On watershed bills, council wants to meet Gullas, Cuenco, del Mar

The city council has invited Cebu First District Representative Eduardo Gullas, who is at loggerheads with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the South Reclamation Project, and Cebu City Representatives Raul del Mar and Antonio Cuenco of the north and south districts, respectively, to an executive session to shed light on their respective watershed bills.

During its regular session yesterday afternoon, the city's legislative body adopted the proposed resolution of councilor Gabriel Leyson covering such request. The executive session is scheduled to be on July 20 at 9 in the morning.

The intent of the proposed measure is for the three legislators or their duly assigned representatives "to make representation" regarding their respective House Bills "in order that the city council can endorse the bills to the city mayor for acceptance."

The three legislators have separately introduced a bill in the lower house providing for the establishment and management of Central Cebu Protected Landscape in Metro Cebu covering five protected areas, namely: Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve, Mananga Watershed Forest Reserve, Sudlon National Park, Central Cebu National Park and Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed Forest Reserve.

For one, del Mar in the explanatory note of his proposed bill, which is otherwise known as the "Central Cebu Protected Landscape Act of 2001," stated that "effective protected area and water resources management" must consider and address intertwining issues and concerns related to water resources or watershed management in the Central Cebu area.

These include issues on land use, land tenure, ownership and resource access, water access, water availability, rights, allocation, and quality of life options and limitations.

On the other hand, both Cuenco and Gullas' respective bills, which were introduced in the present congress- the Thirteenth Congress, specifically focused on the need to address the water crisis in Cebu.