LINGAYEN—After the second round of inquiry conducted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on the protested tree-cutting in eastern Pangasinan, board members remain convinced that the decades-old trees should have been saved.

“We are doing our best to strike a balance between caring for the environment and development projects,” said Vice Gov. Ferdinand Calimlim Jr., chair of the SP.

In last week’s Question Hour session, the SP were not swayed by the explanations presented by representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as well as former Rep. Mark Cojuangco who pushed for the road widening project which required the cutting of trees along the highway.

Also present during the inquiry were those protesting the cutting of some 1,829 trees authorized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Fr. Robert Reyes, known as the running priest, lamented that there was no public consultation done on the project.

“The trees were not even marked, so without markings how can they be monitored,” he said, noting that there was even no concrete report as to where the logs went.

Fr. Reyes also said there is really no need for a wider Manila North Road (MNR) since the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) will soon be extended up to Rosario, La Union.

Accompanied by some non-government organizations/environmentalist groups, Fr. Reyes camped overnight last Monday along the MNR from Rosales to Sison  to dramatize their advocacy to save the remaining trees.

Gwen Borcena, president of Green Research, has suggested that an inter-disciplinary team composed of different concerned government agencies and environment groups should  meet to discuss plans, including the planting of trees.

The environment groups were one in saying that their stand against cutting of trees is a national concern.

HISTORICAL VALUE

The Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission is also among the strong oppositors to the tree cutting.

PHCC head Virginia Pasalo said the trees have historical significance, citing how during the liberation, the Americans took shelters in shades of robust Alipangpang trees in Pozorrubio before going north in pursuit of the Japanese who were retreating to Baguio and Bessang Pass.

Alipangpang is a name given to one of the barangays of Pozorrubio where that kind of tree specie is still teeming.

She said the road widening is not only about trees but also properties where ancestral houses are located that may be encroached upon by the widened highway.

Samuel Penafiel, DENR Regional Director, said that the issuance of permit to the DPWH to cut trees for the Manila North Road (MNR) project was based on submitted justification on the economic impact of the project, gathered endorsement of concerned local government units (LGUs), and the project development plan.

DEFENDERS

Engr. Emmanuel Diaz, officer-in-charge of the 3rdPangasinan Engineering District in Rosales town, said the MNR project, considered as the “umbilical cord of Northern Luzon,” has project features like road shoulder for pedestrians and planting of trees outside the road right of way.

Cojuangco, for his part, pointed out that the project already delayed by five years has the support of all the mayors in his district, from Villasis, Urdaneta City, Binalonan, Pozorrubio and Sison. —LVM and Tita Roces with report from PIO

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