Caritas PH decries mass tree cutting in Manila

The Catholic Church’s social aid and development arm has denounced the cutting of over 200 trees along Quirino Avenue for a highway project, calling it an “act of ecological violence against the people of Manila.”

In a statement on Monday, Caritas Philippines president Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos described the cutting of trees as a “direct assault” on the poor who endure the extreme heat, polluted air, and flooding

“Why must ‘development’ always demand the sacrifice of the vulnerable? Why are our cities designed for vehicles and concrete instead of for children, workers, pedestrians, and the elderly?” Alminaza said.

“As Church, we stand firmly against every form of development that destroys creation and deepens the suffering of the people,” he added.

Echoing Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si,” Alminaza warned against the “throwaway culture" where nature and the vulnerable are treated as expendable collateral for corporate expansion.

“This is not stewardship. This is environmental injustice,” the bishop said.

He urged authorities and contractors to halt the operations and review the infrastructure project through “the lens of ecological justice.”

“Listen consistently to the communities who rely on these trees for survival,” Alminaza said.

He also called on the public to demand accountability from government officials.

“Demand to keep and defend the remaining green spaces of our cities. Demand on a development that gives life, rather than one that leaves us in the shadows of a stump.,” Alminaza said.

According to a “24 Oras” report, the ongoing logging operations aim to completely clear all the 617 trees, following a permit issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The trees were cut down for the construction of the nearly four-kilometer Southern Access Link Expressway Project (SALEX), which will feature four elevated lanes traversing Quirino Avenue and areas near Roxas Boulevard to help ease traffic congestion.

Under the law, the requesting entity is required to plant 50,700 seedlings to replace the 617 trees that were cut down. This is a condition for the issuance of the tree-cutting permit.

The replacement seedlings will be planted in Manila and their growth closely monitored. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA News