Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Article (news)

Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17795933386141779188436858886.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Only stumps remain of decades-old trees cut down along Quirino Avenue in Manila to make way for an expressway project. Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Only stumps remain of decades-old trees cut down along Quirino Avenue in Manila to make way for an expressway project. Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Decades-old trees on Quirino Avenue in Manila were cut down this week for an expressway project, among more than 600 hit by construction of a 3.97-kilometer segment to connect to the Skyway that cuts across the capital region.</p><p>Cutting trees, during <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/4/28/pasay-city-12-other-areas-to-reach-dangerous-heat-index-tuesday-pagasa-0805">a period of extreme heat</a> and in the middle of a climate crisis, prompted criticism but officials assured the public that it was all legal and SMC Infrastructure&#x27;s Southern Access Link Expressway project went through the proper processes.</p><p>The government issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate and a permit to cut the trees, a city official said.</p><p>Barangays along its path also raised no objections to the project, which SMC bills as &quot;[aimed] at easing future traffic and fostering economic development in Metro Manila and Central Luzon.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/19/hundreds-of-trees-along-quirino-avenue-cleared-for-salex-project-2040">Hundreds of trees along Quirino Avenue cleared for SALEX project<br/></a></div><p>&quot;Part of the process po is they were presented the potential negative environmental impact and ano rin po iyong magiging mitigating measures po ng ating proponent through the guidance of [the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources],&quot; Joanna Mae Norcio-Ricafort, head of the city&#x27;s Environmental Management and Protection Division, said.</p><p>(Part of the process is they were presented the potential negative environmental impact of the project and the mitigating measures for that, with the guidance of the DENR.)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/8/scorching-days-steady-hustle-street-vendors-brave-dry-season-heat-1531">Scorching days, steady hustle: Street vendors brave dry season heat<br/></a></div><p>In any case, she said, the city is &quot;mandated to support this national government project.&quot;</p><p>DENR-National Capital Region said the government is also requiring SMC to plant 50,700 seedlings in the city as part of &quot;large-scale replacement planting&quot; to offset the loss of the trees.</p><p><a href="https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1275435">The Philippine News Agency</a> reports this will include planting bamboo and ornamentals in parts of the city.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/21/residents-mourn-loss-of-hundreds-of-trees-cut-in-manila-for-infra-project-1953">Residents mourn loss of hundreds of trees cut in Manila for infra project</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177959116623020210115-skyway-stage3-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Motorists use the newly opened Skyway Stage 3 elevated highway from Quezon City to Makati City on January 15, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Motorists use the newly opened Skyway Stage 3 elevated highway from Quezon City to Makati City on January 15, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><div><strong>&#x27;REPLACING CUT TREES NOT THAT SIMPLE&#x27;</strong></div><p>But cutting and replacing trees is more than just math, according to environmental advocate Jerwin Baure.</p><p>&quot;From a climate mitigation and ecosystem-service perspective, mature trees cannot be treated as equivalent to newly planted seedlings,&quot; Baure, a PhD student at Sorbonne University in France studying the impacts of warming and increased carbon dioxide emissions on marine organisms, said.</p><p>Mature trees already store substantial carbon and provide cover against urban heat while &quot;newly planted seedlings may take years or even decades to approximate these functions, if they survive at all.&quot; </p><p>He said restoration efforts need to make sure a species is suitable for the planting site, is planted correctly, and will be monitored to ensure the seedlings will grow.</p><p>Baure said that in some efforts, like the replacement in 2020 of mangroves cut down for the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, experts observed &quot;improper practices, including planting the wrong species and damaging specialized mangrove roots&quot;, highlighting the need to see beyond how many seedlings are planted.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/25/manila-s-last-lung-cooler-than-other-parts-of-the-city-1948">Manila’s &#x27;last lung&#x27; cooler than other parts of the city</a></div><p>&quot;We are losing more green spaces in Metro Manila. The conservation of mature urban trees should be the first option, while new planting should not replace the protection of existing canopy,&quot; he also said.</p><p>According to 2020 data from the DENR Forest Management Bureau, the National Capital Region has just 22.05 square kilometers of forest cover across 619.54 square kilometers of concrete and urban sprawl.</p><p>&quot;The issue...is not only how many trees will be planted, but whether the ecological and public-health functions lost in the affected urban corridor can be replaced,&quot; Baure, also a member of scientist group AGHAM, said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/5/1/philippines-singapore-ink-implementation-agreement-on-carbon-credits-deal-1154">Philippines, Singapore ink implementation agreement on carbon credits deal</a></div><p>He also said barangay consultation may not have considered how cutting down the trees would affect people on the street who benefit from the shade they provide.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17795902806881775630655416viber_image_2026-04-08_13-58-40-075.jpg.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A vendor in Quezon City transports his wares by bike in April 2026. Darylle Sarmiento, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A vendor in Quezon City transports his wares by bike in April 2026. Darylle Sarmiento, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><div><strong>A &#x27;DIFFERENT&#x27; SCIENCE?</strong></div><p>Despite studies and warnings against cutting trees, especially in the Philippines where forest cover was at 23.4% in 2020, &quot;it seems decisions are not science-based&quot;, M, a Filipino scientist and environmental researcher based in Europe, told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;Sometimes it seems like the Philippines has a different science compared to the rest of the world,&quot; M said.</p><p>M requested anonymity to avoid retribution and loss of access to areas in the Philippines where they conduct field research.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve signed on to so many multilateral environmental agreements — we try to show off on the big stage citing supposed best practices but when our officials go back...it&#x27;s as if they developed amnesia,&quot; M also said.</p><p>Policy decisions despite or contrary to agreements and best practices weaken the government&#x27;s credibility, M said, which may affect access to funding and assistance.</p><p>&quot;Don&#x27;t our officials know that other countries can also access the internet and all the resibo are out in the open?&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/specials/heat-ignites-need-for-trees">SPECIAL: Blazing heat of 2024 ignites Filipinos’ need for trees and green spaces</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1779591293932171480111864520240502-pasig-rainforest-park-MD-274.jpg.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Maybunga Rainforest Park in Pasig City on May 2, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Maybunga Rainforest Park in Pasig City on May 2, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><div><strong>ENVIRONMENT AS RESOURCE</strong></div><p>Beyond &quot;different&quot; science, the problem lies, according to economist Sonny Africa, in a prevailing view of development &quot;in terms of increased investment, investor returns, and commercial activity that boosts [Gross Domestic Product] rather than public welfare, community livelihoods, and ecological stability.&quot; </p><p>This means, he said, that government weighs nature against the goal of GDP growth. It also means the DENR &quot;ends up functioning less as an ecological protector and more as a facilitator of investment and infrastructure expansion.&quot; </p><p>Africa, executive director of think tank IBON Foundation, said the current system treats the environment as an economic resource and a space for commercial and industrial use.</p><p>&quot;Environmental damage is actually justified by the fiction that damage can simply be mitigated by things like compensatory planting, engineering fixes, rehabilitation, and other technocratic measures.&quot;</p><p>That view often ignores communities and residents, who, he said, are seen not &quot;as stakeholders with rights but impediments to investment and commercial developments.&quot;</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17795919206081772535525569619955346_1405589878282931_1805404497396470868_n.jpg.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Members of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment stage an indignation protest against mining activities in Dupax del Norte and other parts of Nueva Vizcaya in front of FCF Minerals at Salcedo Towers, Makati City on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, calling for accountability over the environmental and social impacts of large-scale mining operations. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment stage an indignation protest against mining activities in Dupax del Norte and other parts of Nueva Vizcaya in front of FCF Minerals at Salcedo Towers, Makati City on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, calling for accountability over the environmental and social impacts of large-scale mining operations. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News<br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)" id="isPasted"/></span></span></span></div><p>Despite that, Africa said, communities can still influence policy &quot;but only through organized, sustained, collective pressure.&quot;</p><p>Opposition from the local government and from the community, for example, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/3/3/mining-firm-to-remove-equipment-from-dupax-del-norte-nueva-vizcaya-in-3-days-1908">stopped mining exploration activities in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya </a>in March. </p><p>Public outcry also led to the closure of an illegal resort in the Chocolate Hills protected area in 2024, with <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/15/ombudsman-sacks-bohol-mayor-denr-director-for-resort-built-on-chocolate-hills-1525">DENR and local officials later found liable</a> for the violation.</p><p>&quot;The biggest environmental victories in the Philippines have always come from mass struggles of locals including farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples working with environmental advocates, church groups, and sometimes allies in government,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/7/2/philippines-biodiversity-hotspot-pushes-back-on-mining-1044">Philippines biodiversity hotspot pushes back on mining</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MgmB0Qeqd_g?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Decades-old trees on Quirino Avenue in Manila were cut down this week for an expressway project, among more than 600 hit by construction of a 3.97-kilometer segment to connect to the Skyway that cuts across the capital region.</p>

Decades-old trees on Quirino Avenue in Manila were cut down this week for an expressway project, among more than 600 hit by construction of a 3.97-kilometer segment to connect to the Skyway that cuts across the capital region.

WRAP: Manila trades dwindling tree cover for expressway project

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WRAP: Manila trades dwindling tree cover for expressway project

Jonathan de Santos,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 24, 2026 01:20 PM PHT

|

Updated May 24, 2026 01:51 PM PHT

Read More:

Quirino Avenue

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Southern Access Link Expressway

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