Following public backlash over the tree cutting along Quirino Avenue for the proposed Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX), heritage advocates have launched a voluntary mapping project that identified more than 50 cultural heritage sites and 440 trees that could be affected by the infrastructure project.

Manileños for Heritage (M4H), a non-profit organization, began documenting potential cultural and natural heritage assets along the planned expressway route on 31 May. Using Google My Maps, the group surveyed areas including Roxas Boulevard, Quirino Avenue, Pedro Gil Street, A. Mabini Street, Padre Faura Street, San Marcelino Street and Ayala Boulevard. The mapping remains a work in progress and is open to corrections and contributions from the public.

The organization said the initiative also examines possible legal implications of the project under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the Cultural Mapping Law, the General Appropriations Act and other related laws and policies.

“The next step is to formally present these findings to relevant national and local government agencies through a unified memorandum, calling for their immediate attention and appropriate action,” M4H said.

Initial findings showed that more than 50 cultural heritage sites may be affected by the expressway. These include pre-war and post-war structures such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Malate Church, Ramon Magsaysay Center, Solidaridad, the Zamora-Mascuñana Ancestral House, the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Cancer Institute Building, the Jose P. Laurel Foundation Building and the Elpidio Quirino Monument.

The mapping also identified 440 tagged trees representing various species, including narra, balete, acacia, mango, mahogany, coconut and rubber trees, among others.

The heritage mapping comes amid continued debate over the project after the cutting of trees along Quirino Avenue sparked public criticism.

On 27 May, Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and project proponent San Miguel Corporation were conducting further studies and reviewing the process behind the tree cutting.

“We are disheartened” by the tree cutting, Cuna said during Kapihan sa Manila Bay, adding that authorities are coordinating with the company and the City of Manila to address public concerns.

In a statement issued on 1 June, San Miguel Corporation maintained that the current expressway alignment is the “most feasible” option, saying it minimizes the displacement of residents and avoids wider disruption to public and private infrastructure.

The 40.62-kilometer SALEX project consists of four segments: the C3-R10 Extension, Shoreline Expressway, Quirino Extension and Buendia Extension. The expressway will also connect to the New Manila International Airport project, which has drawn separate environmental concerns.

Meanwhile, student and environmental advocates have filed a petition for a temporary environmental protection order before the Manila Regional Trial Court seeking to halt activities related to the project following the tree-cutting operations on Quirino Avenue.