THE OTHER day we heard in a local television news that in Zamboanga City the funds to cover the so-called 1-CoViD allowance for health front liners had already been down-loaded by the Department of Health national office. So, we assume that the money is ready for release to the legitimate beneficiaries of the allowance.
However, it could not just be released as expected by the health workers because the DOH at the regional level in that Western Mindanao city had still to “sanitize” the list of prospective recipients. This has to be done because it appears the list had been bloated with people whose credentials as health workers are spurious, according to the report.
That is where the problem lies. Wherever there is an opportunity to make money in certain transactions scum bugs always appear and take advantage.
Unfortunately in Davao City we have yet to hear of any such similar development.. We are looking forward to the release of such benefits for the health workers who risk their lives during this pandemic which is now in its third year.
We hope the Regional Office of the Department of Health in the Davao Region could shed light on the status of the 1-CoViD allowance. Do they have something to expect or they do not have any to hope for?
Or has the DOH already made the downloading and releasing without much fanfare? Pray, tell us for the benefit of the usually doubting public!
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Somewhere in Tambobong, Marilog district a bridge project was promised to be implemented to give residents in a very remote highland sitio easier access to a school. The sitio is separated from the center of Tambobong by a river with water normally going turbid and dangerous for crossing when heavy rains fall in the upper grounds as this would mean heavy flood carrying with it all kinds of debris. Strong floods of course could endanger lives and agricultural products that may be carried by the persons crossing the river or by animals like horses or carabaos loaded with agricultural goods.
Residents in that sitio could not have been happier to think that their long suffering will finally be terminated with the bridge construction. In an interview by a blogger, a resident said that their excitement was at its highest when workers from a construction firm started erecting the first concrete post. That was, according to the residents eons ago. Today the same post is standing in its lonesome and nobody can give them an answer when the project will be continued until completion.
In other words the dream of the residents in that Tambobong sitio is slowly fading out. Their sons and daughters who they hope to benefit largely when their school becomes more accessible have already grown into their adult lives and frustratingly abandoned their hope for a better opportunity to continue their pursuit for higher education.
Meanwhile the bridge post standing by itself serves as a monument of certain politicians’ neglect and infidelity to his responsibilities to the people he is supposed to serve. And this failure by the national government has no way of being “rescued” by the local government. How can they be assumed or assisted for realization when most, if not all of the city councilors have never even set foot on some of these almost uncharted area of their jurisdiction.
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Who should be blamed in that disastrous fire that hit the building at Camp Evangelista, the headquarters of the 4th infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Cagayan de Oro City? Whether it was due to accident or negligence by certain individuals, still the bigger part of the blame falls on someone – the highest official in the camp.
We are referring of course to the commanding officer of the division. With some P27 million worth of damage done on the munitions of the Army, the possibility is that all fingers will be pointing towards the Division commander. Yes, no matter what, he cannot escape the blame because somehow he would appear remiss in monitoring the level of safety in all corners of the facility.
Should an in-deep probe be conducted on the matter and the incident happened due to failure of the men or women assigned to check the level of maintenance and failed to get the right picture of the situation in the building then his ineptitude will still rub on to that of his most senior officer.
The potential disciplinary measure that will be heaped on the commander will definitely be tempered by his performance in previous assignments. History will tell us that it is how it works in the military.
