DAVAO councilors were urged to invite officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways, Davao City Engineer's Office, and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to discuss Tuesday, October 10, the city's traffic plans following the landslide at Shrine Hills area last week.
In his privilege speech, Davao City Councilor Jesus Joseph Zozobrado said the traffic last October 6 was like a scene from an apocalypse movie, as hundreds were caught in standstill for hours.
He said what happened is an eye opener on how the city is dependent on the current routes.
r"Until such time the coastal roads and bypass roads are completed, then we can experience the same traffic horror over and over again," he said.
He added that environmentalists have repeatedly warned about the Shrine Hills, and the MGB even reported the risk of allowing further development along Shrine Hills.
"We need to act fast to provide a remedy or solution to our problems. In connection with this, I propose to invite the City Engineers Office and Department of Public Works and Highways to brief us on the status of their land widening and construction works and the possible areas that will have similar effect to what happened in diversion road, and while they are here, I hope they can also provide alternative routes to the city," he said.
Zozobrado also proposed to invite MGB to enlighten the council with the present status of the slopes in the other areas of the city that are in similar situation.
"Since construction works are necessary for development, I expect these agencies to provide several alternatives to minimize the effects of these projects. This will help us in the City Council to come up with the necessary legislation to make transportation of the city not only conducive both to residents and investors but also safe for all of us to live and make business in the city," he said.