THE Catholic Church and environmental groups are up in arms following the ongoing tree-cutting operation of more than 200 decades-old trees along Quirino Avenue in Manila to pave the way for a major infrastructure project Southern Access Link Expressway (Salex) in the already flood-prone capital.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, President of Catholic charity Caritas Philippines, said “increasingly, countries facing climate crises realize that mature forests are not easily replaceable infrastructure.”
“We express our deep outrage over the ongoing cutting of decades-old trees to pave the way for the San Miguel Corporation expressway project…At a time when green spaces in Manila are rapidly disappearing and communities are already suffering from extreme heat, flooding, and worsening air quality, the destruction of these mature trees reflects a dangerous disregard for climate resilience and ecological justice,” the prelate told Sunstar Philippines on Friday, May 22, 2026.
“These trees are not obstacles to development, they are essential protectors of life, public health, and the future of our cities,” he added.
According to the Church leader, the issue is no longer simply about infrastructure, but about the values shaping our national priorities.
“Once again, government institutions appear to favor profit and corporate expansion over meaningful climate action, biodiversity protection, and the welfare of future generations. Genuine development should not come at the cost of destroying the very ecosystems that sustain human life and safeguard our common future,” the bishop said.
While the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and valid tree-cutting and earth-balling permit covering 617 trees for the project proponent under the SMC, the public voiced opposition as the once long rows of trees that once provided vital shades to pedestrians and motorists from the rising temperature and declining air quality in the country’s capital are now turned to stumps.
“We condemn Ramon Ang, SMC, and the DENR for enabling destructive infrastructure projects. Instead of protecting the environment, the agency now appears to serve the interests of a powerful few,” Cathleen De Guzman, national coordinator of Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment, a major environmental campaign center based in the country.
“The project linking the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reflects a clear double standard: permits are swiftly granted when large corporate interests are involved, even at the expense of environmental destruction, while those defending our natural resources are displaced, criminalized, and killed,” she added.
As the infrastructure developments are expected to impact local ecosystems, the DENR also mandated the company to plant exactly 50,700 replacement seedlings within the City of Manila.
The company, however, was given 90 days to complete the earthballing and cutting of trees.
“Promises of ‘tree replacement’ or ‘offsetting’ are not enough to justify the removal of mature trees, whose ecological value as carbon absorbers and protection against urban heat cannot be immediately replaced,” De Guzman said.
“The real solution to Metro Manila’s worsening urban problems is not simply more roads and bridges, but creating decent jobs and opportunities in the regions alongside genuine environmental protection,” she added.
Ellenor Bartolome, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) policy, campaigns, and communications lead, maintained that the issue “is alarming but not surprising.”
“The DENR is also the same agency enabling SMC’ trail of destruction: coal projects in Bataan, the massive fossil gas in Navotas, reclamation in Bulacan, the Boracay bridge, and now this,” said Bartolome in a report from Catholic news site UCA News.
“The government must stop handing corporations a license to destroy our communities and environment. We are in the middle of a climate crisis. True progress must never come at the expense of the people, but right now, both SMC and DENR are proving they don’t understand that,” Bartolome added.
Meanwhile, Karl Orit, communications campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines, said that Instead of allowing large corporations and billionaires to destroy the environment, the government should focus on protecting the remaining green resources and pass laws that will hold climate polluters accountable for damaging our environment.
Under the county’s Revised Forestry Code and the Tree Planting and Protection Law, the cutting or earth balling of trees may be allowed for infrastructure, public works, and development projects, provided that the project proponent secures a valid tree cutting and earth balling permit and complies with environmental safeguards and regulatory requirements. (Ronald Reyes/SunStar Philippines)
