MOC signed to protect Davao, Bukidnon watersheds

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte has signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with the members of the Davao River Basin Management Alliance (DRBMA), a group composed of the local government unit of Bukidnon, the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), and the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR).

Under the memorandum, both LGUs are mandated to include in their annual budgets an earmarked contribution to the DRBMA to manage and protect the shared bodies of water of both Davao City and Bukidnon.

Meanwhile, the MOC also mandates the DENR to allocate, through its River Basin Control Office, an amount of P500,000 to strengthen the alliance, while Minda will budget P300,000 for the program.

Funding for the project will be managed under a trust fund, with the memo requiring all transactions to be subjected to the standard government accounting and auditing rules and procedures.

The alliance, meanwhile, will be authorized to receive contributions, donations, grants, and aid from individuals and other funding institutions in cash or in kind.

The DRBMA was created to reinforce the shared responsibility of the government agencies and local governments to protect the watershed areas.

In the Davao River basin, the Davao City Watershed Management Council and the Bukidnon Watershed Protection and Development Council are the identified existing watershed management councils. (Yas D. Ocampo)