THE Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) has recommended that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 identify the personnel and contractors responsible for illegally uprooting three trees along Mahiga River.
Citing a November 2025 Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Ccenro) inspection report, the CLO stated that DPWH 7 removed native bani, narra, and eucalyptus trees without permits during flood mitigation operations.
City Legal Officer Briccio Joseph Boholst advised DPWH 7 to conduct an internal review and settle citation tickets or face immediate litigation.
A CLO letter, dated Feb. 5, 2026, to Secretary to the Sanggunian Charrise Piramide reported the CLO’s actions regarding the illegal tree-cutting incident, which was referred to Boholst for appropriate action.
The incident occurred during DPWH’s “Oplan Kontra Baha” operations.
“The City Legal Office notes that while the DPWH project serves a vital public interest (flood mitigation), the execution resulted in a violation of Cebu City Ordinance No. 2623 (The Earth-Balling, Cutting, and Removal of Trees Ordinance),” the letter read.
Instead of pursuing litigation against the department, the CLO said it was “appropriate to focus accountability on the specific operational failures and the individuals directly responsible for the field implementation.”
Among the recommended actions were identifying the personnel, site supervisors, or private contractors who directed the uprooting without verifying the required local clearances, and conducting an internal administrative investigation to determine whether the violation resulted from individual oversight or a breach of standard operating procedures.
Ccenro report
The office also encouraged the settlement of the three citation tickets issued in connection with the incident by the identified individuals or the responsible contractor.
To prevent similar incidents in future national infrastructure projects, the CLO further recommended that field personnel attend an environmental awareness lecture to be conducted by Ccenro.
The letter was signed by Handling Legal Officer Ramon Mikhail Duyongco and approved by Boholst.
“Our objective is to ensure that national initiatives are carried out in a manner consistent with the City’s environmental policies,” the letter stated.
Earlier, Ccenro issued three citation tickets against DPWH 7 after its inspection team confirmed that trees along Mahiga Creek were uprooted during an ongoing desilting operation.
The team observed dump trucks and heavy equipment bearing the DPWH logo, and noted that the walkway beside the creek had been destroyed, leaving the waterway exposed and accessible.
Near the damaged walkway, the team documented two fallen native trees, a flowering bani tree described as being in a “critical stage” of its life cycle, and a narra tree partly buried in sediment.
“We will continue to coordinate with the DPWH regional office to monitor the progress of these remedial steps,” the letter added. / CAV