A REPRESENTATIVE from a Davao City-based environment group criticized a councilor for being unaware of significant environmental issues despite chairing the environment committee of the 20th City Council.
“It speaks a lot about him as a chair of the committee on environment nga dili ka aware sa dako na mga environmental issues sa imong city (that you are not aware of the major environmental issues in your city),” Atty. Mark Peñalver, executive director of Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis), said in a media interview on Wednesday morning, May 15, 2024, at the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC).
This criticism followed First District Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo's admission on May 14 that he was unaware the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had started cutting down 199 trees along Lanang on May 9.
Peñalver said that Ocampo's role involves making decisions that impact Davao City's environment. He noted that even if a project is national, it must still be coordinated with the Local Government Unit (LGU) as required by the local government code.
“Kung naay infrastructure project naa gyud na siyay consultation kay kung ing ana ma gyud unsa may pulos sa pagka LGU nimo kung ang national gihapon ang magbuot ug unsa ang project ibutang dinha (If there is an infrastructure project, there must be a consultation. Otherwise, what is the point of having an LGU if the national government still decides what projects will be implemented?),” he said.
Peñalver added that consultations between the LGU and the national government ensure that projects are appropriate for the locality.
He urged Ocampo to urgently address environmental issues in the city, especially given the extreme temperatures experienced by residents.
Peñalver underscored that, as the committee chair on the environment and natural resources, Ocampo should understand why temperatures are rising, identify policies to mitigate this issue, and ensure their implementation.
In a phone interview with Ocampo, he told SunStar Davao on Thursday evening, May 26, 2024, that he is still in the process of fact-finding. He is currently retracing the documents submitted by DPWH as he was uncertain how it all transpired.
“I was not informed kasi usually pag we have meeting specially parks board sa public places ma tackle man gyud nang cutting of trees and I always see to it that engineering or other interventions can be done para dili maputol ang mga kahoy (I wasn't informed because typically, during our meetings—especially those of the parks board held in public—the issue of tree cutting is addressed. I always ensure that we explore engineering or alternative interventions to avoid tree removal),” he said.
He said that he will personally investigate whether they obtained a cutting permit, how they secured it, the reasons behind it, whether there was tagging, or if they submitted a commitment plan to replant 200 trees for every one cut down.
He also addressed issues regarding consultations between the national government and the LGU long before the project began. He noted that concerned agencies were present at committee hearings where questions were raised about tree cutting.
“On this particular incident I don’t know ngano walay nahitabo nga ing ana siguro its because it was done in a private place if it was done in public mananghid gyud na sila sa parks board especially ug naa na sa mga highways ug daplin sa kalsada (In this particular incident, I don’t know why nothing happened like what occurred in the committee hearing. Perhaps it's because it was done in a private location. If it had been done in public, they would have sought permission from the parks board, especially if it's along highways),” he said.
The councilor clarified that the tree cutting occurred in a private area. If it had been done in public, the government would have noticed it immediately, as they would need permission from the city's parks board and undergo deliberation.
Ocampo added that, according to information gathered from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), inspections were conducted in September 2023 for the SIDC project, and DPWH was given the green light after submitting the necessary documents. RGP