BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A citizen anti-graft and corruption group lodged a complaint before the Ombudsman in the Visayas against officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) over the controversial cutting of trees along Araneta Street in Barangay Singcang- Airport.
The complaint was filed by Dominador Villaluna Jr., president and founder of the Crusaders for Justice, and addressed to Paul Elmer Clemente, deputy ombudsman for the Visayas.
Facing charges for grave misconduct, gross ignorance of the law, grave abuse of authority and violation of Republic Act 3571 (An Act to Prohibit the Cutting, Destroying or Injuring of Planted or Growing Trees, Flowering Plants and Shrubs or Plants of Scenic Value Along Public Roads, in Plazas, Parks, School Premises or in Any Other Public Pleasure Ground) and Presidential Decree 705 (Revised Forestry Code) were Engineer Jaime Javellana, district engineer of DPWH here, and Engineer Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, community environment and natural resources officer of DENR.
The complaint stemmed from the controversial cutting of 35 decades-old trees here to give way to a “sidewalk project”.
The move earned criticisms from environmental advocates and residents.
The growing criticism later led to the DENR calling off the planned cutting of trees along the old airport.
Javellana said his office received a letter from Bacolod City’s Cong. Greg Gasataya and DPWH Region 6 asking them to stop cutting down the trees.
He explained that they had a DENR-issued permit.
In place of the felled trees, the DPWH earlier conducted a tree-planting activity in Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental. They planted a total of 2,500 saplings of endemic species there./PN
