DAVAO City Third District Representative Isidro Ungab clarified that the Metropolitan Davao Area he wants to propose would focus on the socio-economic opportunities for the region.
Ungab told SunStar Davao in a phone interview that unlike federalism, an ideal government structure President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing which also aims to provide socio-economic equity, creating Metro Davao is much easier and would not need to undergo several consultations and debates.
“One of PRRD’s (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) main agenda in 2016 is federalism. But I believe that mauubusan na ng oras (time is running out). The process of amending the constitution is a long process,” he said on Saturday, June 22.
Ungab said pushing for a Metro Davao can be possible under Article X, Section 11 of the Philippine Constitution.
The Constitution states, “The Congress may, by law, create special metropolitan political subdivisions, subject to a plebiscite as set forth in Section 10 hereof.”
Also, “The component cities and municipalities shall retain their basic autonomy and shall be entitled to their own local executive and legislative assemblies. The jurisdiction of the metropolitan authority that will thereby be created shall be limited to basic services requiring coordination.”
Ungab said this would lead for the creation of a Metropolitan Davao Development Authority (MDDA) similar to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
He said higher officials of different municipalities, provinces and cities will compose MDDA, wherein different planning units such as economic, development, and urban planning will be discussed as one board.
“Usually, the Congress or Senate give their budget through districts, with the MDDA, it will be under the Office of the President,” he said, adding that a bigger budget allocation will be provided.
“There will be more economic activities because the MDDA can cater to a lot of economic activities and may open several economic opportunities without necessarily touching the political structure,” he added.
He said it will further upgrade the basic services and economic structure of the region.
However, he said he still has to personally open up his proposal to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and to the president himself.
He added that he will personally discuss it with other Davao City representatives in the Congress, Vincent Garcia and Paolo Duterte, before filing it in the 18th Congress.
Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) public relations head Adrian Tamayo, meanwhile, said this would disperse economic opportunities to different regions, decongesting the urban areas.
Tamayo said then-Davao City Mayor Duterte envisioned for a metropolitan Davao long time ago.
“Because he really looked at the urgent need of consolidated direction for growth. Dili lang Manila-centered ang economic growth,” he said.
He said this led for Minda to come up with a Metropolitan Davao Urban Plan (MDUP) last year, wherein they commissioned renowned urban planner Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox to redesign and determine potential urban areas in the region.
Tamayo said part of MDUP’s proposal is to create an MDDA, adding that Ungab’s proposal would complement Minda’s plan.