Zozobrado says no to Watershed Code amendment

Times have changed and the priorities of the government may have changed but there is still a need to continuously protect Davao City’s watersheds.

This was the call made by councilor Rachel Zozobrado, who said the need to protect the city’s sources of potable water still exists despite the changing times. “Water is one resource that we can never bring back to its original state once destroyed and polluted,” she said.

Zozobrado walked her talk and led a tree planting activity at the Tamugan Watershed in Tamugan, Marilog District last month, together with the different mountaineering organizations in the city, the Barangay Council of Tamugan, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the City Engineers Office.

“I am not in favor of amending the Watershed Code; nothing has changed between the time it was unanimously passed by the city council and today because the Tamugan River still needs to be protected,” she said.

Zozobrado said she could not think of a justification that would support the amendment to the Code. On the other hand, she said, the current environmental crisis should be a learning experience for us and should teach us to be more careful and circumspect in out actions concerning the environment.

“When the Watershed Code was enacted it was precisely in response to the crisis and as its author, the city council believed that putting up structures within the protected areas would cause damage, thus the provision on its prohibition,” she said. Amending it now is like saying we were not thinking right when it was passed by the council.

Zozobrado said the Watershed Code is not even fully implemented so it does not make sense to even amend it.

She said there is still a lot to be done in terms of protecting the Tamugan River and planting trees is just one of those methods.

Among those who participated in the tree planting activity are: Steward of Nature (SON, Inc) from Toril District, Ateneo Mountaineering Club (AMC), Earth and Nature Mountaineering Club, LAYAK Outdoors from Calinan, SANDAWA-APO, Team 3/4 and Team EN ROUTE Mountaineering Organization.