ARE you for or against the cutting of trees along the Manila North Road (MNR)?

This was the question posed by former fifth district Rep. Mark Cojuangco to Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr. as he dared the latter to break his silence and tell the people his stand whether he is for or against the cutting of trees along the Rosales-Sison road stretch.

In a press conference Wednesday, Cojuangco wondered why the governor is silent about the issue “and why other people are speaking in his behalf”.

“If he really believes this is wrong, he should be the one to speak so I can answer him,” Cojuangco said. The area traversed by the MNR includes Cojuangco’s turf where his wife Kimi is the incumbent congresswoman.

He accused the Espino administration of making the cutting of the trees on the road a “political football,” Cojuangco said.

He said if the provincial government is indeed against cutting of trees, “why didn’t they speak out when there were more than three thousand trees cut in the forest of Mangatarem town for a road project (going to Zambales)?.”

“Their reasons are too flimsy, over rotten on why they harass the road widening project along the MNR,” Cojuangco said.

He also hit the agreement recently signed by Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan and representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, non-government organizations to stop cutting of trees along the MNR and to rehabilitate the girdled trees.

The agreement referred to by Cojuangco were signed by Baraan with local officials of DENR and DPWH together with Patria Gwen Borcena of Green Research, Julia Senga and Virginia Pasalo of Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission but whose representations were not identified in the document they signed last month.

“Who are these people (from the DPWH, DENR)? They are not even assistant or undersecretaries. Are they authorized to enter into such agreement?,” Cojuangco asked.

Baraan said in a phone interview that the coordinating meeting that led to the signing of the agreement was a discussion on how to implement the directives of DENR Secretary Ramon Paje, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson the provincial board of Pangasinan on their decision to stop tree cutting along the MNR highway.

Baraan said he acted on instruction of the governor and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to set the meeting.

He also denied Cojuangco’s allegation that the provincial government did not act against the massive cutting of trees in Mangatarem. “It stopped because we made a noise,” he said.

When asked why the governor has not reacted to Cojuangco’s statements, Baraan said Espino was in Manila.

Meanwhile, Cojuangco said the MNR is a national project and he questioned the authority of the provincial government over it. He said the district’s representative and municipal councils of the towns affected by the road project issued resolutions approving the cutting of the trees.

But Baraan countered that the responsibility for the general welfare of the people vests upon the shoulders of the governor. “The governor has the over-all responsibility and accountability for the general welfare of the entire province of Pangasinan,” he said.

APPEAL TO MEDIA

Cojuangco also appealed to the media to look also at the other side of the story, saying that the communities in the district are suffering because of the delay even after the process in getting permit to cut the trees affected by the road-widening project had been fully observed.

Cojuangco remarked had he not declared his candidacy for governor in 2016, “this (tree cutting in MNR) would not have been an issue”.

He asked media to look into effects and consequences of “special interests” in stopping the cutting of trees.

Cojuangco said he will continue to fight for the project and to stand firm that “those trees have to be go”.

“Once and for all, let’s finish this,” he added. He bewailed DENR’s flip-flopping on the issue after issuing the permits to cut the trees. He said he will pursue a meeting with both secretaries of the DPWH and DENR to enlighten them about the project.

“If they do not act on this favorably, it just reflects the “urong-sulong” mentality that results in nothing happening,” he added.—(Tita Roces)

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