DPWH gets green light to cut road-obstructing trees

The House committee on natural resources approved House Bill 4208 which seeks to authorize the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cut, ball, transfer, dispose or plant trees when implementing national or local infrastructure projects such as, but not limited to, clearing of road right-of-way and site clearing, development or preparation.

The bill authored by Rep. Bayani Fernando grants the DPWH exemption from securing tree cutting, earth-balling, transfer, disposal and planting permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its agencies such as the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Forest Management Bureau (FMB) and the local government unit (LGU) concerned. Rep. Arnel Ty committee chairman, said the bill is supported by Speaker Pantaleon and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas .

Ty said the Speaker and the Majority Leader gave them directives to call on the DENR and the DPWH to have some executive arrangement between the two government agencies to not wait for the approval of the bill and to start the balling out of trees which are obstructing roads and causing accidents.

“The reason na nabanggit sa amin ni Speaker and Majority Leader, if you remember a few months ago, when we did the Mindanao Nautical Highway Inspection at yung North Luzon Highway Inspection,” Ty said.

He said the Speaker and the Majority Leader ordered him and the chairmen of the committees on public works and energy to talk to the departments in charge of the issues.

Ty said the Department of Energy (DOE) and the DENR already signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in removing electrical posts posts that are hazardous to motorists. Fernando said he filed the bill to put the authority on roadways with the road engineers.

He explained the main consideration in the design of the roadways is safety for the motorists and the public as well as fast travel speed. Q“This is the sole province of the road design engineer who has the knowledge and the responsibility in ensuring that this primary design feature is followed.

And in no way a forester or a DENR guy would know the requirements of the highway,” he said. QFernando said securing tree-cutting/earth-balling/transfer/disposal/planting permits from the DENR only delays the implementation of DPWH projects. QFernando also requested the DPWH to buy five balling machine for each region, or 60 in all He said the LGUs are very much aware of the environment.

“It is the local governments actually that are planting the trees and they would not tolerate the indiscriminate cutting of trees.”