Pangasinan town execs seek to cut trees for new road plans

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Officials of Umingan town, Pangasinan, have asked the provincial board to allow them to cut trees to give way to the concreting of roads in the town’s nine villages.

In a town council resolution submitted to the board on Feb. 25, Umingan officials said their town is a recipient of the Philippine Rural Development Project that will be implemented by the provincial government.

The villages of Gonzales, Casilan, Concepcion, San Juan, Luna Weste, Luna Este, Pangangaan, Prado and Fulgosino will benefit from the road project, they said.

The resolution was approved by Umingan Mayor Eldred Tumbocon and Vice Mayor Alain Rabang.

During Monday’s session, the resolution was referred to the provincial board’s committees on laws and ordinances and on environment.

Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr., the committee chair, said the board would invite the provincial environment and natural resources office, the community environment and natural resources office and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to discuss the resolution.

Last year, the provincial board passed a resolution banning the cutting of trees for road widening projects along the province’s national roads.

This was in reaction to environment groups’ opposition to the cutting of trees along the Manila North Road (formerly MacArthur Highway) from Rosales to Sison towns, where more than 1,000 trees had been felled from November to February last year.

Environment groups have also asked a court in Urdaneta City to issue a temporary environmental protection order in a bid to protect 770 trees which were spared when the DPWH’s tree cutting permit expired.

Bince said the inspection would establish the number and species of trees that would be cut in the nine Umingan villages. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon