PALM tree seedlings will be replanted once the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 is done with the road widening in Apokon, Tagum City mayor said.
Mayor Allan Rellon said in a phone interview with Sunstar Davao Thursday, March 14, the palm trees on the Surigao-Davao Costal Road in Barangay Apokon were removed by DPWH-Davao for its road widening project.
Rellon added that the road widening project is a national project and part of the Build, Build, Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He said the Infrastructure Development Committee of Tagum City has agreed with the project with the condition that DPWH will include the construction of a center island which can be planted with palms in replacement to those that were cut due to road widening project.
“Nagtanum naman mig seedlings na ready for planting inig mahuman na ang proyekto (We have already seedlings ready for planting right after the construction of the project),” he added.
DPWH-Davao spokesperson Dean Ortiz said in an interview with SunStar Davao on March 14 they also have environmental social responsibility such as tree-planting whenever they cut trees due to a project.
“We need not worry as the City of Palms will still be a City of Palms once we have completed the project,” Ortiz added
He added that as of their latest data, the road widening in Davao-Surigao coastal road in Apokon is 5.11 percent complete. The project started in July 31, 2018 but the construction widening proper only started in September 2018.
He said the factor in the delays of the project is because of the settling of the right of ways (ROW) in the area before they can start the construction.
The DPWH spokesperson added that the road widening project is eyed to be completed in May 2019.
Surigao-Davao Coastal road widening project is measured with a length of 2.3 kilometers in Apokon alone with a budget of P155 million.
Ortiz said there is road widening in Tagum City because it is continually progressing so there is a need to accommodate the possible traffic in five to 10 years’ time due to increasing activity in the city. (RJC)