LAWMAKERS on Tuesday agreed to invite the Davao Light and Power Company and telecommunications companies to the 7th regular session next Tuesday, Aug. 19, to explain the delay of pole relocations in the Ma-a Flyover Project.
Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus moved to pass a resolution inviting resource persons from the utility providers to answer concerns on the relocation of poles affected by road widening.
“Though I intend to pass a resolution to urge Davao Light to remove poles, may I request their presence on the next session day so that we can hear from them the pros and cons of moving ahead with the transfer at the soonest possible time and perhaps get a commitment from them to immediately relocate it,” Mahipus said.
The motion was formalized during the deliberation of the city council on the project components and delays with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) XI on the City Council’s 6th regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
DPWH XI spokesperson Dean Ortiz said that road-right-of-way issues and the relocation of the utility poles are contributing factors to the delay. Ortiz said 29 out of 41 properties are already settled, while the remaining 12 are in the settlement stage.
Of the 29, two properties were acquired in 2023, 16 in 2024, and 11 in 2025. Of the 12 remaining, four properties are being prioritized, including two major real estate companies, one gas station, and one private individual.
Atty. Alpha Faith Macailing of the DPWH reported that one landowner has already agreed to meet to provide the loan computation for processing. The acquisition of the property is already fully funded by the DPWH, she added.
“Yun ang pinaka-urgent na dapat nating i-acquire para maka-proceed yung approach ng flyover,” Macailing said.
In terms of the utility poles relocation, Macailing said the DLPC has communicated with the utility providers. For instance, she added that the DLPC has committed to completing the relocation in four months.
Mahipus moved to pass a resolution urging the DLPC to relocate the poles earlier than the committed period to give way for DPWH to expand the road.
Asked about the timeline of the flyover completion, assuming the DLPC will move the poles, Ortiz said, under favorable conditions, the flyover will be passable by December this year, and remaining RROW and obstructions are cleared, the project will be fully completed by March 2026.
“We have already acquired these properties in Monteritz; all the DLPC and Telcos need to do is to relocate the poles outside our construction limits so we can start the concreting,” Ortiz said.
