Davao City’s Watershed Management Council headed by City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio herself has recommended the closure of a swimming pool resort established in the mountain fastness of barangay Tambobong in Baquio District.
The recommendation is based on the negative report of the WMC’s Watershed Multipartite Monitoring Team (WMMT) citing the resort’s several violations of the Watershed Code and related ordinances regulating business establishments in the city. The team is composed of nine city and national government agencies and one environmental advocacy group. The government agencies represented in the inspection and monitoring of the swimming pool resort are the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO), City Administrator’s Office, City Health Office (CHO), City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), City Engineer’s Office (CEO), City Agriculturist Office (CAO), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 11, DENR Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Davao City Water District (DCWD) and the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) Inc.
During the inspection, the team found out that the pool is located within the conservation zone and in the upstream of Tamugan River which is being tapped for the P12-billion bulk water system by the Aboitiz-led Apo Agua Infrastructura and DCWD. Near the pool is a reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 liters that provides potable water to certain sitios of Barangay Tambobong for domestic use. The team also found solid wastes such as shampoo, soap wrappers, food wrappers and many more pollutants near the riverbank. When confronted the swimming pool management failed to present a business permit, building permit, barangay clearance and a use permit from the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
For these multifarious violations the erring resort must be padlocked immediately.
The WMC should likewise investigate the failure of the barangay government of Tambobong to stop this patently illegal business operation. One thing that the WMC can do is to activate the barangay watershed management council of Tambobong and all other barangays located within watershed areas. Under the Watershed Ordinance, the WMC and the BWMCs are empowered to run after illegal activities within protected zones.
This move is imperative since there is now a proliferation of mountain resorts in the protected areas of the city. Just a few weeks ago the WMMT has also reported its discovery of more than a dozen cottages of what appears to be another resort near Tamugan River. In the cottages’ vicinity the inspection team also found solid wastes left by irresponsible resort-goers guaranteed to pollute Dabawenyos’ future source of drinking water.
