I was in Davao City last February 26. The hot news item was the two bombs found inside the City Hall and near the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The mayor was very angry as he resumed leadership in the Davao City Police office. This kind of news is not good for Davao tourism. In 2009 the number of foreign tourists who visited Davao went down to only 32,453.
Maybe security and crime issues forced Panabo City officials to order the installation of 32 Close Circuit Television cameras in public areas. Panabo has the most number of CCTV cameras in Region 11. Is this proof of good governance or high level of paranoia among officials? (Sa tingin ko medyo exaggerated reaction ang paglalagay ng mga CCTV camera. Eto ba talaga ang solusyon sa pagsugpo ng krimen sa siyudad ng Panabo?)
Another explosive issue in Davao is the cold war between the Duterte and Nograles families. Name-calling, mudslinging, and ad hominems do not promote mature, intelligent, and peaceful campaigning. It is both funny and unfunny. Entertaining but silly.
The most important issue in Mindanao is the power woes experienced by many regions of the island. In Central Mindanao, 10 hour brownouts plague the region everyday. It affects productivity of workers and business operations. When I was in Davao, there was a 1 hour brownout and a minor quake. What should be done? Emergency powers for the president? I don’t think so. Mayaman ang Mindanao sa renewable energy resources. Gamitin natin ito.
24 hours in Davao
I arrived in Davao City airport in the morning. The taxi driver who fetched me will vote the Dutertes and Erap in the elections. Our headquarters is located near Ateneo de Manila. I was happy to see a copy of a limited edition 2010 Kabataan Partylist calendar printed by our Davao Chapter.
We went to Café V where we hosted a media forum about the new hotline of our partylist to gather the complaints of parents and students regarding the non-compliance of many schools to the Ched memo on the flexible implementation of the No Permit, No Exam policy.
After lunch, we proceeded to the city council offices of Councilors Edgar Ibuyan, Leonardo Avila, and Mabel Sunga Acosta. Ibuyan is a former barangay captain. Avila is known for his environment advocacy. Thank you Councilor Acosta for delivering a privilege speech about the need to review and ban the infamous No Permit, No Exam policy.
We went to Barangay Ma-a. It is a huge barangay located in District 1. It is a flood-prone area. Fortunately, Barangay Ma-a is recognized for its outstanding disaster preparedness program. I met the strong-willed barangay captain of Ma-a who identified the various social services offered by the barangay to its citizens. I’m impressed that the barangay is distributing free medicines to senior citizens. People’s Organizations and other NGOs are also actively participating in the affairs of the barangay.
At 4pm, we arrived at Brew Crew café. A dialogue took place between Kabataan Partylist and the Ateneo Moro Youth Organization. I was delighted to see my NUSP contemporary Jun Macarambon. I learned that many schools in ARMM have been converted into evacuation centers. Our two groups agreed to conduct a fact-finding mission next month in Maguindanao. Thank you Amyo for supporting Kabataan Partylist!
We campaigned inside the University of Mindanao – Matina Campus. The college dean allowed me to speak inside the Arts and Sciences Building. We had our dinner at Probinsiya restaurant. At 10pm, I spoke in a concert at Matina Town Square organized by UP Mindanao students.
I stayed overnight at Ponce Suites, a very unconventional center.
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