Ciudad developer to earth-ball trees

CEBU, Philippines - The developer of the proposed Ciudad Project yesterday assured that all affected trees will be earth-balled and will be replanted somewhere else.

Fifth Avenue Property Development Corporation Architect Libby Baysa also said that there will be no old tress along the road shall be affected by the project which will be built on the province-owned lot in Barangay Apas.

Baysa said that earth-balled trees will be replanted along the highway.

Some members of the Cebu media were toured yesterday at the project site to find out what are the trees to be affected with the development.

There are 332 trees representing 23 species in the said properties but only about 10 percent are considered premium or endemic trees.

The rest of the trees are just short-lived and non-endemic like Ipil-ipil, Mahogany, Gmelina, Mansanitas, Kaimito and others.

Provincial Agriculturist, Dr. Necias Vicoy, said that short-lived trees like Ipil-ipil are harvestable after ten years.

These trees are even used by farmers for intercropping because the dried leaves and fruits are abundant source of fertilizer.

Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman said that once these trees are harvested, these can be used in the bio-reactor at the nearby IT Park.

Ayuman also said that job generation must be given more emphasis than preserving those short-lived trees.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources earlier said that these kinds of trees do not require cutting permit unless transported.

But Jonji Gonzales, spokesman for Fifth Avenue, said they will include these kinds of trees in their cutting permit application with DENR.

The Environmental Compliance Certificate application of Ciudad was earlier returned to the management by DENR after it found inconsistencies in the developer’s statements and documents as DENR awaits the resolution of the case filed by Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña against DENR officials in relation to the said project before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

But the management of the Fifth Avenue has resubmitted Monday their application to the DENR-Environment Management Bureau.

The developer assured that the company is transparent and has been consistent in judiciously following the legal requirements and processes for securing the necessary permits and clearances.

Gonzales reiterated that while there is a statement of “no cutting of trees within the project site”, they are not deceiving the public and being inconsistent.

The Ciudad Project is a joint venture project between the Province of Cebu and the Fifth Avenue for the construction of five commercial establishments at the province-owned lot that used to be occupied by the Cebu International School. 

It has been delayed for more than six years now because of the absence ECC from the DENR.—(FREEMAN)