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Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Environment group chides 2 councilors
AN ENVIRONMENT group expressed dismay over the stand of two members of the City Council favoring the business community over the environment.
In a statement, Interface Development Interventions Inc. (Idis) executive director Lia Jasmin Esquillo said that while other members of the City Council took a tight grip in weighing whether or not to favor some projects to operate amid oppositions from various concerned groups, Councilors Danilo Dayanghirang and Diosdado Mahipus publicly expressed their apprehensions about hurting the sensitivity of the business community.
Esquillo said the two councilors should have considered first and foremost the repercussions of the operations of these projects to the environment and people's health.
Recently, various issues that touch on the environment including the foreshore lease application and environmental compliance of cement factory Holcim and the health and environmental hazard posed by banana and pineapple plantations confronted the City Council.
Esquillo was particularly alarmed when Mahipus was quoted saying that the best thing for the government to do, should the business community commit violations, is to "legitimize whatever infractions they have committed and step further rather than condemn them."
Esquillo said Mahipus was apparently "too concerned about the perception of the business community to Davao City to ever forget that violations, if there are any, must be acted upon appropriately."
Mahipus earlier said the government should not be very adversarial to the business community so as not to scare away investors.
According to Mahipus criticisms against development could actually make the city appear unfriendly to the business community.
Esquillo, however, said that no amount of legitimization could ever justify the damages done to people and environment by efforts disguising as development.
"What are they so afraid of? If the business community is paying taxes to the government, the people who could be affected by the ill-effects of these developments are also taxpayers," Esquillo said.
She added, "There would be no criticisms against the operations of these groups if they are just doing their job well. Above the revenue that the city would get out of their operations, what is important is the concern and interest of the general public."
Esquillo said that the developments should be based on sound ecology and "short of that and we are sacrificing our very survival, our home and the future generations."
But the two councilors denied they are pro-business and anti-environment.
Esquillo, however, stressed that the issue is more than that.
"It is not about being pro-business or anti-business. Who would say no to investments? Of course we need the business community. But it is all about being pro-sustainable development," Esquillo said. (BOT)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 26, 2005 issue)
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