Nueva Vizcaya cop chief in hot water for cutting century-old tree

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Still smarting from the flak he received for the temporary resurgence of jueteng here, Senior Superintendent Jesus Manubay, provincial police director, got himself into trouble again.

This time, Manubay is in hot water for ordering the cutting of a century-old mahogany tree inside the provincial police compound here, reportedly without first securing a clearance from the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Gov. Rodolfo Agbayani said he would initiate an investigation to determine Manubay’s liability for ordering the cutting of the treasured tree in front of the police director’s quarters.

"We’ll investigate the matter and find out who is at fault here," said Agbayani, whose "Tree for a Legacy" program earned for the province a Galing Pook award and other commendations last year.

He said the local DENR office had denied having issued any clearance to Manubay to cut the century-old tree, which according to residents, had been there since the short-lived American occupation.

However, two days after the DENR statement, Agbayani said the same office informed him that it had indeed given Manubay a clearance before the tree was cut last month.

Agbayani wondered why the DENR gave such conflicting pronouncements in a span of just two days.

Nicasio Pascua, provincial environment and cultural resources officer, also denied having approved a permit authorizing Manubay to cut the tree. 

"I am not aware of having approved such a permit," Pascua said when contacted by cellular phone.