The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday clarified that the cutting of hundreds of large and old trees along Quirino Avenue and portions of San Marcelino Street up to Roxas Boulevard in Malate, Manila is covered by a permit.
“The tree cutting along the western portion of Quirino Avenue is for the construction of the Southern Access Link Expressway Project, which will connect the Skyway to Roxas Boulevard. The activity is covered by a duly issued permit (Permit No. 2026-02-24-TCEBP-1609) granted to the Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX) Corp.,” the DENR-National Capital Region said in a statement.
To offset the trees that were cut, the project proponent is required to undertake large-scale replacement planting within the next planting season as a condition of the permit. Under the permit, the proponent must plant 50,700 replacement seedlings within Manila in coordination with the local government to ensure local ecological benefit.
The DENR-NCR stressed that tree cutting is not automatically permitted and that all applications undergo evaluation and compliance checks with environmental laws, technical assessments, coordination with concerned local government units, and mitigation measures to address ecological impacts.
The agency cited Presidential Decree No. 705, Presidential Decree No. 953, and other forestry and environmental regulations allowing the cutting or earthballing of trees for infrastructure and development projects, provided permits are secured and safeguards are observed. The tree-cutting activity drew public attention after photos of the cleared roadside went viral online, prompting concerns from netizens.
