The Sangguniang Panalalawigan (SP) has urged the Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation and Forestview Realty and Development, Inc. to comply with the recommendation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to plant 4,000 trees to make up for their controversial cutting down of four over centuries-old Acacia trees in Tagbilaran City.

According to Vice Governor Dionisio Balite, the SP passed a resolution calling on the two companies to submit proof of compliance once they are able to plant the trees.

Balite said the DENR recommended the planting of 1,000 trees for each of the four acacia trees that were cut down along Baguio Drive in Barangay Taloto, Tagbilaran City.

The DENR, in an incident report, recommended “for Forestview Realty and Development, Inc. together with Shell Corporation, to plant 1,000 indigenous trees in exchange for obe acacia tree in the National Greening Program sites.”

However, Ariel Rica, chief of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) said they have yet to relay the recommendation to Forestview and Shell.

Rica said the PENRO and CENRO will be assisting both companies in the tree-planting initiative which will be carried out in a still undetermined site under the National Greening Program.

“Pwede ra sila mo palit sa mga private seedling providers unya e-arrange ra siguro na sa atong CENRO ug naa tay mga seedlings pwede pud na nato ipatanom nila,” he added.

In April, both Shell and Forestview were in hot water for taking down the century-old trees which they cut down to pave the way for the construction of a gasoline station. (AD)