The Committee on Environment of the Davao City Council is considering passing an ordinance that would regulate the weight of quarry materials carried by trucks amid concerns over road damage caused by overloaded vehicles.

Local lawmakers expressed concerns that heavy trucks transporting gravel and soil from quarry sites, particularly in the Third District, may damage concrete roads.

“Ang concern sa mga konsehal, especially didto sa quarry operations sa Third District, ang ilahang concern is ilahang kalsada na pud. Kung overloaded man gud ang truck, maguba pud ang kalsada,” Committee on Environment Chairman, Councilor Tek Ocampo, said.

This prompted the committee to push for an ordinance that would regulate quarry operations, especially the volume of materials loaded onto trucks.

Under the proposed ordinance, trucks will only be allowed to carry materials weighing 18 cubic meters.

Currently, there are trucks that have a load capacity of up to 25 cubic meters.

One provision of the ordinance being considered is a penalty system based on excess volume per cubic meter.

“Ang among nakita didto nga himuon nalang nga per cubic ang violation, ang penalty ba, ibutang ta 1k per cubic para at least ang mga violator, mamatngon nga dili sila mu-violate because sakit pud ng 1k per cubic, depende og ma-approve na,” Ocampo added.

Councilors want heavy trucks to pass through non-concrete roads. However, for concrete roads, the City Engineer’s Office will have to certify that the road can handle the weight of the trucks.

If trucks will pass through barangay roads, the same certification will also be required from the barangay council.

Meawhile, three pending applications from quarry operators in the Third District are currently under review by the City Council.