Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the committee on environment, said on Monday that implementing the Environmental User Fees (EUF) in Davao City requires a thorough study.
Amid reports of the city’s planned implementation of EUF, Ocampo clarified that nothing was discussed in his committee and in the City Council plenary.
“Wala pana nahisgutan sa akong committee and not even sa council. No plans yet. Gi-interview ko sa media about EUF kung mopatuman ba daw ta diri kay ang ubang cities are doing it ingon ko wala pa man ta’y plano ana but we are not also saying we are not open to that idea. And if ever na siya nga hinuon, tun-an gyud na pag-ayo kay dako kaayo ang area sa Davao City. Like Samal, Coron, Palawan and other areas with similar situation, dali lang mangolekta. Pero sa ato dako kaayo. It may be viable for Davao and if ever dakong tabang na sa funds in preserving and protecting the environment, pero lagi ang pag-implement ug paunsa i-implement? Asa ta mangolekta? Entry points? Or sa mga resorts and how much? Violent reactions sab iconsider. Tun-an gyud ni pag-ayo. Pero as of now, wala pa gyud na nahisgutan namo sa council,” Ocampo said in a Messenger message.
Meanwhile, the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) is collecting EUF from tourists visiting the island.
IGaCoS Bantay Kinaiyahan shared that the local government unit of IGaCoS issued City Ordinance #156-S.2009 imposing the implementation of the EUF Program in 2009. The ordinance defines EUF as “a sustainable revenue-generating mechanism for local governments, which effectively allocates the responsibility for managing, developing and protecting the environment by charging a fee for tourists and visitors for their use and enjoyment of the area.”
