Manila Residents Dismayed As DENR Cuts 200 Trees Along Quirino Highway For Expressway

Residents of Manila expressed dismay after over 200 trees along Quirino Highway were cut down to give way for an expressway project, with the ongoing logging operations aiming to completely clear all the 617 trees.

“Manila (Fides Agency) - About 300 families have lost their homes and been displaced as, in recent days, the Metro Manila Department of Public Works began demolishing illegally built housing structures in Caloocan to make way for highway construction”

Agenzia Fides

GMA Network reported that one of the 225 trees cut down was an old narra tree that was over 50 years old, and it said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued the permit.

Agenzia Fides

DENR-NCR regional executive director Michael Drake Matias said, "100 plus will be earth-balled," adding that the agency tries to avoid cutting as much as possible.

The SALEX project will feature four elevated lanes traversing Quirino Avenue and areas near Roxas Boulevard, and under the law the requesting entity must plant 50,700 seedlings to replace the 617 trees that were cut down.

A resident identified as Ric said, "Nanghihinayang ako kasi matagal kami dati dito," describing the shade the trees provided and questioning why they could not be relocated.

In Caloocan, the Metro Manila Department of Public Works began demolishing illegally built housing structures to make way for highway construction, and Agenzia Fides said about 300 families lost their homes and were displaced.

The same report said only 74 of those families may claim financial assistance and housing aid from the National Housing Authority (NHA), while the city government said others would receive some form of subsidy from the Department of Social Welfare.

GMA Network

Agenzia Fides described Manila’s broader context as a metropolis with a total population of about 13 million inhabitants and said 5 million people (about 800,000 families) live in slums scattered across the territory.

It also cited the National Secretariat for Social Action—Justice and Peace of the archdiocese inviting the faithful and civil authorities to "listen to the cry of the poor residents of the slums".

The report said Caritas Manila continues to provide food aid and shopping vouchers, and it added that Caritas runs programs of education, social assistance and employment for poor families.

The Times of India described northern Manila settlements built beneath elevated expressways, where families cook meals, children sleep, and laundry hangs beside concrete pillars and drainage channels.

“In parts of northern Manila, the sound of traffic never fully stops”

The Times of India

It said concrete columns divide small areas into makeshift homes assembled from plywood, corrugated metal sheets, tarpaulin and salvaged timber, and it reported that mattresses are raised on wooden pallets to avoid damp ground during flooding.

The article said electrical wires run between homes through improvised connections and that plastic containers collect water where public access is inconsistent.

It also described the constant uncertainty of eviction for residents who do not legally own the land beneath the motorway, while noting that people repair and rebuild structures repeatedly because materials deteriorate fast under exposure to rain, heat and pollution.

The Times of India said the settlements remain close to markets, transport routes and areas where informal work can be found, and it added that "Living beneath the expressway removes monthly rent for some families" even if it replaces it with different hardships.