DAVAO City Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo has raised concern over discoloration in portions of the Panigan–Tamugan Watershed, allegedly caused by wastewater discharge from a nearby piggery.
Ocampo, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said the watershed is one of the city’s major sources of drinking water and must receive the highest level of protection. He warned that contamination could threaten public health and Davao City’s long-term water supply.
Source of pollution
On Oct. 21, 2025, the Barangay of Tamugan issued an advisory prohibiting residents from bathing, washing clothes, or using the river for domestic purposes following an incident the previous day. The water reportedly turned brownish to blackish and emitted a foul odor, allegedly due to discharge from JML Lopez Farm.
Bantay Bukid volunteers later inspected the river and found that two barangays, Tamugan and Gumalang, were affected. They documented the incident, collected samples for analysis, and forwarded the report to the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) and the Watershed Management Council (WMC).
Ocampo called for stronger monitoring of the watershed to ensure compliance with environmental permits and for reviews of waste-management systems of large farms operating near protected areas.
“Once the source of pollution is verified, we must ensure appropriate legal and administrative actions, including fines, citations or, if warranted, the filing of cases, to ensure justice for affected communities and deter similar violations in the future,” he said during his privilege speech Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
He also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Davao Region, the Environmental Management Bureau–Davao, the WMC, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, and civic groups to conduct a thorough investigation and hold accountable those found liable.
“The Tamugan–Panigan River must be protected at all costs. Once we lose our clean water sources, we lose a part of our city’s future,” he said.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang expressed support for environmental protection and called for a cease-and-desist order on the piggery operation, citing damage to the river.
Ocampo moved for his privilege speech to be considered on first reading and referred it to his committee for action.
Possible violations
Ocampo said the incident may have violated several environmental laws, including:
• Presidential Decree 1067, the Water Code of the Philippines, which allows the DENR to restrict activities in protected groundwater areas
• Republic Act 9275, the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, which prohibits discharging pollutants into waterways without a valid permit
• City Ordinance 0310-07, the Davao City Watershed Code, which bans dumping harmful waste in watershed areas
• City Ordinance 0742-25, the Panigan–Tamugan Sub-Watershed Ordinance, which prohibits the disposal of waste that degrades water quality
Similar incident in 2021
Ocampo noted that in June 2021, environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) forwarded a similar complaint from Tamugan residents alleging animal-waste discharge into the river by a piggery. The Watershed Multipartite Monitoring Team cited improvements during an April 2021 inspection, but residents continued reporting foul-smelling wastewater in May 2021.
Main water source
The Panigan–Tamugan River is Davao City’s largest water source. According to the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and bulk-water partner Apo Agua Infrastructure, Inc., 78 percent of the city’s current supply comes from surface water from the Panigan–Tamugan Watershed. The shift follows warnings that groundwater alone could not sustain long-term demand. RGP