A 12-STOREY school building planned for Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School (DVRMNHS) in Cebu City could mean the removal of six trees, putting the project under the city’s environmental review process.
The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Ccenro) recommended cutting six trees affected by the project, while three others should be incorporated into the building design and two avocado trees earth-balled for possible transfer.
The recommendation does not authorize cutting. The school must first secure a Cebu City Council resolution and the required Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approval, according to the Ccenro inspection report prepared Aug. 12.
The project highlights the need to balance additional school facilities with the protection of existing trees. The 12-storey building, launched in January 2025, is designed to have 42 classrooms and nine workshop rooms and accommodate about 2,000 students in a single shift.
The school said the project aims to address classroom shortages and provide safer and more resilient facilities.
Trees Affected
School Principal Rosemarie Novabos submitted the tree-removal request to Ccenro on July 22, following a July 15 letter seeking permission to cut or remove trees within the school premises along Macopa Street, Barangay Basak San Nicolas.
The school said the affected trees are within the construction footprint in its approved site development plan and must be removed to facilitate site preparation and project implementation.
Ccenro inspected the site on Aug. 5 and identified 11 trees.
The six trees recommended for cutting are two mangoes, an ipil-ipil, Indian tree, mahogany and sambag. The report described the sambag as old and unhealthy and the ipil-ipil as having an unhealthy or decayed trunk.
The trees include a 67-centimeter-diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) mango and a 66-centimeter DBH sambag.
Three trees—a mango, native agoho and native malakalumpang—were recommended for incorporation into the building design.
Two 16-centimeter DBH avocado trees, each about four meters tall, were recommended for earth-balling and possible transfer.
Ccenro classified ipil-ipil, mango, Indian tree, mahogany, sambag and avocado as exotic species, while agoho and malakalumpang were identified as native.
Cutting as last resort
Ccenro emphasized that cutting should be considered only as a last resort, such as when earth-balling is impractical, when a tree cannot be incorporated into the project without adversely affecting the infrastructure, or when it poses a danger to life and limb.
The school said the trees recommended for removal are within the construction footprint and would interfere with site preparation.
It also assured Ccenro that it would comply with environmental laws and conditions imposed by the city and undertake the required tree replacement or replanting.
100 saplings per tree
If approved, every tree cut must be replaced with 100 assorted indigenous saplings under the requirement cited by Ccenro. The saplings must be donated to Ccenro before cutting.
The proponent must also post a P10,000 bond for every tree approved for earth-balling. The bond will be valid for two years and is intended to ensure the proper transfer and survival of relocated trees.
The school’s application included a barangay certification, declaration of real property, site development plan, sketch map and photographs.
Barangay Basak San Nicolas, through Barangay Captain Norman Navarro, issued a July 8 certification stating that it had no objection to cutting the mangoes and sambag, provided environmental laws were observed and all required permits secured.
The certification does not substitute for the required city and DENR approvals.
What happens next
Ccenro recommended that its report be endorsed to the office of Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, chairperson of the City Council Committee on Environment, for information and appropriate action.
If approved, Ccenro personnel will supervise the earth-balling, cutting or removal of the affected trees.
The project promises additional classrooms for thousands of students, but the approval process will also determine how many existing trees can be preserved and whether required replacement measures are carried out. / CAV