Gwen steps in to save old trees, heritage houses

CEBU, Philippines - Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has joined First District Rep. Eduardo Gullas in opposing the cutting of century-old trees and destruction of heritage houses affected by the proposed expansion of the south road.

“Even from the start of my administration, in my 12-point agenda, I have made the preservation of our heritage structures as a priority,” Garcia told reporters.

Garcia said she will do what she can - in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways - to find ways to preserve trees and heritage houses.

She said she was unaware of the plan and only read the same in the newspapers.

On Thursday, Garcia will meet with officials of DPWH; the mayors of Naga, Carcar and San Fernando; as well as officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to discuss the issue.

Garcia commended Gullas’ assurance to spare the century-old trees and heritage houses from destruction. Gullas himself secured funding to expand the present two-lane south road into four lanes. 

In a press conference Sunday, Gullas told reporters the century-old trees and ancestral houses along the 20-kilometer road from Naga City to Carcar City will not be affected as there will be no road widening in the area.

The trees that motorists see traveling south were planted in 1915 by the personnel of the Bureau of Public Works, the DPWH’s predecessor.

The DPWH plans to widen the two-lane road to four lanes, which has a P27-million budget, to accommodate the increasing volume of traffic in their area.

Gullas said that a check with the General Appropriations Act of 2010 shows a P27-million outlay for the widening and removal of obstruction encroachment within the road right of way from the Naga to Carcar section.

The proposed road-widening project will end near a mall in Carcar City. But Gullas instructed the DPWH that the road widening in the area should bypass Barangay Villadolid to Carcar City proper.

However, he said that the proposal still has a long way to go since the DPWH will have to conduct feasibility study. (FREEMAN)