Davao City First District Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the Committee on Environment of the City Council, has called for a committee hearing with the Department of Public Works and Highways 11 (DPWH 11) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 11 (DENR 11) on the alleged ongoing illegal road construction at Purok 7 and Purok 8 in Barangay Carmen, Baguio District, Davao City.
Ocampo said this is based on the report sent to him by the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) as reported by the City Environmental and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) that DPWH has an ongoing concreting of road in the area.
Ocampo raised concern as the areas are protected zones under the city government of Davao’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), and the city’s watershed ordinance.
“We are really baffled why DPWH has able to nakakuha sila ug Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). Medyo nabahala ang committee (environment) tungod kay wala man mga balay didto unya kung muingon sila ug farm-to-market road there is no farm there. Bukid man na tanan puro na lasang. That is why I call for a committee hearing in order to ask DPWH, DENR, kung unsa ba gyud ni. Ang project nagputol sila ug kahoy, nag bulldoze, nagsemento therefore ang natural environment was disturbed and its should be a protected area,” Ocampo said.
Ocampo added that according to the tribal leaders in the area, there is no Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as the areas are within the ancestral domains.
Based on the report of CENRO to the CEO, it conducted an inspection following the verbal inquiry from the assistant city administrator on the alleged illegal road construction in the area, which is being implemented by DPWH, under contract with Two Degrees Construction and Supply with contract amount of P29,551,481.40, source of fund from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) CY 2023.
The road construction was already more than 50 percent completed.
“We are not against development kay nindot man na but the problem is para kang kinsa tung kalsada. Para ba sa mga katawhan didto nga ang mga tao kasagaran naa man sa ubos, lagyo lagyo ang mga balay didto. We want to get the bottom of this kay lisod na muabot ang panahon naay mubutho didto nga resort or mansion unya ang syudad ug konseho na pud basulon kay wala namo gitagad. Karon pa lang daan nga nagsugod pa lang sila gusto namo mahibal-an kung unsa ang tinuod niini,” Ocampo said.
“Ikaduha para sa unsa, ka kinsa ang project? ug for DENR ngano nihatag sila ug ECC nga wala may formal consent sa mga tribal leaders?” he said.
Ocampo is eyeing to start the committee hearing this month.
