Brgy. Sibulan Soon to be Davao’s First Organic Zone
After more than three years of repeated calls to declare Brgy. Sibulan in Toril as an organic agricultural zone, the proposal for the Ordinance is now at the City Council. The proposal has been discussed with Technical Committee on Organic Agriculture members and BLGU during first committee hearing under the Committee on Agriculture led by Councilor Marissa Abella on August 8, 2018. The Sangguniang Barangay of Sibulan has reiterated the call to fast track the approval of the resolution they passed way back in 2014. The City Agriculturist Office also endorsed a draft recommended version of an Executive Order to the City Legal Office last April 26, 2018. But The City Legal Office clarified that under the Organic Agriculture Ordinance, the declaration of an organic zone necessitates an ordinance instead of an Executive Order.
Sibulan as Davao’s No-GMO Zone
Proliferation of genetically modified and chemically produced crops feared by health and environmental conscious Dabawenyos will have no place in Brgy. Sibulan once it is declared as Davao city’s first organic agriculture zone. Davao City Agriculturist Office supported by Association of Davao Organic Advocates await for the Executive Order to be issued by the City Mayor that will prohibit all synthetic and chemical-based farm inputs. The resolution and recommended provisions were endorsed to the City Legal Office last month.
Call for Papers – Sustainable Davao Research Symposium 2018
Save the dates and check out the details in submitting abstracts of your research on any of the categories towards sustainable Davao city: renewable energy, zero waste, healthy watersheds, sustainable agriculture and disaster-resilient and green communities. Download Abstract Guidelines Download Program Design
Shrine Hills is Davao’s Urban Center Bird Refuge
As many as 72 species of birds have been documented in Davao City’s Shrine Hills. Twenty of these recorded birds are found only in the Philippines. The area is seen as an urban forest, a much needed green space in the urban district and hailed as the city’s last potential large-tier park based on the public parks study in Davao by New York University. Environmental groups are advocating for Shrine Hills’ continued protection and are proposing the privately-owned publicly open spaces (POPOS) concept as a win-win solution for land owners who want to develop their properties for business. “We managed an impressive 26 species on the day and the total species recorded in the Shrine Hills area now numbers 72, 20 of which are endemic,” said Pete Simpson, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, who has been making records of birds for Jacks Ridge and other areas in Shrine Hills.
Make Shrine Hills Publicly Accessible Open Space
Davao City — Environmental groups are pushing for a win-win solution to protect Shrine Hills while providing private developers returns for their investments through the adoption of the privately-owned publicly open spaces (POPOS) concept in the City’s Zoning Ordinance. Ecoteneo and Interface Development Interventions (IDIS), NGO members of the Local Zoning Review Committee, along with Davao Shrine Hills Advocates (DSHA) and members of the Sustainable Davao Movement, have proposed amendments to the Urban Ecological Enhancement Sub-Zone provision of the city’s Zoning Ordinance. The proposal endorsed was due for plenary presentation in the City Council session last March 9 but was reverted back to the committee level with the directive to ensure attendance of Shrine Hills land developers who were no-shows during the last hearings. The committee hearing with Shrine Hills land developers has been moved to April 11, 2018 Wednesday at the SP Session Hall.
IDIS Calendar 2018
You won’t miss out on any environmental event for the year as we have marked them all on the 2018 calendar for you. This year, we feature how the Sustainable Davao Movement, which IDIS is a member of, plans to localize and ensure the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Davao City. To help make Davao City a sustainable city, find out how you can do your share by learning about the five environment themes: Jan-Feb: Zero Waste Mar-April: Green Communities May-June: Healthy watersheds July-August: Disaster-resilient Communities Sept-Oct: Renewable Energy Nov-Dec: Resilient Land Use and Organic Agriculture Download IDIS 2018 Calendar