Mayor Sara hails city’s volunteer forest guards

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio hailed the city’s volunteer forest guards for keeping the city’s water clean and potable.

In Wednesday’s opening of the 2016 Watershed Stakeholder’s Summit, Duterte-Carpio, through City Administrator Zuleika Lopez, expressed gratitude to the Bantay Bukid as well as other stakeholders for their commitment, saying their presence is an indication that Dabawenyos are united in ensuring the protection, conservation and sustainable management of the city’s watersheds.

“Our watersheds are where we source our drinking water. The health of our watersheds determines the quality and the quantity of our water,” Lopez quoted the city mayor as saying.

Lopez, on the other hand, guaranteed the city government of Davao will continue to implement programs and projects that will protect and pursue the sustainable management of the city’s watersheds.

The city has eight watersheds namely Davao River, Tuganay River, Lasang River, Bunawan River, Talomo River, Matina River, Lipadas River, and Sibulan River. Davao River, which was then known as Dawow River is the cradle of the city’s civilization. Every Kadayawan Festival, the 11 tribes of the city parade their boats through the 121,285 have a stretch of the river to give due to its role on the city’s growth.

The city government will also look into how it can provide appropriate incentives and assistance to volunteer forest guards, Lopez said. It will be added in the 2017-2019 plans of the Davao City Watershed Council.

Some 200 participants from local and national government agencies, environmental networks, non-government organizations and civil society groups attended the twoday summit which ended yesterday.