Groups decry cutting of decades-old trees for Manila expressway project
MANILA, Philippines – Environmental groups, fisherfolk organizations, and concerned youth protested in Manila on Tuesday against the Department of Natural Resources (DENR)-backed cutting of decades-old trees for the Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEx) project.
Led by Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, the green advocates gathered along Mabini Street, forming a human chain around remaining trees marked for cutting.Earlier, the DENR defended the removal of mature shade trees along Quirino Avenue in Manila, saying the activity was legally permitted and carried out under strict environmental regulations.READ: DENR defends mass cutting of trees in Manila for road project
“Tree-cutting permits for SALEx expose how environmental governance has been reduced to rubber-stamping corporate projects,” said Cathleen de Guzman, national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment.
Critics said SALEx forms part of a wider network of expressways and reclamation projects that benefit investors and elite mobility while displacing communities and damaging ecosystems.
According to Kalikasan, these developments place heavier burdens on urban poor communities already dealing with worsening floods, rising temperatures, and air pollution.Under the SALEx project, 50,700 seedlings are required to be planted across the City of Manila in compliance with the Memorandum on Seedling Replacement Uniform Ratio.
“Promised tree replacement or offsetting measures are not enough to justify the cutting of old and large trees,” said de Guzman.
“Newly planted saplings cannot immediately replace the decades-long role these trees have played in absorbing carbon and serving as a buffer against extreme urban heat,” she added.Meanwhile, fisherfolk group Pamalakaya raised concerns over the impact of large-scale infrastructure and reclamation projects on coastal communities and marine ecosystem.
“The livelihoods of fisherfolk and communities continue to be sacrificed for projects that mainly serve big business interests, while flooding worsens, marine ecosystems are destroyed, and people lose their sources of livelihood,” said Ronnel Arambulo, vice chairperson of Pamalakaya.
Youth groups at the protest also warned that the climate crisis increasingly threatens younger generations, urging stronger public resistance against environmentally destructive projects and demanding accountability from government agencies.
They called on the Manila City Government and Mayor Isko Moreno to protect the capital’s remaining green spaces instead of supporting projects that could aggravate Metro Manila’s climate and urban problems. /jpv
