The Cebu City Council has deferred action on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) request to remove and relocate 113 trees along the Butuanon River, citing a mismatch between the proposed project scope and the portion currently backed by available funds.
The council on Tuesday, July 21, asked the DPWH to submit a revised proposal covering only the funded portion of its flood mitigation project before it proceeds with the request involving 67 trees for cutting and 46 trees for earth-balling in Barangay Bacayan.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chairperson of the Committee on Environment, said the original DPWH proposal covers a two-kilometer stretch of the river, but the agency confirmed during a clarificatory meeting that its current budget only covers 380 meters.
“The proposed project of DPWH has a total length of two kilometers. However, during the clarificatory meeting, it was confirmed that the available budget covers only 380 meters of the project, while the remaining portion has not yet been funded,” Garganera said during the council’s regular session.
Following his motion, the council required the DPWH to revise its project scope and reassess the number of trees that would be affected by the adjusted coverage.
“This will also allow the DPWH to reassess and potentially reduce the number of trees that would need to be cut under the revised scope of work,” Garganera said.
The DPWH requested the tree removal as part of its repair and rehabilitation of flood mitigation structures along the Butuanon River under the government’s 2026 Infrastructure Program.
A Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) inspection on June 10 identified 113 trees that may be affected by the project.
The assessment recommended the cutting of 67 trees, including gmelina, mango, tamarind, mahogany, acacia, pomelo, and breadnut, among other species.
Another 46 trees were recommended for earth-balling, including taloot, binunga, kalokoi, talisay, narra, bagilumbang, balete, and bankal trees.
The DPWH had earlier secured a Certificate of Non-Coverage from the Environmental Management Bureau and obtained a certification from Barangay Bacayan stating that it had no objection to the proposed tree removal, subject to approval from concerned government agencies.
However, CCENRO clarified that the council’s action does not authorize the immediate removal of trees.
The DPWH must still secure the necessary permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and comply with Cebu City Ordinance No. 2623.
Under the ordinance, project proponents must donate 100 indigenous tree saplings for every tree removed.
For earth-balled trees, proponents are required to post a P10,000 bond per tree to ensure the survival of relocated trees during a two-year monitoring period.
CCENRO said tree cutting should only be pursued if relocation is not feasible or if the trees cannot be incorporated into the project design.
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