CREBA Position on the Proposed Measure requiring the planting of trees for any construction of residential, commercial or industrial structures
We commend the noble intention of the proposed measures. However, there are already existing laws and regulations that require developers to engage in tree planting and/or greening initiatives within their respective development projects.
To wit:
- P.D. 953 promulgated in 1976 requires the planting of trees and provides penalties for unauthorized cutting, destruction, damaging and injuring of trees, plants and other types of vegetation at specific places reserved for the common use and enjoyment of the owners of subdivision lots in the form of open spaces for parks and recreational areas which constitutes a minimum of 30% of the total area of the subdivision.
- P.D. 957 likewise mandates for property developers to allocate a certain portion of land for planting strips whose width shall be respective of the corresponding road width.
- The above regulations are now fully-covered by the authority of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), which requires subdivision plans to include tree-planting on such parts designated by law.
- Last February 24, 2011, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Executive Order 26 declaring the implementation of a National Greening Program (NGP) where the entire Executive Branch of government is mandated to participate in a nationwide effort to plant 1.5 Billion trees covering an area of 1.5 million hectares for a period of six (6) years between 2011 and 2016 in the lands of public domain.
With the DENR as lead implementing agency, the program shall include all departments, bureaus, government schools and universities, GOCCs, as well as the private sector, civil society and the academe.
In sum, we already have numerous laws but there remains a gap between their noble objectives and actual implementation.
Perhaps, an efficient and honest-to-goodness Oversight Committee in Congress, coupled with enough political will on the part of local government leaders to monitor each law passed, is what would be best for our country.
Finally, it is our view that there is no necessity to pass another law requiring developers to plant trees in the property they are developing into housing subdivisions, as these concerns are already being addressed by adequate existing laws and executive fiats.#
