Last week three police officers in Davao City were caught on video drinking in public and in their uniform. This happened only a few days after President Rodrigo Duterte issued a very stern warning against men in uniform who will be drinking intoxicating liquor in public places.
Sadly, the first of the violators of the presidential directive happened to be assigned in Davao City. And even if they may not be residents of Davao their wanton disregard of the warning of the President made their action the highest degree of insult to the chief executive.
We take it as some kind of spiting President Duterte to test his resolve to do away with policemen who seem to have the penchant to break every rule attendant to the performance of their duties.
From reports we read in the papers and heard on radio and television news, the three police officers with ranks P/Superintendent as the highest and a PO3 as lowest, the latter a policewoman actually, were relieved of their post. They are currently restricted in the headquarters.
But what is alarming to many was the statement of a high ranking police official who hails from Davao whose unit is tasked to investigate the incident.
According to this official, proper charges will be filed against the three police officers once due process is afforded them in the investigation that is being conducted. The official added that when it can be proven that indeed they violated the Presidential order that would be the time when they will be meted the appropriate punishment.
Wow! What more proof the investigating police team is still looking for? The President’s order is clear as crystal. Policemen must not drink in any public places. The three police officers in Davao did exactly what they are being prohibited by the President.
Is that police official heading the probe unit expecting that their investigation will discover that the content of the beer bottles from where the policemen drank and displayed on the table was mineral water?
Is the same probe team not convinced that the drinking venue was a public place and that it could be inside a residential house where some celebrations were being done and the three policemen were guests?
We would not be surprised if the investigators would end up charging the media person who took the video shot as a “gate crasher” of the highest order.
Now we have to ask this question, “How long will it take the people to wait for the first dismissal of policemen disregarding his order as ordered by the President?”
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Finally the long-awaited Davao City Sports Complex at the UP-Mindanao Reservation at BagoOshiro, Tugbok District is already inaugurated in time for the opening of the Davao Region Athletics Association (DAVRAA) meet. Of course, the complex is not yet fully completed. What with some of its facilities still unfinished and are not available for use during the regional athletic meet.
But we join the elation of Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio and former Third District and now come-backing Congressman Isidro “Sid” Ungab who is largely instrumental in the allocation of billions in national funds to build the sports complex.
Yes, it took quite long for Davao City to have one such sporting facility even as its neighboring provinces like Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur already have theirs. In fact Davao del Norte has already hosted the Palarong Pambansa, a national athletic meet that draws thousands of athletes from all over the country.
Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur, with its own sporting venues, have also hosted quite comfortably several regional meets.
Although Davao City was able to host the DAVRAA for a number of times already, several athletic games were held in different venues. Swimming, in fact, had to be held in Davao del Norte’s Olympic standard swimming pool.
Last year’s regional meet hosted by the city has its athletic events at the world class track oval of the University of Mindanao in its Matina-Maa campus. This year, we are told, the swimming competition has also to be done again in a venue outside the Davao City Sports Complex as the Olympic size swimming pool is not yet ready in time for the DAVRAA.
But despite all these incompleteness of the sports complex the city and the people of Davao have a lot to be proud of with the new sports venue. It is already there and it would only be a matter of time when all the facilities will be completed and put into use with which these are intended.
Our congratulations go to Mayor Sara and come-backing congressman Ungab for a partnership that made the world-class sports complex in Davao City possible.
With the facility in place, our wish is for Davao City to finally produce athletes ready for international competitions.
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