Saturday, October 11, 2008 Body awaits mayor's decision on Hedcor's proposal By Grace L. Plata
THE City Council committee on energy will need to have the Davao City mayor's decision on the Hedcor Tamugan proposal before it can submit a report and recommendation to the City Council as a whole.
Energy committee chair Pilar Braga, who earlier committed to endorse Hedcor, said the committee will hold its presentation of the report in deference to the mayor's move on the matter.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has given Hedcor and the Davao City Water District (DCWD) until Wednesday next week to negotiate in hopes that they will come up with a workable solution to the problem. Duterte will make his decision whether or not to endorse Hedcor's application by Thursday.
"We are waiting for the mayor's go signal; hence the delay in submitting the committee report. We have to respect the decision of the mayor. Besides, the committee really asked for his intervention," Braga said Friday.
Braga added that though the committee on energy has finished the report, they will have to consolidate it with that of the environment committee chaired by Councilor Leonardo Avila III.
Avila, for his part, said the matter must be based on the local Watershed Code.
With a provision of prohibiting any development in critical recharge areas such as Tamugan, Hedcor would have to sway the City Council to amend the code if it hopes to have its application approved.
Aside from that, the energy firm also has to contend with the resistance of the DCWD who has prior rights to the area and is eyeing to tap the Tamugan River as a potable water source.
"If they tap Tamugan, they would not have to pump anymore kay ang tubig gikan man sa taas. It is with the pumps that they use electricity. Without the use of pumps, electric bills of DCWD will be lessened. Thus a possibility of cheaper water rates," Avila said.
DCWD spokesperson Imelda Magsuci confirmed this.
"If we can tap Tamugan, our power bills will lessened by about 50 percent. Right now we are paying 11 million. Magsuci also said it is mostly the residents of Districts 2 and 3 who have no water supply at present who will benefit from the project and the savings.
"Less na ang gastos sa kuryente so magamit na for other projects and pera. About 300,000 families ang maka benefit. Katong naa na'y connection pero paputol-putol ang tubig, ma-solve na rin yun," Magsuci said.
The study, Magsuci, said would take about a year to finish and the construction of the water reservoir would take about three years to complete.
