Davao City – The City Government of Davao has recently amended two sections of Executive Order (EO) No. 2 series of 2017, known as “An Order Creating And Constituting A Task Force Drainage And Right-Of-Way To Effectively And Efficiently Coordinate Work On Drainage Infrastructures And To Identify And Clear All Occupied Right-Of-Ways In The City of Davao” through the issuance of EO 4 series of 2022.
EO 4, which was signed on January 31, 2021, was to take effect immediately.
“There is a need to update the membership of the Task Force to include other offices and organizations that play a role in the implementation of drainage and right-of-way concerns,” the new EO states.
It also provides the need to update the functions of the Task Force to reflect other drainage and flooding-related tasks that need to be undertaken.
Section 1 (Creation of Task Force Drainage and Right-of-Way), and Section 2 (Functions) were the ones amended.
The Task Force Drainage and Right-of-Way was created on February 6, 2017, to help solve and mitigate flooding and traffic conditions in Davao City.
The special body shall now be composed of representatives from local and national agencies/offices of the City of Davao: chairperson – city mayor or in her behalf, the city administrator; vice-chair – the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) department head; and members – the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional director, DPWH district engineers, the
City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) head, the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) head, the Davao City Water District (DCWD) general manager, a Philippine Long Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) representative, a Davao Light and Power Company representative, a Pole Users Association of Davao City Representative, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), the Barangay Cultural Communities and Affairs Division (BCCAD), the Ancillary Services Unit (ASU), and a Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Davao representative.
The Task Force is mandated to coordinate with concerned agencies before and during the implementation of the construction of national or city road projects with drainage components within the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Davao; monitor the implementation of drainage projects; submit lists of drainage projects implemented by their respective offices to the Task Force; recommend and advise the concerned agencies the resolution of problems related to flooding; recommend to the city mayor any executive and legislative measures to mitigate flooding; and conduct periodic cleaning of the existing drainage lines.
It was also ordered to initiate the removal of existing structures built on top of existing drainage lines, including the eviction or demolition of structures located along danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, waterways, and other public places such as sidewalks, roads, parks, and playgrounds;
cause the clearing of all illegal structures built along road light-of-ways; coordinate the clearing/desiltation of rivers, creeks, and drainage systems; determine/cause the removal of poles affected during road widening; recommend roads and drainage projects for funding that would mitigate flooding; and perform such other duties and functions as may be necessary and proper in the performance of the abovementioned functions.
EO 4 also provides that the Office of the City Mayor shall fund all operating expenses of the Task Force.
The EO also underscored the city’s recurrent flooding problem and traffic congestion due to the implementation of different construction projects in Davao City by various agencies.
Check out the full provisions of the EO 4 series of 2020 here https://www.davaocity.gov.ph/transparency/executive-orders/2022-2/.
(Source: Davao City Information Office)