DENR slammed for cutting trees on Quirino Avenue

MANILA, Philippines — A Catholic bishop yesterday criticized the cutting of decades-old trees along Quirino Avenue, saying the act is an ecological violence against the people of Manila and a direct assault on the poor who have been enduring extreme heat, poisoned air and flooding.

Caritas Philippines president and San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said the cutting of 617 trees was “not simply a technical or bureaucratic detail.”

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has allowed the tree-cutting operation along Quirino Avenue to make way for the Southern Access Link Expressway project, which will connect the Skyway to Roxas Boulevard.

“For generations, the trees along Quirino Avenue stood as silent protectors and as the lungs of this community, offering shade to commuters standing under scorching heat, providing shelter to exhausted workers waiting for a ride home and giving breathing space to families congested by concrete and exhaust,” Alminaza said.

The DENR, however, defended the tree-cutting operation, saying the project underwent environmental review, technical assessment and consultations before permits were issued.

The DENR said some trees would not be cut down but would undergo earth-balling or replanting, depending on assessments by environmental experts.