IF anyone would like to find a more “blessed” stretch of road these days, he or she can find it from the
C.P. Garcia Diversion Highway all the way to Catalunan Grande-Elenita Heights or the same road leading
to the boundary of the same barangay with Tacunan passing by the Ateneo Housing site.
There any one can see the showcase solar street lighting project of first District Congressman Paolo
Duterte. The posts all installed with solar lamps are standing on both sides of the well-paved 4-lane road
at roughly 20 meters apart.
With the “blessings” on the road naturally the residents and all those who usually pass the route are
also blessed as well. And to think that there are only a few houses constructed at some portions of the
entire road stretch.
How soon will the roads in the other areas of the first district be able to enjoy the same kind of
blessing? We hope Congressman Polong will not make the wait much longer.
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Frankly we are starting to doubt that some concerned officials of the City Environment and Natural
Resources Office (CENRO) of Davao City as well as those at City Hall are not regularly reading local
newspapers. And we too, are suspicious that our columns are not read at all by the concerned officials
possibly because the subjects we harp on every now and then are in some ways “offensive” against
them.
But we cannot help it. These concerned officials are somewhat maintaining a “we don’t care” attitude
on the subject that we are bringing out in this space for quite some time now. We are actually referring
to the non-distribution of a number of heavy-duty plastic garbage bins to strategic locations in the
barangays, a number of them in the third district, in the rural areas.
The garbage bins which had been delivered most likely by the CENRO some three years ago are just
piled up in certain areas within the barangay hall compounds and staying there idle while some
households in the recipient villages are hard-up finding areas to dispose of their waste materials.
We have asked some barangay officials when will the bins be distributed and whose responsibility is
the distribution. Many of those we asked gave us this quite a non-assuring answer. That is, they are
waiting for instructions from the CENRO. What? After roughly three years the instruction is still being
waited?
Meanwhile some of the garbage bins are slowly deteriorating. No, it is not the physical constitution of
the bins because these are made of heavy duty plastic. Rather, it is the make of the entire bin. Some are
now having detached and/or deformed covers. Possibly it is because some are piled directly under the mercy of the elements of nature, say under the heat of the sun or being exposed to rains.
We have in fact seen in certain recipient barangays that the height of the bins piles is overtaken by the growth of tall grass varieties.
When will these garbage bins be finally distributed and which agency in the local government will do
the distribution or delivery of the receptacles to where exactly these should be? It seems to be the
hardest riddle for us to solve.
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There are now two sensational criminal cases that are worth the Davaoenos’ watching as to its
development. And unfortunately, both cases have in some ways, connected to agencies the personnel of
which are the less likely to be involved.
We are referring to the killing of a teenager in the early part of last year by, of all persons, a Doctor of
Medicine working in a non-uniformed service of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region XI. Originally
he was charged with murder but by a twist of fate the charge was downgraded to homicide. Then we
have another which occurred towards the end of 2022. This time the victim, a businesswoman and part
time model, was gunned down allegedly on orders of a top Army official who served as commander of
the 1001 st Brigade.
The latter suspect and nine others, mostly soldiers under his command, are now facing murder
charges in the City Prosecutor’s Office (CPO) of Davao.
As to the former case the suspect was able to post bail even as the formal court deliberation is still to
start. We heard though that the family of the victim has petitioned the Department of Justice for a
reconsideration of the resolution of the CPO. So the people of Davao can expect a delay in the start of
the court hearing.
Meanwhile, in the case of the charges against the Army General and his alleged accomplices, are still
being reviewed by the CPO even as the suspects are “restricted in the confines of the Army headquarter.
So there is no need for them to post bail?
But if we have to believe the words of Army Commanding General Romeo Brawner a Court Martial
proceeding is now on the work against the suspected military crime perpetrators.
Will any or all of the two charges ever result to either a conviction or dismissal? It is definitely
something that is worth the wait – long or short time table – for Davaoenos.
