THE city government has expanded the membership of the drainage and right-of-way (ROW) task force as well as updated its functions.
Executive Order Number 4, which Mayor Sara Duterte signed on January 31, amended Executive Order 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.”
“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 order stated as it also updated the functions of the task force to include related tasks.
Under the new order, members of the task force, which was created four years ago, include representatives of local and national agencies and offices of the city government. The mayor also sits as chair and can be represented by the city administrator, while named vice chair is the the City Engineer’s Office head and members include the regional director and the district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the City Transport and Traffic Management Office head, the City Planning and Development Office head, the Davao City Water District general manager, a Philippine Long Long Distance Telephone Company, representative, a Davao Light and Power Company representative, a Pole Users Association of Davao City representative, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, the Public Safety and Security Command Center, the Barangay Cultural Communities and Affairs Division, the Ancillary Services Unit, 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.
