Cebu bishop: Go ahead, cut ‘sick’ trees

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY—Take it from Cebu’s chief shepherd.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has voiced support for the cutting of “diseased” trees along South Cebu Highway, saying they posed continuing risks to people who pass by the area.

He clarified that he too, like many environmentalists, knew the significance of trees.

However, the over 80 trees along the southern highway of the City of Naga, San Fernando and Carcar had been assessed to be under an advance state of decay.

“Given a choice, no one would like to cut a tree. But there are factors that should be considered in this case. If the tree is rotten, then it has to go. With a sad feeling, we should say goodbye to it. That’s reality. That’s life,” Palma said.

“Like what happens to human beings, whether we like it or not, sooner or later we all go. The same is true with trees,” the 63-year-old prelate added.

Palma said he respected the sentiments of Fr. Robert Reyes, chair of the National Coalition to Save the Trees, who earlier jump-started the protest in Cebu province by tying white ribbons around seven trees due for cutting in Naga City.

“In principle, he (Reyes) is doing the right thing. But in a case-by-case basis, we need to examine [our stand on the issue]. Like what happened during the fiesta in Barili, one tree suddenly fell down. We know it should have been cut earlier. See what happened, it inconvenienced a lot of people,” he said.

Due to a fallen acacia tree in the middle of the road in Carcar City, Palma arrived late for his pontifical Mass at Sta. Ana Parish in Barili, which celebrated its fourth centennial as a parish last July 26.

The century-old tree also caused heavy traffic for several hours in Cebu’s southern highway.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III has also expressed support to cut “sick” trees, saying public safety remained the province’s main concern.

The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 7) earlier announced that over 80 trees along South Cebu Highway  were “decayed and defective.”

But Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, in an Aug. 11 memorandum to his directors around the country, aborted the cutting of trees nationwide following protests in Cebu. Paje said DENR bosses needed to “rethink” the agency’s role in sanctioning tree cutting in road projects.

The DENR 7, however, firmly stood by its evaluation that removal was necessary.

Davide said he would send a letter to Paje to reconsider his stand, saying the rotten trees posed a danger to the public.

Several mayors in Cebu are also planning to file a class suit against Paje, saying some trees needed to be cut down so as not to inconvenience the public.