A yearly price range for relocating timber that might be affected by street widening and different infrastructure tasks has been proposed within the House of Representatives.
Proposed by Leyte Representative Richard Gomez, House Bill 9124 seeks to allocate funds for the procurement, upkeep, and use of no less than one set of equipment generally known as “earth-balling equipment” per area for use in street enchancment and different developmental tasks.
The allocation might be lodged beneath the annual price range of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Gomez’s invoice defines an earth-balling machine as a mechanized equipment particularly designed to relocate timber that impede road-widening efforts.
“The earth-balling method guarantees the survival and continued growth of the transplanted tree, thereby maintaining the environmental balance and ecological integrity of the area. This process is essential as it allows for the coexistence of infrastructure development and environmental sustainability,” Gomez mentioned in an announcement.
Gomez mentioned that the DPWH does earth-balling strategies manually as a result of there isn’t a price range for the acquisition of earth-balling machines.
“This is a laborious and expensive process, and I believe that it is because of this that tree cutting permits are methodically granted to DPWH for road-widening projects. Let us bring down the number of trees cut to the bare minimum,” he mentioned.
Gomez mentioned the native authorities of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan bought an earth-balling machine in 2019 for P16 million to avoid wasting Balayong timber from road-widening tasks, and people timber have been efficiently replanted in a 7.3-hectare park.
“Trees are worth so much more to us alive than dead. On average, a tree absorbs 25 kilos of carbon dioxide each year. Trees [also] give us shade, prevent erosion, prevent flooding, and enhance the beauty of our surroundings,” the lawmaker mentioned.
“We need to save as many trees as we can,” he added. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
