DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 August) – Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has directed the branches of national government agencies and corporations based in the city to strictly “coordinate consult, and involve” the local government unit (LGU) in the planning and implementation of their policies, programs or projects in the locality.
In an executive order signed on August 19, Duterte said the directive is an “urgent necessity” to deter any “further violation or non-compliance of national government agencies and government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs)” of bypassing the local government.
“Whereas, there is a high incidence of national government officials or employees implementing policies, programs, or projects within the city without prior consultation or proper coordination nor involving the city in the planning and implementation of these policies, programs, or projects,” the order reads.
Duterte said these national government projects that were not consulted with the local government had caused “public inconvenience, disturbance, and in general, negative effects on the lives of the people.”
The mayor invoked Sections 2(c), 25(b), 26 and 27 of the Local Government Code of 1991 in requiring national government projects to undergo prior consultation and receive approval from the local government before implementation.
“It is likewise the policy of the State to require all national agencies and offices to conduct periodic consultations with appropriate local government units, non-governmental and people’s organizations, and other concerned sectors of the community before any project or program is implemented in their respective jurisdictions,” Section 2c of the local government code stated.
During his State of the City Address last August 6, Duterte emphasized the need for a modernized mass transport, which, according to him, “is being hampered by political tension with the Marcos administration.”
He also called out the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Region 11, even telling them that the city government is willing to “give a list” of their priority projects through the barangays, instead of allegedly tearing down roads and repairing them again.
The city council here approved a resolution on June 11 urging the DPWH and other concerned agencies to “fast-track and fix all pending infrastructure projects” in the locality.
The resolution reiterated the pronouncement of Mayor Duterte, who called out the DPWH last May 31 for not repairing damaged roads despite appearing in various city council sessions to justify the delays.
“We will not tolerate this bad practice in the city as it does not promote the interest of the people of Davao. This only causes traffic congestion and compromises the safety of the public every day,” Duterte said in a statement then.
On March 1 during the city’s founding anniversary, Duterte stressed that the traffic congestion in the city is worsening due to some road project delays.
in an earlier radio interview, Dean Ortiz, DPWH-11 spokesperson, said that “all of their projects are well-coordinated” with the local government unit.
Ortiz added it is a “must” for DPWH regional and district offices to coordinate closely with the local government units so that the latter’s opinions and recommendations to reduce traffic congestion would be heard. (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)
