EDITORIAL - Should we wait for another incident?

A tree pathologist has recommended no cutting of the century-old acacia trees along the highway from Naga City to Carcar City. Following inspection last Thursday, Ernesto Militante of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños explained that the trees are in good condition except for their base being "strangled" by the concrete road. 

To improve balance and stability, Militante suggested corrective pruning to prevent the trees from leaning toward the highway and removal of dead branches. He also called for a regular monitoring of the trees.

His finding belied earlier pronouncement that called for the cutting of the trees as they pose danger to the public for being diseased and could collapse anytime. In fact, some trees have already been cut down following the falling of two trees that caused hours of heavy traffic in Carcar City and San Fernando town this year.

With this latest assessment, it seemed the order by Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje freezing any move to cut the acacia trees would stay.

This despite mounting calls by various quarters to cut those trees following the two falling incidents. The Capitol remains firm on its stand for them to be removed. And operators of bus and mini-bus in Cebu province, for their part, even come up with a resolution urging for the cutting of the trees since they pose hazards to the public.

While the moratorium is still in effect, it is the hope of every Cebuano that any tree falling incident won't happen again otherwise it would mean ultimate death to the move letting those acacias stay.  

This is not to question the legitimacy of the pathologist's finding. We have nothing but respect for the independent assessment of the man. However, the fact that two of the trees have already fallen accidentally should be enough for Cebuanos to be concerned for their safety.

Acacia trees, according to many experts, can easily fall during bad weather and should not be planted near the streets or buildings. We already know about the tragic death of a public utility jeepney driver who was hit by a toppled acacia tree following a heavy rain in Cebu City.

Granting those trees in those areas are strong enough to live for the next 100 years, should we wait for another incident to realize they don't really have business being near the highway?