‘Mystery’ on S. Osmeña Blvd. Council: Who took the trees?

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council yesterday called for an investigation on the disappearance of 88 indigenous trees planted in the center island of Sergio Osmeña Boulevard.

The trees were removed without permission from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and City Parks and Playground Commission, and the council wants to nail who did it.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, City Council committee on environment chairperson, said the trees “mysteriously” disappeared after they were all uprooted by unidentified perpetrators.

A portion of the road is undergoing major repairs that necessitated partial closure of the thoroughfare.

In a privilege speech, Cabrera said the DPWH and WT Construction Inc, which is undertaking the road rehabilitation project on S. Osmeña Boulevard, could not pinpoint who ordered the removal of the trees and where they are now placed.

The trees should have been earth-balled, which is a process where the tree is uprooted along with most of its root system and the soil surrounding the base, so they could be transplanted and still live elsewhere.

“The trees suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Sudden because the trees were still seen on Friday and mysterious because no one, not even DPWH or the contractor, can tell and determine with certainty who ordered the removal of the trees from the site, who performed the actual removal, where are the current locations of the removed trees, and whether or not these trees survived this reprehensible act,” Cabrera said.

In a March 24 letter, Anastacio Cabalejo, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in-charge, recommended the earth-balling of the trees, with the City Park and Playground Commission and the DENR-CENRO strictly supervising the process “to ensure a high survival rate for the indigenous trees.”

Now, however, no one among the concerned agencies knows if any of the trees could still be saved.

Based on a DENR-CENRO inventory report, at least 145 trees, including a fire tree, talisay-dagat, yellow shower, acacia auri, acacia angium, narra, iba, duhat, mango, neem, ficus and kamachile, should have been earth-balled and moved to the Senior Citizens Park and the Plaza Independecia, which are both near the Cebu City Hall.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said the disappearance of the trees was “not only condemnable but in violation to the existing environmental laws.”

Section 3 of Presidential Decree 953 provides that “any person who cuts, destroys, damages or injures, naturally growing or planted trees of any kind…along public roads…shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than six months and not more than two years, or a fine of not less than five hundred pesos and not more than five thousand pesos or both at the discretion of the court.”

On the other hand, members of the Parks and Playground Commission agreed during their meeting Tuesday to demand from DPWH-7, which is the implementing agency of the road rehabilitation project, to replace in equal number, diameter, and species, the missing trees.

The City Council also directed the DENR-CENRO to conduct an immediate investigation to identify the perpetrators; for the City Parks and Playground Commission to submit an incident report; and for the City Command Center to provide Friday’s CCTV footages of S.Osmeña Boulevard.

The council has scheduled an executive session on April 14, to be attended by the DPWH-7, WT Construction Inc, DENR-CENRO, Parks and Playground Commission, C3 representatives, and Barangay Mabolo officials, to solve the “mystery.” — /RHM (FREEMAN)