Youth petitioners ask SC to block cutting of Manila roadside trees

Two individuals on Thursday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to issue a temporary environmental protection order prohibiting environment officials and the Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX) from cutting roadside trees along Quirino Avenue and Roxas Boulevard.

Petitioners Joaquin Bautista and Elisha Zantua also asked the SC to declare unconstitutional Section 23 of the Philippine PPP Code, which prohibits lower courts from issuing TEPOs, among others.

“Ang hinihingi po namin sa San Miguel Corporation ay unang-una itigil po ninyo ang pagputol niyo ng puno sa Lungsod ng Maynila,” Bautista said in an ambush interview.

(What we are asking of San Miguel Corporation is, first and foremost, to stop cutting down trees in the City of Manila.)

“Meron kaming right to a balanced and healthful ecology. Kailangan po respetuhin po nila ito,” he added.

(We have the right to a balanced and healthful ecology. They need to respect this.)

Meanwhile, Zantua stressed the importance of trees.

“Lahat po kami nakasalalay sa air quality lalo na sa init ng panahon ngayon at sa patuloy na pagbabagyo dito sa Pilipinas. Kailangan po natin ng mga puno, hindi lang po dito sa city, hindi lang po sa rural areas,” she said.

(We all depend on air quality, especially with the current heat and the continuing typhoons here in the Philippines. We need trees, not only here in the city, but also in rural areas.)

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said the SALEX is a 40.65-kilometer elevated expressway network comprising the Shoreline Expressway and three Metro Manila Skyway Stage Extensions, namely: C3-R10 Extension, Quirino Extension, and Buendia Extension.

The TRB lists the San Miguel Corporation as the project investor of SALEX.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the SMC communications officer on the SC petition and will update the story once it is available.

In May, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the project proponent has voluntarily suspended its tree-cutting activities amid opposition from some groups.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday said the tree-cutting activities along Quirino Avenue for the Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX) project have been voluntarily suspended. —LDF, GMA News