A total of 330 trees along the bike lanes of the resort town of Panglao will soon be cut down as these have been deemed to pose risks to road safety.
According to Panglao Councilor Yolly Hormachuelos, the initiative will finally push through after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 issued a cutting permit.
The DENR, Department of Public Works and Highways, the contractor and Municipal Engineering office are set to meet Wednesday to determine which office will pay for the project.
The 330 trees of various species remained standing along a 3.5-kilometer stretch of the concrete national highway from Barangay Lourdes to Barangay Poblacion in Panglao.
Officials started to tackle the issue after it was determined to pose risk to cyclists and motorists alike.
Panglao’s Sangguniang Bayan, in a session on Monday, noted that the DENR has long approved of the tree-cutting.
However, the permit was not immediately released as the town’s government was said to have not yet paid for the issuance of the authorization. (rt)