Permit to cut coconut trees

Technically true if no children or parent left alive but in reality it doesn't work. Your missing the most important unwritten law which states *The foreigner is always wrong*.

Back in Cagayan de Oro many years ago before I moved to Dumaguete I had an American friend who was known in the foreigner community. He and his wife of course had a house and land. The wife had cancer and he was in Cebu with her for a month until she passed and then stayed to take care of bills and to arrange for her body to be moved back to CDO for the burial where her family was from. As soon as she died before the warmth even left her body her family moved themselves into their house and they had keys to help manage the pets while Max and his wife were in Cebu. They refused to let him in when he returned and refused to leave the property stating that she was their blood and he was just the foreign husband. He proceeded to take them to court and for 2 years they fought over the house which by the law was his as they had no kids and the wife had no kids from before him and the parents were dead. The courts just kept delaying endlessly for 2 years and now and then he lost a lawyer because the family paid the lawyer to delay the case. Eventually he died living in a small apartelle 2 years later while the case was still not going anywhere.

Many of the other foreigners suggested he just get in a few thugs from Illigan to *evict* the family one way or another as the sad truth it was the only way he could have gotten his house back. He didn't though. Just hope karma caught up to all of that family later on.

 

A known situation which tells us what the reality is. So we can know the law here, or its many variants, but must not expect it to come to our aid.

 

as I understood the guy from the DENR, even when I planted the trees by myself, I need their permit to cut them down - in theorie they inspect your land and create a list of all your trees, in reality in my life nobody ever showed up...

 

Getting instant Filipina status isn't exactly true. I couldn't obtain Filipina status until after I had been a permanent resident (married to a Filipino) for 7 years, if I remember correctly. I was there 6 years, but actually still had a few years to go. Me being listed as a Filipina so early was a fluke.

 

It is the same when you build your home...no one will ever stop by to inspect anything. Someone will stop by once you are done to assess your property taxes though.

I'm not advocating you ignore things and just cut them down; but as other folks have said if you can show they are in the way of your future house/landscaping then it should not be an issue to get the permit to cut them down. Like most things, I assume it will take some time to get everything in order.

Shawn

 

We did cut down coconut trees (in Cebu) around 2 years ago and went through the process. As far as I remembered we went first to the barrangay and then to DENR (not me - one of my helper). The trees posed danger to the property (you have to state the reason). We did not replant, as we have plenty of coconut trees. The whole process took around 3 weeks and will cost, but not much. I think it is better to do it properly - you never know. btw. we are as well at the beach and important is to respect the salvage zone if you build.

 

I asked Congressman Sagarbarria's wife (she is family), and she said that you must first get the permit from the city environmental and natural resource office (if within city limits) and state your reasons why you wish to cut down the trees. She said you must have good reason. After that, take it from there. I don't think this shed any new light on whether or not you can plant other types of trees in place of the coconut trees, however, I did ask that question. Sorry, this was all the info I got from her.