THE CITY government recently institutionalized Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) policy, ensuring every household has access to sanitary toilets.
In a statement on Sept. 27, the ZOD program through Executive Order No. 32, series of 2024, also mandated the creation of a verification and verification team tasked to assess the barangays based on the Philippine Approach to Sustainable Sanitation. The program was institutionalized on Sept. 25.
“The team shall be led by a City Health Officer, and the Chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Health shall sit as the team’s assistant team leader. A sustainable sanitation plan for the city shall also be developed to provide strategic direction for the implementation and operationalization of the ZOD Program,” the statement read.
It also said that the strengthening of sanitation governance and regulatory mechanisms among others will be discussed under the sanitation plan, with its funding appropriated from the Annual Budget or Supplemental Budget of the City subject to the fund’s availability.
The city government also stressed that establishing decent toilets for Davaoeños will prevent contamination, particularly waterways.
The Department of Health XI also issued the Administrative Order 2010-0021, also known as “Sustainable Sanitation as a National Policy”, to achieve zero open defecation status and attaining universal access to safe and adequate sanitary facilities by 2028.
