TREKKING activities in watershed areas in Davao City are now strictly prohibited, while recreational activities in these areas will be regulated, the Watershed Management Council (WMC) ordered in a resolution.
The Davao City government, in an issued statement on Friday afternoon, May 21, 2021, said WMC passed two separate resolutions following the collected waste materials in the city's watershed, especially in the Panigan-Tamugan River.
These are Resolution No. 3 - A Resolution Declaring that Trekking Activities are Prohibited in the Watershed Areas of Davao City; and Resolution No. 4 - A Resolution Adopting the Proposed Guidelines on the Conduct of Recreational Activities Within the Watershed Areas of Davao City and Forwarding the same to the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Prior to the two resolutions, WMC released a resolution in 2020 mandating barangays within watershed areas to strictly regulate recreational activities within their territorial jurisdiction.
"This was in response to the increasing activities in the watershed areas where it was observed that solid wastes are left by the trekkers and other locals," the City Government said.
The City said this was tackled in a committee hearing spearheaded by Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr., committee head of environment, on May 19.
The local government said the recommendation was to further improve the guidelines to include the issue of waste disposal.
The City also said the information, education and communication (IEC) team has also included in its plan to intensify the clean-up campaign drive in all barangays where the watersheds are located.
"If environmental protection mechanisms were not working on the ground, destructive human activities in our watershed and critical upland areas would have not been discovered," the City said.
It added, "To insinuate that we are remiss in our task is a little bit of a stretch, unfair, and downright wrong."
The City said the recent discovery of used face masks, face shields, and other "discarded" plastic wastes at Panigan-Tamugan "proves the effective collaboration" between the local government and civil society organizations to ensure the protection of the city's natural resources.
The City added the importance of the Bantay Bukid volunteers as the local government's partner in the upland communities.
"The LGU does not only share expressions of concern over the condition of our environment, including our watershed areas - it is also very much alarmed by the irresponsible, reckless, and destructive human activities that threaten our forests and other natural resources," the local government said.