No cutting of trees in Baguio for 10 years.
Baguio Rep. Mark Go has filed a bill that sought to preserve the trees in the city and penalize those who do not comply with its provisions.
Go has filed on July 13 House Bill 7090, which also provides that all project proponents must incorporate in their designs the inclusion and preservation of trees before they are granted permits to proceed with the construction.
The bill provides for a 10-year moratorium on tree cutting, as a means to preserve the remaining 2.5 million trees in the city, of which 500,000 are pine trees.
“We need to be vigilant about protecting our environmental heritage that makes our city known as the City of Pines,” the bill stated.
The bill has maintained that only dead and infested trees that can no longer be revived or those that may infect other live trees and those that pose danger to lives and properties can be cut, removed, or extracted, subject to ordinances, laws, and regulations.
The bill sought to penalize violators with jail time of not less than two years but not more than six years or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P300,000 for every tree felled, or both, at the discretion of the court.
The city council, meanwhile, approved on first reading the proposed ordinance co-authored by Councilors Arthur Allad-iw, Levy Lloyd Orcales, and Joel Alangsab for a five-year moratorium on the cutting of trees.
The proposed ordinance sought to give the city a reprieve from tree cutting and preserve the city’s environment while the city government is working on updating its zoning ordinance and comprehensive land use plan and finalizing the urban forest management plan.
The proposals came as various city stakeholders raised their displeasure over the cutting of 54 trees to pave the way for the construction of high-rise building in Barangay Outlook Drive.
Developer Vista Residences, which acquired a special private land timber permit to cut the trees from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources central office, has temporarily stopped cutting trees when the city council started its probe two weeks ago.
The developer, however, resumed cutting the 24 remaining pine trees on July 14 as the tree cutting permit expired on July 15.
Vista Residences has donated to the DENR 5,400 seedlings as replacement for the 54 trees that it has cut and another 5,400 seedlings were donated to the city government of Baguio, through the City Environment and Parks Management Office recently. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 27, 2024
