BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
It is not certain yet whether the remaining decades-old trees along Araneta Highway near the old Bacolod Airport will be cut, Councilor Carl Lopez said Monday.
Lopez, who is the chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Environment and Ecology, said those trees pose danger in the area.
He said the trees cause flooding and their protruding roots destroyed the pathway.
But Lopez said it is up to Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia if the cutting of the remaining trees will push through, since he had issued an executive order against it.
Originally, the Department of Public Works and Highways was permitted to cut 25 trees to give way for the rehabilitation of the sidewalk through the construction of a foot walk.
Only 16 were chopped down after the city government ordered a stop to the tree-cutting activity, following opposition from netizens and residents.
The tree-cutting permit of the DPWH has already expired, and the Brgy. Singcang Council, that has jurisdiction over the area where the trees are, had withdrawn its Resolution Of No Objection.
Lopez claimed that many of the trees cut and even the remaining ones are no longer healthy.
He said the DPWH was supposed to replace the old sewage system in the area but it was halted following the protest against the cutting of the trees.
Lopez added, “If the cutting of trees will not push through, then we need to map out a different resolution to resolve the flooding in the area.”*
