City to fund independent Shrine Hill study

City to fund Ma-a geo-hazard study
January 20, 2010

Davao City will initiate and fund a geo-hazard study at Shrine Hills, Ma-a, said an officer of Barangay Ma-a Federation of Homeowners Associations (BMHOAI).

BMHOAI head Norma Javellana, during their meeting with City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte on January 13, said a P750,000 budget will be allotted from the city's finances for the study.

The budget was made after a recommendation was released by the UP-Diliman National Institute of Geological Sciences geo-hazard specialist and associate professor Sandra Catane, who conducted an ocular inspection on November 11 under the initiative of Councilor Pilar Braga, chairman of Zoning Ordinance-Technical Working Group (ZO-TWG), and Councilor Leonardo Avila, chairman of the environment and natural resources committee.

The ocular inspection made in November stemmed from pending legislation involving land areas on top of Shrine Hills where construction of two subdivisions are currently put on hold.

Javellana said BMHOAI and Duterte agreed that the study will be headed by Catane.

"The components of the team that will do the study, as Dr. Catane has recommended, will be a geohazard expert, a hydro expert, and a geo-engineering expert for mitigating aspect. Catane also wanted local participation from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) so it will really be a unified study," Javellana said in vernacular.

Meanwhile, Javellana said BMHOAI is handing out open letters to the residents of Ma-a urging protection of Shrine Hills.

"These letters will be to inform the residents of Maa that (1) Shrine Hills has to be protected because it shows signs of geo-hazard and (2) to protect our natural resources in the middle of the city," Javellana said in vernacular.

BMFHOAI, since 2007, has been opposing the construction of Camella Homes (formerly Crown Communities subdivision) and Palm Grove West of DMC Urban Property Development Incorporated (DMC-UPDI).

In November, Catane reported the results of her inspection:

* Rocks underlying the Shrine Hill are inherently unstable.

* Evidence of landslides including debris fall, rock fall and creep are apparent in steep slopes bounding the Shrine Hill.

* Groundwater levels in some parts of the hill are elevated as indicated by the presence of several springs.

* Natural drainages of the hill are hazardous areas as floods may inundate the houses during intense precipitation and continuous stream erosion will eventually undermine the foundation of the house structures.

* The newly constructed access road by DMC was built on relatively gently sloping part of the Shrine Hill.