DAVAO CITY—Owners of private lands lying along the path of a multimillion-peso road bypass project were cautioned against falling into the lure of private firms and individuals promising higher compensation for the affected lands.
In his January 31 letter to Mayor Sara Duterte, Public Works Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office-Right-of-Way (UPMO-ROW) Task Force Operations Emil K. Sadain disclosed to the mayor the activities of “certain companies or groups from Davao that have been negotiating with landowners in the 18 barangays covered by the bypass road project.”
He told the mayor the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had already informed owners of lands that would be affected by the construction of the P40-million Davao City Bypass Project “to directly coordinate with the agency instead of using the services of third parties.”
Sadain did not identify the groups or the companies, however, but said “they were offering their services by promising that landowners would get more cash than the actual value of their properties.”
“They were offering services to represent landowners with regard to the sale of property, promising protruding values with a 60-40 scheme [60 percent for the said company and 40 percent for the landowners],” he told Duterte in the letter.
Sadain said the DPWH “has strongly discouraged landowners from transacting with third parties, which have vested interests, because the agency would not tolerate their interference.”
He said the DPWH has asked the help of barangay captains in Sirawan, Marapangi, Bato, Lubogan, Alambre, Bankas Heights, Mulig, Bago Oshiro, Mintal, Tugbok, Tacunan, Matina Biao, Magtuod, Waan, Tigatto, Cabantian, Communal and Indangan to help the DPWH disseminate the information.
Sadain’s office was created through Department Order 203 issued by Secretary Mark A. Villar in 2016 to monitor road right-of-way issues “that would affect the implementation of UPMO road, bridge and flood-control projects nationwide.”
In Tagum City, meanwhile, local government officials and business leaders were introduced to the future of Metro Davao, as the leading architect in the master plan gave them the overview of the project and solicited suggestions from local leaders to be incorporated to further improve the master plan.
The Mindanao Development Authority went to Tagum City, 52 kilometers north of here, to hold the second consultation on the Metro Davao Master Plan at the New City Hall Atrium, where Felino Palafox Jr., the president and founder of Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture, told them of the “huge potential of the Davao Region” for economic development.
Palafox, the leading architect for this master plan, said a well-developed Metro Davao may “likely be a potential candidate for the largest airport in the world and Davao Gulf could become one of the largest, if not the largest, harbor in the world.”
“With Tagum City’s strategic placement in the intersection of two major road networks connecting the city to other major destinations, this master plan proves to be an effective and efficient way to increase foot traffic in the city,” the Tagum City information office said.
It said the city aimed at becoming an independent highly urbanized city “and this development could give it the edge to maintain its luster in the globally competitive arena.”
Palafox said local government leaders with strong political will and visionary leadership would turn the metropolitan area “invested in agriculture, tourism, culture, and diversity.”