What was Ma-a like many years ago before Ma-a road was paved?
What was Ma-a like many years ago before Ma-a road was paved?
What did our the schools look like? What did the school uniforms look like?
What about you and and your family, all the way back to your great grandparents or before?
What were the Lumads wearing back then?
Do you have:
Pictures of people attending church or mosques?
Pictures of people at work?
Pictures from world War II?
Parade Picture & Sports pictures?
Brgy Ma-a Federation of Homeowner Associations is creating an historical time line and would like to make copies of some of your old snapshots to illustrate what Ma-a was like 20 or more years ago and how it has changed. Scenery, Stolen Pictures, Formal Fortraits are of interest and all will be returned after copying.
Very helpful also would be a few lines or words or description in Bisaya, Filipino or English for each picture such as the Occasion, Location and Year Taken as well as Names of people pictured, if possible.
Some of the copies of the pictures we scan to the computer, with your permission, may also be donated to the Davao Historical Society and Museum and / or Barangay Ma-a.
Even if you think the picture might not be in good condition, we’d like to see it. It might be fixed.
Please ask your neighbors and friends who might not have a computer or be on our mailing list if they have pictures. Network for a History of Ma-a!
Please Contact Stacey Baird via e-mail, land line or cellphone.
Thank you!
Stacey Baird, Researcher
BMFHOA, Environmental Watch Committee
35 Vermillion Street
Spring Village, Ma-a, Davao City
email: js_baird@yahoo.com
244-0676
0949-771-3009
Comments
J. Stacey Baird
35 Vermillion Street Spring Village, Ma-a, District 1
Davao City 8000
244-0676, 0949-771-3009
js_baird@yahoo.com
June 8, 2011
Councilor Rachel Zozobrado
Housing Committee
Sangguniang Panlungsod
Davao City 8000
Councilor Pilar Braga, Phd
District 1 Representative
Sangguniang Panlungsod
Davao City 8000
RE: KISAN LU PALMETTO PLACE AGGREVATED FLOODING in Ma-a, Davao City.
Kisan Lu has not completed the drainage line to the Davao River after more than two years.
Dear Councilors:
I believe the conditional approval of the Kisan Lu Development Permit for Palmetto Place required timely construction of a drainage line to the Davao River to minimize flooding in lower Ma-a. That has not happened. After two years, the drainage culvert has never been completed yet subdivision development continues and, as anticipated, has greatly aggravated flooding problems.
Large parts of Datu Loho Village, Gem Village, Sangilangan and other area homes and businesses were flooded and damaged by the recent heavy rain, to a chest deep level in places. Spring Village, where I live, was threatened. Completion of the five foot diameter culvert would have created a major flood reduction improvement.
The drainage line path is on a public right of way. Kisan Lu must must comply and do whatever is necessary to cure the problem they have severely aggravated. It’s been two years. It appears simply not to have been their first priority.
In my opinion, it is time that penalties for failure to implement be immediately imposed, if necessary. Further that the City Engineers Office or any other agencies involved be requested to inspect and demand or urge compliance to move this critical anti-flood project ahead on an emergency basis.
This is one major flooding problem that can be helped with just 50 – 70 meters more work and at no cost to the City.
Very truly yours,
J. Stacey Baird
CF: City Engineer Jose Gestuveo
Jun R. Laud, Barangay Chairperson
Norma Javellana, Chairperson, Brgy Ma-a Federation of Homeowners Association, Inc.
Stacey Baird
June 22nd, 2011
I am pleased to thank Councilors Braga and Zozabrado as well as Vice Mayor Rody Duterte for their active support and publicizing of Ma-a developer drainage issue. New activity has already begun.
If we can continue to interact and advise the City Council of problems and then recognize and applaud their efforts, I am sure there will continue to be improvements.
Councilors and even the City Engineers Office and City Planning cannot be everywhere at once. It is up to us, the residents of areas at risk to bring our messages clearly to their attention. It is for our own good and it can clearly make a difference.
Stacey Baird
Ma-a
Stacey Baird
June 22nd, 2011
Dear Stacey and members of the EWC. Your action smacks directly to the government’s face for its utter neglect of the dangers posed by unregulated development plans in the city. Your predicament in Ma-a is also the predicament of residents of Jade Valley in Tigatto, which experts say, used to be the old Davao river bed as well as the DDF Village in adjoining barangay Mandug. Last Monday I attended the Anti-Coal Community Forum at Ecoland Suite which is timely for another dangerous development project in the city. Norma’s colleagues at IDIS were also there.
I’m attaching here a link of my column Davao’s Peak at Mindanao Gold Star Daily. I also have a Cebuano version at SunStar SuperBalita in almost the same dates. I hope I can be of helped. Thanks and good luck to us.
EC Roldan
http://www.goldstardailynews.com/commentary/5482-save-the-davao-shrine-hills.html
Emmanuel Roldan
August 19th, 2011
Thank so very much to Mindanao Times for its outstanding editorial of November 23, 2011 entitled Moral Hazard.
The country is going in the right direction. City Administrator, Zuleika Lopez, has also contributed to reducing Moral Hazards in Davao by closing down MNY Burbe Aggregates for excavating and quarrying just north of Ma-a without the necessary documents under Section 103 Chapter XIX of the Republic Act 7942, known as the Philippine Mining Act.
Perhaps this brave woman will file cases against Camella Homes and DMCI – Palm Grove West, D’leonor and others for excavating without CENRO or Development Permits. If ever there were examples of their being one law for the rich and another for the average citizen, those are examples. The law must be the same for all or there is a Moral Hazard.
Readers may recall that a Property Developer in Ma-a built a 1,700 meter long, six meter wide, cement Subdivision road down the steep eighteen percent or greater slopes on the sides of Shrine Hill during 2005 – 2008, contrary to the Forestry Decree.
The road cut is more than 20 meter wide in many places on the steep sides of Shrine Hill. Millions of tons of soil were moved, streams re-routed and the area subjected to heavy vibration, run-off and destabilization.
The road went through areas highly susceptible to landslide, according to a DENR-MGB map. Not only were there violations of law, but residents below were put at high risk of landslide and flash flooding. Flash flooding then in fact occurred and damaged large areas Ma-a below the subdivision.
In addition, the extra volume of fast flowing water from the unauthorized site enters already over burdened Ma-a Creek and increases flooding overflows into Datu Lo Ho village and others. No drainage line direct to the Davao River was ever built to bleed off some of that extra flowage.
In November 2008, the 15th City Council approved the Preliminary Locational clearances for Camella and DMC subdivisions with nary a word about violations of the law and damage to property with eight brave councilors voting against it, many of them women. There seems to have been much comment lately about it being the women that have the “guts” to do the right thing. I salute them, also.
The completion of a new Resort here without any city approvals is of recent vintage and many in Davao just shook there heads and said “Again!”
Some have said the City Council is no longer useful and much money would be saved if everything were be officially put in the hands of Developers and other businesses.
Were any in subdivisions Matina Pangi approved like that? I have no personal knowledge.
So, you can imagine how meaningful I found the Mindanao Times definition of a Moral Hazard to be. It said,
“IN ECONOMY, moral hazard occurs when a party or group of individuals make a judgement about how much risk to take but do not suffer the ultimate consequences of the actions. That privilege, unfortunately goes to another party. . . . It is about the actions of the few, regardless of whether their reasons are justified or not, and how they are putting the public welfare at risk.”
That’s why I laud the Mindanao Times Editorial and the actions of City Administrator Zuleika in shutting down the MNY Burbe Aggregates operation. She has integrity and the guts to do her job.
My Opinion is respectfully offered as thanks for the Mindanao Times Editorial and in hopes It will offer us more.
Concerned Resident
JS BAIRD
November 24th, 2011