LAST Monday’s regular session of the current City Council of Davao was the last for 2022 unless urgent
matters will require the calling of a special session by the City Mayor between now and the end of the
year.
We wonder if the local legislative body can claim of any significant ordinances or resolutions it had
passed since it assumed last June 30, 2022. We had been closely monitoring the goings-on at the City
Council but we are not aware of one such important measure. Of course during the same Monday’s
session the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the P838 million Supplemental Budget of the city which
among others included with it the amount intended for Christmas bonuses to city government
employees.
That money could mean a lot for the employees as they, like all other Davaoenos, anticipated the
surge in expenses due to the Christmas season.
With that measure at least the Council has brought a lot of good will to several thousand families of
the city workers. Unfortunately, however, the bulk of Davao City residents are not party to that good
will. It would have been different if by an act of the Sanggunian every Tom, Dick and Harry in Davao City
could have received benefits, even if these are not cash but in terms of social services, that they can
enjoy not just during this holiday season but for the rest of their lives.
What are these local legislations? These are of course ordinances that will cause the implementation
of projects that will free Davaoenos from fear of flash floods every time strong rains pour; assuage
apprehensions of city residents that their health is imperiled with all kinds of sickness brought about by
flagrant violations of zoning ordinance like allowing poultry and hog farms in residential areas resulting
to deterioration in the sanitation situation; and mitigating the agglomeration of informal settlers’
communities right in the city’s urban center.
Meanwhile the Davao City Council, to our mind, was unable to come up with some proactive
measures that could have avoided the many controversies emanating from the choice of location of the
bridge approaches both in Davao City and that of Samal.
It was only recently that it has been conducting public hearings to look into the problem arising from
the choices of sites and supposedly coming up with recommendations to settle the problem.
The City Sangguniang could have done much better if the hearings were conducted at the time when
the feasibility study was also prepared. The outputs in those hearings using the suggestions and
recommendations of stakeholders could have been useful inputs in the final crafting of the feasibility
study.
We have no doubts that had this process been done during those times, the bridge construction
could not have met any single impediment except for its funding.
We admit though that the matter should have been the responsibility of the previous Council. But
since the former legislative body sorely missed the opportunity the current Council should have
immediately assumed the latter responsibility as that of its top priority.
But even as the multi-billion peso project appears to be already on the go, we cannot help but feel
the angst of those who believe that they are disadvantaged by its implementation.
And it is not good to think that as many celebrate the unfolding of the bridge, others have to figure
out the kind of life they will have after their livelihood opportunities are deprived from them.
Good for those who have the money for they have the means to survive. But for those who depend on their small enterprises for a living which micro-businesses will be lost in the maze of dust created by the
controversies because of the bridge project, they certainly will have to suffer the most and make hard
new adjustments.
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We have to be honest that what Congressman Polong Duterte in doing in the first district will surely
have a big impact on the city’s finances. Imagine literally reducing to a great extend the monthly electric
bill that Davao City is paying the power company!
Yes, we had the chance of passing by the Catalunan Grande-Tacunan Road via Elenita Heights
Subdivision and via the villages leading to the Ateneo Housing. Both routes are now littered with solar
liamps having their own steel poles. And these are installed on both sides of the road at roughly 30
meters apart. Just estimate that from C.M. Garcia Diversion Road in Bangkal up to Elenita Heights or at
Ateneo Housing. These are between 5 to six kilometers distance. Easily the number of poles and solar
lights can be counted.
Now, if we have to consider the number of sodium lamps installed on these routes at 150 watts each
how much would it consume in terms of electricity? Of course we know that the billing here is a fixed
monthly arrangement. But with the number of lamps the figure could still be staggering.
And when this is deducted from the city’s power bill monthly, then the amount will certainly go to the
city treasury and can be used for other urgent projects.
The former President’s congressman-son indeed hit two birds with just one stone of a worthy project.
The other “bird” is of course the possible deterrence of crimes that normally are done in dark secluded
road stretches or areas.
