The other day newly assumed Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Col. Hansel Marantan was invited by the City Council to its session. There the colonel was thoroughly grilled as to his competence in undertaking the mandate of his office. He was also questioned on the circumstances of his assignment in the DCPO allegedly without the knowledge of Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
On the first aspect we believe that the City Councilors have all the rights to question Marantan considering that his competence or absence of it will definitely impact on the peace and order situation of the city.
In other words, if Colonel Marantan cannot live up to the expectation of the city officials and the people in the city there is no others to blame but the Colonel and those who caused (or ‘forced’?) his assignment in this acknowledged peaceful and safe city in the country.
However, on the second aspect which is to fish out from Colonel Marantan the possible reasons why he was assigned as the new head of the DCPO, we personally believe that the city councilors could be “barking the wrong tree.” Marantan is only following orders from his superiors as what is wont to in the police organization.
The councilors could have done justice to their desire to know the circumstances behind Marantan’s assignment as DCPO head had they instead invited PRO XI Regional Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III. We are certain the PRO chief could have shed light on the Marantan designation.
Meanwhile, the new DCPO chief is right in pleading for the councilors’ to give him a chance to prove his competence. Yes, he could not be judged with his performance in only two weeks in office. Marantan though is assured of success in performing his responsibilities as DCPO chief if the city government and the residents will give him their sincere cooperation. But if Marantan is denied their support his failure is as certain as the sun rising in the east.
One thing that is beyond arguing though is that Colonel Marantan’s present predicament is courtesy of the enmity now prevailing between Davaoeno former President Rodrigo Duterte and the incumbent tenant of Malacanang, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
And by virtue of the military and police doctrine of “Obey first before you complain” the non-Visayan-speaking Colonel is himself an unwilling pawn in the chess-like game of political power play.
We can only hope that Davao City will be isolated from the adverse effects of this brewing imbroglio.
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In a period of two months the residents of Davao City have suffered two more nails driven into their hands and feet in their apparent crucifixion by two of the suppliers of their most basic necessities – water and electricity – all courtesy of “staggered” rate increases authorized by regulators.
Last June, 2024 the Davao City Water District implemented the last tranche of its water rate increase approved by the Local Water Utility Administration (LWUA). On the same month the electricity supplier of Davao City also implemented an increase in the per kilowatt hour rate at roughly P1/KWhr.
And for this month of July electricity rate in the city as well as in Panabo, Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte will be upped once more, again courtesy of the staggered rate hike authorized by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
As announced by no less than the power distribution firm residential consumers will be billed an increase of P2.9601/kwh bringing the June power rate up to P10.8973/kwh from P7.9372.
Somehow, many people are already at a loss as to whether or not the regulators in the determination of water and power rates are doing their work for the benefit of the water and power firms, or for the welfare of the consuming public. Imagine the government regulators authorizing increases that are even bigger than the hikes in cost of food items!
With the current situation of consumers of these two basic services not only in Davao City but all over the country, we cannot help but recall an anecdote about the question as to who were ahead in populating the world, were it the Chinese or the Jews?
Certainly the answer from some non-seriously thinking persons will be the Jews as they were those who crucified Jesus by nailing Him on the cross. But the more astute ones’ answer is, it was the Chinese smartly reasoning with a question, “Who could have sold the nails that the Jews used in nailing Jesus on the cross?” (Lest we be misunderstood, we would like to reiterate this is an anecdote only… for laughs, that is. But maybe it can apply.)
Now, in this our “crucifixion” who could be the Jews? Without doubt the water and power utilities – they who did the largely unwelcome job of hiking the rates. And who could be the Chinese? Easily the regulators. Yes, because entrusted in them is the authority to ensure the welfare of the consumers even as they are supposed to strike a balance to keep the service suppliers continuously afloat and the consumers given affordable rates to pay.
But what balance can be talked about when the regulators tend to tilt more to the water and power distributors by approving their hikes that are even higher than increases in cost of the people’s most basic needs to live?
Poor and powerless we in confronting this government-sanctioned burden.
