Environment advocates condemned the cutting of decades-old trees within the Pangasinan provincial capitol grounds here, saying redevelopment must not come at the cost of natural heritage.
A resident in this capital town, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told the Inquirer that at least 25 trees lining the central pathway at the capitol grounds were cut starting Monday noon.
The tree cutting, the resident said, continued until the wee hours. ‘When we woke up on Tuesday morning, the trees were gone,’ the resident said.
As shown on signages, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had granted the provincial government a permit to cut 192 trees on Aug. 8 last year. The trees set for removal as part of the ongoing development of the capitol grounds are between 10 and 50 years old.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Noriel Nisperos said the granting of the permit ‘went through [a] process’ and the ‘trees covered already have cavities.’
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III said the trees already cut were non-native and invasive like mahogany. He said the provincial government would preserve native species, like balete, while those already removed would be replaced.
‘They will be replaced with dita (indigenous evergreen tree) and possibly Palawan cherry (‘balayong’), which are both native species,’ he told the Inquirer.
‘Open space planning’
Guico said what was being done is ‘urbanscaping or open space planning and no building will be built on the site.’
‘Everything is planned, including drainage, traffic lights, and it will be pedestrian friendly. We will commission an artist to make a sculpture of Princess Urduja that will be placed in the middle as a symbol to unify all of us,’ he further said.
According to local legend, Princess Urduja, revered for her courage and leadership, ruled the Kingdom of Tawalisi (located somewhere along the coastline of modern-day Pangasinan) in the 14th century.
‘Just give us a couple of months. What is taking a long (time) is the construction of the drainage, but the already grown (balled) native trees will be planted in the area and with the rains, will flourish,’ Guico said.
In earlier interviews, he said the projects planned at the once tree-filled grounds were ‘something of cultural substance, a place where families can enjoy frolicking on weekends, iconically inspiring, intellectually engaging, and historically nostalgic.’
The area behind the capitol has been redeveloped with the construction of a reflecting pool and an interactive fountain.
But the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment (PPSE) said the project ‘exemplifies an alarming development paradigm where redevelopment, commercialization, and infrastructure expansion are increasingly prioritized over ecological protection and the public’s right to a healthy environment.’
‘Living’ infrastructure
‘The trees that stand within the capitol grounds are more than landscape features. They are living environmental infrastructure that has taken decades to grow-absorbing carbon emissions, regulating urban temperatures, mitigating flooding, improving air quality, and providing refuge for local biodiversity,’ the group said in a statement.
‘Their destruction is not merely an alteration of the landscape; it is the irreversible loss of ecological services that no newly planted sapling can immediately replace,’ it added.
The group said while PPSE recognizes the need for development and the improvement of public infrastructure, they ‘reject the false choice that development must come at the expense of nature.’
‘Genuine progress should enhance, not diminish, the ecosystems that sustain our communities. Redevelopment should be designed around environmental preservation-not the other way around,’ the group said.