WTCI exec owns up loss of S. Osmeña Blvd trees

CEBU, Philippines - WT Construction Incorporated (WTCI) consulting engineer Adolfo Quiroga has confirmed yesterday that they owned the heavy equipment used in clearing  Sergio Osmeña Boulevard's center island that caused the disappearance of at least 79 trees.

He made the admission after WTCI and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources viewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the road in a closed-door City Council special session yesterday.

"Gipakita ang video nila and dugay nakatingog kay na-shock man (They were shown the recording and what they saw shocked them. They themselves already knew about it…confirmed by the admission of  Engr. Quiroga nga (that) they owned the equipment. Di man mamakak ang video (The footage does not lie)," said City Councilor David Tumulak.

He heads the Cebu City Command Center, which controls several CCTV cameras all over the city, including one near S. Osmeña Boulevard.

The City Council also asked WTCI to submit on Monday a list of the names of employees deployed for the S. Osmeña Blvd. road repair project, for investigation.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, the committee on environment chairperson who first brought the matter before the City Council, concluded yesterday what has been suspected all along-that WTCI was the main culprit in the disappearance of the 79 trees.

"Nakita nato didto nga naay activity gihimo. Wala naman tay laing kapasanginlan, klaro naman gyod kay wala naman laing nagtrabaho didto (We saw they were the ones doing civil works there. We have no other to blame)," Cabrera told reporters.

WTCI is undertaking the Department of  Public Works and Highways-7's  P289-million road rehabilitation project on S. Osmeña Boulevard.

After what they saw, the city councilors no longer continued watching the  rest of  the March 22 to 31 footage.

"Gi-stop namo kay its useless na kay wala naman laing nagtrabaho didto," Cabrera said.

"Nothing was new. Practically just the same as what was presented during the previous session," said Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Tumulak said Quiroga recently revealed to him the act committed by WTCI's workers, that they were the ones who removed the trees.

"Nitug-an siya sa tinuod kay gi-ingnan nako undangon na ang pamakak (He told the truth after I told him to already stop the lies)," Tumulak said.

The DENR has filed a case against WTCI for violating Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 953, which states that "Any person who cuts, destroys, damages or injures, naturally growing or planted trees…shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than six months and not more than two years."

And depending on the discretion of the court, the offender may be imposed a fine of "not less than five hundred pesos and not more than five thousand pesos" or both penalties. —/RHM (FREEMAN)