Davao dads dump high-end subdivision in aquifer area

DAVAO CITY, Sep 26, 2007 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- RBLAF | charts | news | PowerRating -- Pro-nature councilors in the Davao City Council on Tuesday dumped a proposal by a subdivision developer to put up a high-end housing project atop the city aquifer in Talomo District in Davao City.

Robinsons Land Corporation had asked the city council to reclassify from protected low density zone to protected medium density residential zone the 15 hectares where its Robinson Highlands project would rise in Barangay Bago Gallera.

Talomo district rests on the aquifer where the Davao City Water District (DCWD) pumps out water for city residents.

Voting 19 against 3 favoring the reclassification, the city council thumbed down approval of a report by the committee on housing chaired by Councilor Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, who tossed the issue to the councilors for final decision.

The vote comes as a triumph for local residents and environmentalist groups opposing housing subdivisions atop the city water source where DCWD has 30 water wells.

Davao Citys water is ranked second in purity and taste in the world next to that of Swedens and locals fear pollution from housing subdivisions could seep down to contaminate the aquifer 100 feet below the ground surface.

The Robinson application started off on a sour note when the city council tackled the issue in the Tuesday regular session with Cabling saying, two members of his committee did not sign the report while two others signed with apprehensive reservations.

While the city council is allowed to grant land reclassification, the Davao City 1996 Zoning Code is harsh on applications in protected areas requiring a three-fourths vote or 21 members of the 26-man city council to be approved.

The vote stumped Brigido Calayan, Robinsons vice president for construction and engineering, who tried to defend the project in the session. Calayan said Robinsons would reapply for reclassification, insisting the project is adopting safety nets to protect the aquifer.

Robinsons planned to construct 800 high-end houses in the 15-hectare area.

We are a company that is responsive to environmental protection. We are not a fly-by-night subdivision operator. We follow rules and we design our projects per standards, Calayan said.

Councilor Pilar Braga, who authored the Davao City Water Resources Management Code, led councilors in junking the Robinsons project.

The project would endanger our water sources, said Braga who has been voting consistently against housing projects in the Talomo area, south of the city.

Robinsons is one of the biggest housing developers in the city. Its Robinsons Highlands in Buhangin district and in Lanang in the north, however, are kilometers away from the Talomo aquifer.

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