PRIVILEGE SPEECH
Rachel P. Zozobrado
January 27, 2009
Regular Session

Madam President,
Esteemed Colleagues in the 15th City Council,
SP staff and employees,
Friends from the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.

I rise on a personal and collective privilege, to talk about that matter which is very dear to all of us.

That which is the source of life, the very same thing which, perhaps due to its perceived abundance, we sometimes take for granted…..

WATER.

Many may look at the geography of our City and see the Davao Gulf, the vast numbers of rivers and streams, and be lulled by a false security the presence of all these bodies of water may give us.

Sharo makabsan ta og tubig, di lagi na muhubas, not a few of us might say with confidence.

But, although we are blessed with plenty, our fresh water is not an unlimited resource. We should do everything we can to sustain and protect it.

In the face of a great many pressures on our water — from population growth, climate change, pollution and invasive species — we know we have to continue to take strong action to preserve and protect what is so essential to our quality of life.

Along with this is the protection of our aquifer and watersheds.

Our watersheds are significant water reservoirs for the 1.5 million, or so, residents of Davao City. Its forest houses indigenous species of plants, trees, and animals -- such is a wonder and a rarity within the boundaries of a thriving metropolitan. Thriving in the midst of an urban environment, it is inevitable that this sanctuary is vulnerable to encroachment and changing of land use to give way to the demands of urbanization. Clearly, protection of such a vital asset is needed to be in place.

Thus, in 2007, after years of reviews and study, the Watershed Protection, Conservation and Management Ordinance of the City, or Davao City’s Watershed Code, was enacted. And last year, the Implementing Rules and Regulations, were finally put in place. Many have lauded this landmark legislation which sought, among others, the protection of the aquifers and water resource areas from prohibited activities and for the protection against all forms of pollution or ecological imbalance.

The Code identified watersheds, especially those within the conservation area, as environmentally critical areas, where development or commercial activity of any sort is prohibited to ensure the sustainability of the city’s water supply. This would most definitely serve as a shield against the dangers posed on the ecosystem and the communities benefiting from the watershed area.

And now, even in its infancy, the provisions of our city’s Watershed Code are put to test.

For now, we are confronted, among others, with the controversial tussle between the Davao City Water District and Hedcor for the use of the Tamugan-Panigan River. An area identified in our Watershed Code as a conservation area.

There is no question that the goals and efforts of both DCWD and Hedcor are laudable and will inure to the benefit of the Davaoeños.

For who can question the importance of both water and power in our lives?

Who is not tempted by the declaration of the DCWD that several barangays, especially those of the second and third district which have been deprived for so long, will finally have continued access to potable water?


And who can resist the economic benefits, the potential sources of income, the long awaited infrastructure projects promised by Hedcor?

In a utopian world, or perhaps a less profit-oriented world, we would have had a happy compromise and enjoy the benefits of both.

But, perhaps, that is not to be.

And when we are confronted with stark reality, when push comes to shove, when we are faced with the task of choosing only one, for this particular area…. Water or power… the fact remains that:

While the Earth’s surface is composed of 70% water, almost all of this water, 97.2 %, to be exact, is in the ocean. Of the remaining 2.8%, 2.1 % is found in the polar icecaps and glaciers. Only 0.6% of the water on earth is fresh water found in lakes, rivers, and ground water. The remaining 0.1% is brackish water such as that found in the Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea. Only a small part of the Earth’s Fresh water, therefore, is actually potable or safe for human use.

The importance of preserving watersheds, aquifer, and such other water resource for the primary purpose of sourcing potable water supply for Davao City, could not, therefore, be over emphasized.

And this, madam president, I believe, was what the authors and movers of the Watershed Code had in mind. This was the very reason for the identification and declaration of Tamugan as among the conservation areas of our City. It is undeniable that the rationale behind the express prohibition against the conduct of development and commercial activities in these identified environmentally critical areas is to ensure the SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CITY’S WATER SUPPLY.

The Code could not be clearer than that.

It is toward this end, madam president, that this humble representation respectfully seek the help of her esteemed colleagues in this body. This representation humbly appeal, Madam President, dear Colleagues, that we make the enactments and ordinances that we have made, WORK … just a little bit more.


For if we have to amend, if we must amend, let us amend when the cobwebs of doubt have been totally cleared from our minds and our hearts.

A wise man used to say: “Only after the last tree has been felled, the last river poisoned, the last fish caught, will man know that he cannot eat nor drink money.”

Let it be said, madam president, that during our watch, while gifted with intelligence and insight, with privilege and position, with the wealth of wisdom, and with the freedom and power of the human will.

Let it be said that in our time, and during our watch, we did our share. Let it be that in the hour of reckoning, when we look back, we look back not with regret but with gratification. And maybe, just maybe, we will make a little difference.

Thank you and once again, good morning.