DENR backs down, stops tree-cutting

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Acting on a petition of environmentalists and concerned residents, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to stop cutting 170 of the 284 trees that had been marked for doom in a P28-million road-widening project in Floridablanca town.

As of Wednesday, 105 trees had been cut while nine had been earth-balled and adopted by a private resort in nearby Lubao town, according to the DENR office in Pampanga.

Francisco Milla Jr., DENR regional director, said the suspension would remain in force until the DPWH resolves the issues raised by the residents. In their petition, the environmentalists said the trees should be saved because these protect the community from roadside pollution, provide shade and cool the air. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon