Cebu City lawmakers paused a Department of Public Works and Highways request to clear 113 trees along the Butuanon River because the agency only has funding for a 380-meter stretch of the flood control project.
The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office noted that clearing permits require strict environmental safeguards, including donating 100 indigenous saplings per cut tree and posting a ₱10,000 bond per earth-balled tree.
The Department of Public Works and Highways must submit a revised plan and tree inventory focused only on the funded 380-meter segment before the City Council committee and Department of Environment and Natural Resources review the application
CITY lawmakers in Cebu City have put a pause on a request to clear over a hundred mature trees along the Butuanon River in Barangay Bacayan. The freeze came after local officials discovered that the public works agency only has enough money to build a small fraction of the proposed flood control project.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) originally asked for permission to clear 113 trees—67 for cutting and 46 for earth-balling, or transplanting—to widen the river and build flood walls across a two-kilometer stretch. However, during a city council session on July 15, 2026, Environment Committee chairman Councilor Joel Garganera pointed out that the agency currently holds funding for just 380 meters of the project.
This funding gap pushed lawmakers to step in, stopping the clearance before large sections of the riverbank were left stripped without active construction ready to begin.
A site survey by the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Ccenro) found a mix of native, naturalized, and planted trees along the riverbank. While native species like narra, talisay, and balete were scheduled for earth-balling, other large native trees like antipolo were marked for cutting because they sit directly in the proposed construction path.
Before any work can proceed, city ordinances set strict penalties to protect local ecosystems:
Sapling Donations: Applicants must donate 100 indigenous saplings for every single tree cut down.
Survival Bond: Applicants must post a ₱10,000 bond per earth-balled tree to guarantee it survives over a two-year monitoring period.
Ccenro officials stressed that cutting down trees should always be a last resort. It should only happen when transplanting is impossible or when the trees cannot be designed into the infrastructure layout.
The Butuanon River regularly overflows during severe storms, threatening nearby homes in low-lying communities. While flood walls and river widening are standard engineering fixes to protect neighborhoods, cutting mature trees carries immediate risks. Established trees hold soil in place and absorb water, while young saplings take years to build strong root systems, and earth-balled mature trees often struggle to survive the stress of moving.
In public projects, agencies often request environmental permits for an entire two-kilometer route to avoid doing paperwork multiple times. However, clearing land far ahead of funding leaves wide areas exposed to erosion without any building taking place.
By freezing the request, local legislators set a clear rule: environmental permits must match active budgets, not future wish lists.
Barangay Bacayan leaders previously noted the urgent need for flood protection. In a certification dated June 15, Barangay Captain Jenelyn Leyson stated that the local council had been informed of the Butuanon River Widening Project and did not object to tree removal, provided all DENR and government requirements were met.
To move forward, the DPWH must now follow a strict process:
Submit a Revised Plan: The DPWH must trim its proposal and submit a new site plan and tree inventory focused only on the funded 380-meter segment near Bacayan Bridge.
Re-Inspect the Area: Ccenro will inspect the shorter stretch to recount which specific trees are affected.
Council & DENR Approval: The City Council’s Committee on Environment will review the updated application before deciding whether to sponsor a formal resolution of support.
If approved, the plan will go to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for final permits. Construction on the 380-meter funded section cannot legally begin until all permits and required tree donations are secured. /CAV