DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 January) – An environmental group here on Monday asked the two villages straddling the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed (PTW) to regulate tourist activities after visitors left a pile of garbage there since New Year’s Day.
Mark Peñalver, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) executive director, said that barangays should learn to strike a balance between potential income from local tourism and the preservation of natural resources.
He urged the barangay leaders to take into account the impact of unregulated recreational activities on the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed, which is now the city’s major source of drinking water.
In a joint statement issued on January 9, the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and the Aboitiz-led Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. announced that the P12-billion Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) has been supplying the city with water drawn from the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed starting last December 1.
The commencement of the DCBWSP operations benefit the DCWD’s Calinan, Tugbok, Riverside, Dumoy, Cabantian, and Panacan water supply systems, with Apo Agua committing to deliver 300 million liters of water per day through its facility.
“I think kulang ang drive sa barangay to regulate considering na naay opportunity for them to earn tungod ani (The drive of our barangays to regulate is insufficient considering that there is opportunity for them to earn),” he said, stressing that unregulated tourist activities could impact the city’s water source.
Peñalver, a lawyer, also urged the city government to closely monitor the recreational activities within the watershed area, and ensure that the barangays understand their mandates under the Local Government Code and the ordinances passed by the city.
“With these incidents, I don’t think that the BLGU (barangay local government unit) clearly understands their mandate,” he said.
Peñalver added that IDIS continues to promote the protection of the watershed, particularly the lobbying of a local measure to declare the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed as a “Water Source Protected Area” as well as its inclusion as a protected area under Republic Act 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992.
In a statement issued on January 11, the environmental group urged authorities in Barangays Tawantawan and Carmen to increase their surveillance and security measures in the watershed.
“As far as IDIS is concerned, we are working under urgency to protect the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed that is why we continue to lobby for the protection of the PTW,” Peñalver said.
The group condemned the irresponsible and environmentally harmful acts of dumping garbage at the watershed, which poses a “threat to the delicate balance of our ecosystem and the well-being of our community.”
It said that waste pollution is a major threat to Panigan-Tamugan Watershed’s “pristine and high-quality water supply.”
“It is disheartening to witness individuals or entities in activities that undermine the efforts to preserve and protect this invaluable natural resource,” Peñalver said.
IDIS discouraged local tourists from visiting protected areas for recreational purposes.
“We also urge the vloggers, bloggers, and social media influencers to refrain from promoting these areas without extensive research and adherence to the policies protecting the watershed areas,” it said.
It added that sustaining the natural resources “is a shared responsibility between the people, government, and other stakeholders.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
