DAVAO CITY — The Davao City Council may consider integrating the Sasa modernization project to the recently signed joint venture agreement (JVA) of the Mega Harbour Port Development Inc project.
The JVA for the Mega Harbour project was signed by outgoing Mayor and now President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, June 21 during the recently concluded business summit held at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang here.
Re-electionist Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, who had opposed the Sasa modernization project said that they might reconsider the resolution they had passed last December 14, 2015. The resolution objected to the modernization plan due to the controversial alteration of the budget from P4 billion to P18 billion without consulting the City Council.
Both projects are in the category of Public-Private Partnership venture.
Dayanghirang said the merging of both projects could help solve the traffic congestion in Babak, Island Garden City of Samal.
“The port owned by Bangayan cannot accommodate already the vehicle entering the island,” he said.
“Why not merge the Sasa port project and the Mega Harbur since it’s is still the money of the people?” he said.
Asked why he just brought up the plan now, he said that he does not trust the present Aquino
administration.
Dayanghirang said that this might take time. But he said, since “it’s already under the Duterte’s administration, if the documents are complete then there will be no reason for the delay.”
After the Mega Harbour signing of Duterte, Dayanghirang said that the JVA will now start the reclamation project.
He said that the company still have to get a lot of permits including the environmental certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) “maybe a duration of three to four months”. However, Dayanghirang assured that it will start this year.
“We agreed that they will not involve the houses of the residents there, as far as relocation is concerned. They will not be affected by the reclamation,” he said.
Dayanghirang added that the reclamation project will not affect
the residents’ area here since there will be a road for the Mega Harbour project.
However, he admitted that there will be residents who will be affected by the road widening for the project. But Dayanghirang assured that the residents will be relocated in a building which the City Council proposes to put up in the area.
“The mayor said that the residents should not be affected by the development, but (that they should) be part of the development of the Mega Harbour,” he said.
He also said that the traffic in the city will surely be affected by the project.
“Whether we like it or not, I am very sure that the traffic will be affected. There should be planning to see through the impact of this development,” he said.
The reclamation project will cover the coastline starting from the Sta. Ana wharf to the Davao gulf.(davaotoday.com)
