permit and they just made an agreement is already, you are not following the law," Rodriguez said in a mix of English and vernacular during the city council’s regular session on Monday, August 14.
Councilor James Judith II, who made the special report on the matter, said cutting the trees wouldn’t probably have happened if they followed the correct procedure, stressing that the authorized government agency is very particular on the matter.
CLENRO head Engr. Armen Cuenca confirmed that there’s no permit yet issued by the CENRO-Initao, but they used the "police power" of the local government to cut down the two Mahogany trees at Magsaysay Park in Divisoria — the project site of the Operation Kahusay ug Kalinaw (OKK) building — for the general welfare because of imminent danger.
The city government, through CLENRO, applied for the necessary permit, but it was returned due to a lack of requirements.
Cuenca said they did not wait for the approval because the two Mahogany trees were at "high risk."
"Actually, the trees that had been cut down were commercial trees — Mahogany, and then their roots had already been exposed. When the construction starts, if the trees would not be cut, they would fall," Cuenca told the Manila Bulletin in a mix of English and vernacular on Tuesday, August 15.
Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 953 states that the cutting of trees is punishable, except "when the cutting, destroying, damaging, or injuring is necessary for public safety or the pruning thereof is necessary to enhance beauty, and only upon the approval of the duly authorized representative of the head of agency.."
Heritage advocates here have been commenting on the need to redevelop the Divisoria — the heart of the city — without compromising the old trees. This was also pointed out by Rodriguez during the session on Monday, citing other places and buildings with old trees.
Raul Ilogon, a historian here, made a recent Facebook post citing various online articles that support how strong the Mahogany tree is.
"Mahogany, the trees that are giving Kagay-anons cool and clean air. Two of the trees that were giving Kagay-anons shade underneath its beautiful canopy for more than 50 years were cut down. Many more with numbers painted on trunks are awaiting their fate," Ilogon said in a Facebook post.
Ilogon told the Manila Bulletin on Tuesday that they raised their call on saving the decades-old trees at Divisoria to the DENR Secretary, which had been filed by Arthur Aranas, his colleague from Kagay-an Heritage Advocates.
The Office of the Environment Secretary received the complaint through email on August 11, and it has been forwarded to DENR Region 10, said Ilogon.
Cuenca explained that Mahogany trees are commercial lumber that needs to be harvested after they reach the mature age of 30-years-old. He added that the two Mahogany trees that had been cut down in Divisoria were more than 30-years-old.
However, the CLENRO head clarified that there will be newly grown trees to be put in Divisoria in order to achieve the target of Project Lunhaw, which is a climate resiliency project that aims to transform the heart of the city into a walkable, bikeable, and green urban space.
The numbers that can be seen in the trunks of the rest of the trees in Divisoria are an indication of their status in order for the CLENRO to determine which tree is subject to removal, pruning, and rehabilitation.
Cuenca said there are still no trees to be cut down in the coming days as of posting time since they are still conducting the assessment. The initial assessment conducted by CLENRO will be transferred to CENRO-Initao for the final evaluation.
He urged the public not to worry, as they will keep the trees that need to be kept.