Department of Environment and Natural Resources acting secretary Juan Miguel Cuna defends the agency’s decision to allow San Miguel Corporation to cut trees along Quirino Avenue to make way for the Southern Access Link Expressway in Manila, saying the project is necessary for development and had undergone proper review, during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. Environmental advocates and green groups condemn the removal of decades-old trees, saying the loss of mature tree cover worsens the city’s vulnerability to rising heat and chronic flooding.