DENR eyes tree-cutting raps vs petrochem firm

SAN PEDRO CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Batangas province is preparing charges against a large petrochemical company for the cutting of 271 fire trees allegedly without a permit from environment and local government offices.

Although the trees were inside the company’s property in Batangas City, community environment officer Laudemir Salac said his office would pursue a case of illegal tree cutting against JG Summit Petrochemical Corp. (JGSPC) and the company’s contractor, ITM Construction Corp., at the Batangas prosecutor’s office this week for violating environmental laws.

The fire trees (Delonix regia) were planted by the government on the roadside of what used to be a village road in Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba before the company acquired the property sometime last year, Salac said on Tuesday.

The land used to be owned by Batangas Agro-Industrial Development Corp. before it was sold to JGSPC, a core subsidiary of the Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Inc. JGSPC produces polyethylene and polypropylene resins, according to its website.

Based on documents and letters obtained by the Inquirer, JGSPC, through vice president for expansion projects and government affairs Marino Agbayani, sought a permit on April 29 from the DENR to cut down 20 caballero trees (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), as the company was “nearing the completion of its C3-C4 project.”

The C3-C4 project, according to Salac, basically refers to the “expansion of their facilities.”

On May 6, the DENR conducted an inventory of the trees and found that “there were 271 fire trees and not 20 caballero trees,” as indicated in the company’s request, that would have to be felled to give way for the expansion.

“Our forest rangers followed up on them several times [to correct their request and] secure clearances from the village and city government before the request is forwarded to the (DENR) regional office for approval,” Salac said in a phone interview.

But when the DENR returned to the vicinity on May 27, all 271 fire trees had already been bulldozed and felled.

Requests for a reply from the company were futile.