DESPITE protests and the clear statement of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte against cutting of trees along the drainage canal in Dacudao Avenue, the trees will still be cut. Maybe not all, but still, trees will be cut.
An official from the Davao City Drainage Management Unit (DMU) said that they are still waiting for a report coming from the members of the technical working group (TWG), who has conducted a tagging of the trees located along Dacudao Avenue.
In a phone interview, DMU chief retired Colonel Yusof Jimlani said that based on the initial investigation from a member of the TWG, there will be trees to be cut and pulled in order for them to be able to clean the Dacudao canal but for the meantime, they will not be able to do anything until they will receive an official report.
“Naghihintay lang kami nang report from them (TWG) para masimulan na namin yung paglilinis doon pero wala pa man, so wala pa talaga tayong magagawa,” he said.
Jimlani also added that he has sent two letters to the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) following-up about the tree tagging that they have conducted.
“It has been two weeks na and they still have not answered our letters,” he said.
The tagging of trees were assigned to the CENRO and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources while other agencies who are involved in the thorough study are the City Planning and Development Office, City Engineer's Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
Jimlani previously said that the trees fences off the canal which gives them a hard time cleaning the silt along the Dacudao canal.
DMU’s alternative plans stated earlier were to cut some trees and replant them after or buy machinery capable of siphoning the silt on the creek.
For the machine, Jimlani said that they are currently communicating with the manufacturer in China.
Moreover, he said that they still have not yet finalized the schedule to meet with the TWG this year and as to when the cleaning of the creek will begin.