Tagum Agricultural Development Co. (Tadeco) maintains that the farm roads under the Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol) are not for public use. During the House hearing conducted on Tuesday, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez questioned Gerardo Padilla, acting superintendent of Dapecol, about the illegal road closure within the sprawling banana plantation. Alvarez asked Padilla if the roads were public or private. Padilla explained that the roads were closed by virtue of a memorandum between the local agriculture office and the provincial government. But lawyer Nicolas Bañga of Tadeco said in a statement tjat “the farm roads under Dapecol are not for public use but for a specific government purpose.”Bañga reiterated that the agreement was above-board.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 21, 2018 13:41 UTC