Well, it is clear the sons also rise, but…
Yes, but we will prefer to wait for another five days before we will continue to write this particular item if only to do justice to what we have in mind.
*********************
Recently replaced Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Col. Alberto Lupaz left an exceedingly good record to his successor Col. Richard Bad-ang.
According to statistics at the DCPO there is a substantial decrease in the number of focus crimes committed in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2023. The DCPO showed a 36 percent drop in the eight focus crimes from, January to March 15, 2024. It is equivalent to 46 incidents. In the same quarter of last year there were 72 cases.
The crimes under the focus category include rape, murder, homicide, robbery, theft, physical injury, carnapping, and motorcycle theft.
It seems that for this feat to equal the new DCPO director has to set a very high standard for himself.
Of course with his commitment to do his responsibilities using as priorities collaboration and community engagement Colonel Bad-ang cannot fail.
***************************
Today is Holy Wednesday. We are wondering what are the plans of our politicians who know very well that they have been sinners while they are active in their term, whatever their elective positions may be.
Say for politicians who are either sole ghost owners or partners of construction companies engaged in government infrastructure projects, how are they going to have some remorse of their betrayal of the public trust?
We remember some years back when we hit hard on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and a contractor doing business at the agency after we learned that the latter’s finished project was complained of by the public to have several deviations.
The regional director (may his soul rest in eternal peace) invited us to his office for a cup of coffee. We asked the top regional official if he could come and see us in our office instead. He obliged. And during that visit he informed us that they could not just blacklist the contractor or exclude the firm from project bidding because the true owner is the politician who was responsible in setting aside the budget for the that particular project and several others.
While we did not accede to the director’s request and kept on calling the attention of the public to be wary of any project done by the said contractor the same firm continued to win bids after bids.
Today the said construction firm is not anymore as conspicuous as it was before. But some others have taken its place.
Again, knowing how these contractors have manipulated their projects with the government to recover what they might have spent in advance just to be able to get them or facilitate acceptance and immediate payment, will they ever do some atonement for their sins even if only for this Lenten season?
We doubt because most of these contractors and/or politicians rather take vacations abroad or anywhere in the country using their financial take from projects they themselves got funded in the national appropriation.
**************************
Last week we were invited to attend a barangay general assembly. Supposedly the holding of a general assembly is a requirement in governance of the country’s smallest unit of government.
In that assembly some city councilors sent representatives from their offices to deliver the services they are supposedly affording to village folks. One councilor had his staff brought ”lugaw” to the barangay covered court to be served to attendees. Two others sent five packages each containing what we saw a kilo or two of rice. Then there was one other city politician who prepared juice and bottled water.
What a way to trick their constituents into believing that they are these generous and service-oriented officials. Seemingly they forget that their primary sworn duty is to craft local laws that will benefit all their constituents all these years and the years yet to come.
Unfortunately we have yet to hear of one such local legislation proposed in the City Council.
-30-
