THE 21st Davao City Council has created an Ad Hoc Committee to address the long-running delays in the construction of the Maa Flyover.
The resolution, authored by Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus, names Councilor Jessica Bonguyan as chair, Councilor Louie John Bonguyan as vice chair, and Councilors Sweet Advincula, Luna Acosta, and Jopet Baluran as members.
Following the session, the committee promptly convened with officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Gema Constructions, Davao Light and Power Company, and major telecommunications firms. This body aims to improve stakeholder coordination and address Road Right of Way (RROW) issues that have delayed the project.
Councilor Al-Ryan Alejandre suggested requiring DPWH to submit monthly progress reports to the council—similar to the monitoring process for the Bulk Water Project—to make sure the flyover is finished on schedule.
"Kasi unhanay lang sila ba kung kinsa mangimbita sa ilaha, so kung walay mangimbita dili pud sila mag meeting (It’s like they just wait on who will invite them first, so if no one invites them, they don’t hold a meeting)," he said.
The council also scheduled a site inspection on August 20, which Councilors Jessica and Louie John Bonguyan joined alongside Davao Light and DPWH officials.
During the session, Davao Light President and COO Enriczar Tia reported a 77.42 percent completion rate in the first phase of pole relocation, covering the stretch from ZPG Heavy Equipment to Garden Republic. Thirteen poles have been moved, while seven remain tied up in RROW issues.
For the second phase, from MyGad to Diversion Road, relocation is 81.82 percent complete, with two poles still unresolved due to RROW problems. In the third phase along Monteritz Subdivision, three of four sites for new steel poles have been excavated, but the last one sits on private property.
Tia said that the Monteritz line is a direct link to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and connects to the Bajada substation, which powers all of Davao City. Relocating these poles, he warned, must be done cautiously since each shutdown could last up to 10 hours and affect thousands of households and businesses.
“Unfortunately, to be able to relocate these poles properly, we need Right of Way, so DPWH has been telling us that the right of way has been resolved, but we need land to be developed so that we could enter the area to dig the poles, then erect the poles eventually," he said.
Telecommunications companies Globe and PLDT also committed to moving their lines but said their work depends on Davao Light’s pole relocation.
DPWH spokesperson Dean Ortiz said the agency is ready to proceed with construction once Davao Light completes its work. Based on the current timeline, pole relocation may take two to three months, which would allow the flyover structure to be finished by March 2026.
Earlier this month, DPWH-Davao reported that out of 41 affected properties, 29 have been settled—two in 2023, 16 in 2024, and 11 this year. Of the 12 remaining, four are being prioritized: two owned by real estate firms, one by a gas station, and one by a private individual. RGP