Senator seeks probe on tree cutting

Sen. Jamby Madrigal has filed a resolution urging the Senate committee on environment and natural resources to conduct an inquiry on the "senseless destruction and cutting of 9,936 trees and samplings" in Quezon City.

Planted by the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc. (MSBFI) inside the property owned by the National Housing Authority (NHA), the trees and samplings were allegedly bulldozed by a construction firm without prior notice and permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Madrigal said an inquiry is needed to formulate measures that would effectively and immediately strengthen present laws concerning the preservation as well as the protection of the environment.

"Aside from filing Senate Resolution No. 71, environmentalist groups are also filing appropriate charges in court against San Jose Builders Inc. for violating environmental laws," she stressed.

The neophyte legislator pointed out that the trees were planted by the MSBFI to serve as natural "air pools" that concurrently act as agents that keep water tables intact and prevent soil erosion.

An active environmentalist even before she got elected senator, Madrigal recently led a protest rally against San Jose Builders in Quezon City.

She said that floods will always be a problem if trees are not protected.

"A single tree that is about 60 inches in diameter can absorb as much as 200 gallons of water during rainy days and gradually release it during the dry season," Madrigal added.