Samsam to realign road widening funds

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu first district Rep. Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas said he will realign the funds intended for the road widening project in southern Cebu if the project will be stalled further.

The project, which costs at least a billion pesos, cannot proceed just yet because the acacia trees that line the national highway could not be cut down following protests.

There are 154 trees affected by the road widening project in the cities of Naga and Carcar and in the town of San Fernando, 88 of which were recommended for removal.

"If I were to have my way, I will realign the funds to Manipis," Gullas told reporters yesterday. He was in Naga City yesterday to listen to the State of the City Address of Mayor Valdemar Chiong.

He explained that if the funds will not be utilized here, they will be reverted to the national coffers.

Barangay Manipis in Talisay City is a landslide-prone area and could use the funds to install nets along the hills as suggested by engineers, Gullas said.

The latest incident occurred just last week. 

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 has warned residents to avoid risk areas like Sitio Camp 6 as loose boulders and soil may slide down the hill anytime.

Gullas said the mayors in the district can pass a resolution recommending the cutting of the acacia trees, considering that they were found to be diseased and hazardous. At least two acacia trees have fallen in Naga.

"I won't suggest filing a case. They should pass a resolution to DENR recommending for the cutting of trees," Gullas said.

Chiong and Sibonga Mayor Lionel Bacaltos both agree with Gullas. Chiong said the existing trees can be replaced with new ones while Bacaltos said another tree falling on the street will just inconvenience motorists.

Just last month, the third-party assessment on the trees identified for removal went back to square one after DENR-7 and environmental groups agreed to look for another third-party expert, specifically a forest pathologist, a professional who specializes in plant health.

Emma Melana, director of DENR-7's Ecosystem Research and Development Sector, had said the concerned parties would come up with names of experts and the environmental groups would take charge of going through their credentials.

Louella Alix of Movement for Livable Cebu said the independent opinion will erase doubts and bias on the credibility of the assessment.

There are 25 acacia trees in Naga that were subjected to scrutiny or physical evaluation.  Of the 25, four were cut down last August 5.

In his findings and recommendations, Roger Guzman, executive director of the conservation group Philippine Federation for Environmental Concern, had said that while the trees earmarked to be removed were indeed diseased, administering remedies and silvicultural treatment operations should be the course to take rather than cutting them down immediately.

DENR did not recommend tree surgery for trees with defect of 50 centimeters in diameter. — /JMO (FREEMAN)