Missing acacias found at back of site of mall

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—A mall being built by retail specialist Lucio Co here has come under fire after observers found that four big acacia trees in the compound have disappeared.

But Alex Peralta, project manager of S&R Pampanga, said the company did not cut the trees but transferred them to the back of its warehouse.

He said earth-balling was used on Sept. 17 and was supervised by a team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Peralta admitted that civil society groups or media organizations were not asked to witness the earth-balling.

He claimed the firm hung a streamer informing the public about the transfer of the trees but neither the Save the Trees Coalition (STC) nor reporters could recall seeing any in front of the construction site of S&R on Jose Abad Santos Avenue (formerly the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo Road) here.

One of the trees had died before it was earth-balled, Peralta said. The trees obstructed the view of the mall, which is due to open before December, he said.

Cecil Yumul, STC spokesperson, said S&R should have resorted instead to trimming the 10-foot tall trees.

Rommel Santiago, community environment and natural resources officer, issued an earth-balling permit for the three trees. He said the earth-balling was recommended by the city government.

In July, the city government suspended the construction of S&R when its crew worked on an area that obstructed a flood drainage, causing rainwater to rise by two to three feet over the road.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) also resorted to earth-balling 24 trees here in April to give way to the construction of a P373-million flyover under the agency’s President’s Bridge Program.

To date, nothing has been built on the site vacated by these trees.

The DPWH cut at least 34 trees in 2010 and more than 100 trees in 2009 for its road-widening project in the City of San Fernando. The Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry backed the road-widening project because it would “improve the access of investors” to the Pampanga capital.

Protesters had painted some of the trees in Pampanga with human figures to stop their cutting for a road project.

The cutting of trees needs permit from the DENR, which has recently launched a massive tree planting campaign. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon