Dabawenyo green warriors recognized in 5th Lunhaw Awards
Davao City has become a haven for green living thanks to increasing number of environmental initiatives popularized through the Lunhaw Awards, now on its fifth year. These green warriors ranged from young students, individual farmers in both rural and urban settings, to associations and commercial establishments. The City Government made Lunhaw Awards officially part of the 80th Araw ng Davao celebration. This year’s awarding ceremony and gathering of green advocates was held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on March 17.
Sara slams groups over WTE criticism
“They’re barking up the wrong tree,” Mayor Sara Duterte said addressing the Integrated Development Interventions (IDIS), an environment group who criticized her over her partnership with Mayor Kenji Kitakashi of Kitakyushu, Japan for a waste management project. The mayor clarified the signing was for the technology assistance on waste management of the Kitakyushu Government to the city. “They are barking up the wrong tree because the WTE (Waste to Energy) is with the private company particularly the Nippon Steel,” Duterte told Mirror. She said the signing was for the technology assistance of the Kitakyushu government to the city of Davao.
Metal-eating plants can help restore damaged mining sites
DAVAO CITY—Environmentalists are agog with the disclosure about the presence of metal-eating plants endemic in the country, as a scientist revealed they could be harnessed to restore forests and watersheds damaged by mining operations. The environmentalist organization, Interface Development Interventions (Idis), announced the disclosure, of scientist Dr. Edwino Fernando, that there 20 plant species in the country with known metal-eating characteristics. The Idis said Fernando and his research team discovered in 2011 the Rinorea niccolifera, a nickel-eating shrub, in Zambales. The group said the recently discovered species was among the 20 species of metallophytes. “These species are called metallophytes. They can tolerate high levels of heavy metals, such as lead. Some of these will even require the presence of heavy metals in the soil in order to survive,” Fernando told the recent rainforestation capacity training organized by the Rain Forestation Restoration Initiative (RFRI) network at the Ateneo de Davao University.
Sara lauds watershed protection advocates
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte lauded watershed stakeholders including forests guards for their active role in protecting the city’s watersheds. In the mayor’s message read by City Administrator Zuleika Lopez on Wednesday’s opening of the 2016 Watershed Stakeholders Summit, Duterte thanked volunteer forest guards or Bantay Bukid and 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,” the message read.
Dayanghirang’s bid to limit WMC power questioned
DAVAO CITY – A representative of a civil society organization is strongly opposing a proposal by Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang that will limit the influence of the Watershed Management Council (WMC) in implementing and drafting of environmental legislation. Civil Society Organization (CSO) representative to the WMC Chinkie Pelino told Mirror that WMC is denouncing the proposal which already passed first reading in the City Council on July 18. The move even puzzled WMC as the item was nowhere in the agenda when they attended the council session last Tuesday. Pelino said they only found out about the proposal in the records of the City Council secretariat showing the proposed measure passed first reading on July 18.
Envi group assails attempt to amend Watershed Code
ENVIRONMENT group Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) criticized the move of the city council to amend the Watershed Management Code. In a statement, IDIS executive director Mary Ann Fuertes called the proposal “anti-environment and contrary to the strategic direction of the City on sustainably managing its watersheds.” Second district Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang authored the proposal, which seeks to reduce the WMC’s role in issuing “official policies on the expansion of commercial/corporate plantations in the prime agricultural areas.”