Power co-op faces raps over ‘killing’ of 125 trees in Pampanga

TREE MASSACRE At least 47 trees, mostly acacia, are cut by an electric cooperative in Sta. Ana town, Pampanga province. The cooperative’s officials, however, say they only “trimmed” the trees due to public safety concerns. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday filed criminal cases against five officials and personnel of the Pampanga Electric Cooperative (Pelco) 1 for cutting 125 trees in two towns last month.

Laudemir Salac, the DENR officer in Pampanga, said the cases were filed in the provincial prosecutor’s office.

Pelco 1 is accused of cutting 47 trees by the roadsides in the villages of San Pedro and San Juan in Sta. Ana town and 78 trees at Barangay San Ildefonso in Magalang town on Aug. 30.

Trimmed, not cut

These were mostly acacia and narra trees. Those in Magalang were planted under the government’s National Greening Program.

“These are cases of trimming and pruning gone wrong,” Salac said, adding that the Pelco 1 officials were sued for violating Presidential Decree No. 705 (Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines).

Included in the complaint were Pelco 1 general manager Loliano Allas and five officials.

Allas on Thursday said they would answer the complaints but insisted in an earlier interview that the trees were only trimmed and these were covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with a former DENR official in 1999.

He said the trimming was coordinated with the DENR for two months and that two DENR personnel were also at the site during the activity.

Public safety

“We trimmed out of concern for public safety,” he added.

Citing the account of an area manager, Allas said it was not true that Pelco 1 felled 78 trees in Magalang. “Someone cut the trees,” he said, adding that the culprit was being identified at this time.

Photos circulating on social media showed that several trees lost their branches and their trunks standing at not more than 2 meters.

Salac said he had recommended the revocation of the MOA signed by then regional DENR director, Gregorio Nisperos.

He also asked local officials to cancel the permits of chainsaws owned by Pelco 1 and ordered the cooperative to plant 100 trees for each of the 47 trees cut.