The recent floods in the Davao Region, more specifically in Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental, had resulted to P1.19 billion in damage to the agriculture industry.
The bulk of the damage is in Davao del Norte because it is in that province that large banana plantations and rice lands are located. And all of these farm lands were flooded due to the one-week continuous rains.
If the damage to government infrastructures like destroyed roads and bridges are included then the total destruction could be unimaginable.
We are certain too, that it will take years to restore the productivity of the destroyed farm lands to the level before the deluge happened.
Meanwhile, reconstructing the damaged infrastructures all the more needed a much longer period. First, the destruction is so massive. Second is that it could even be costlier to restore the destroyed roads and bridges compared to constructing new ones.
And as is already common knowledge the government treasury is virtually empty after the CoViD 19 pandemic that lasted for over two years. So if the government will prioritize the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructures in the Davao Region, it will be hard up in looking for money to foot the bills.
Thus, the next logical move is for the government to go shopping for countries and other international financial institutions that would be willing to grant loans. The government too, despite possible high interest rates, will just have to “bite the bullet” if it has to pursue the recovery process of the affected provinces in the Davao Region.
Yet, the country’s senators and members of the Lower House who are certain of running for reelection in 2025, are now initiating moves to investigate the circumstances leading to the massive landslides in Masara, Davao de Oro that were triggered by the same continuous rains.
For certain they want to create the stage for their grandstanding as it will be a major opportunity for them to show off “in aid of reelection.”
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Perhaps, many would be asking why we seem not to tire in harping on the issue of the non-distribution of several garbage bins delivered and stocked idle in some recipient rural barangays but remain undistributed to strategic locations for households to dispose of their refuse.
Yes, we will not tire on this particular issue that the local government of Davao City through its City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) failed to address since early 2019. Some of these rural barangays that are beneficiaries of the garbage receptacles are in Tugbok District. We could name at least three villages. For now the bins are just piled in some lonely corners of the Barangay Center compound less conspicuous to the public.
We do not know whose responsibility is it to distribute the large heavy duty plastic garbage bins to areas in the barangays that it should have been located. We do not know either what is holding the responsible agency (CENRO) or the barangay government from distributing the same. From what we were told by some barangay officials, there are guidelines for the distribution and utilization of the garbage bins.
We are just wondering why the guidelines are not yet promulgated or complied by whoever is responsible. The bins were purchased before the 2019 local elections. A pandemic had occurred and the 2022 local polls were held. Another one is coming in May 2025. But still, the receptacles purchased by the Davaoeno taxpayers’ money are laying idle and seeming slowly deteriorating in their usability.
We know that there were changes in the leadership at CENRO after the assumption of Mayor Baste Duterte starting July 1, 2022. Yet, nothing has been done to have the garbage bins distributed.
What is taking the CENRO too long to come up with the distribution guidelines, or how come it seems too difficult for the barangay officials to comply with the guidelines if at all these are already in place?
Meanwhile, with the garbage bins lying idle in isolated corners the fact remains that our city officials can afford to have the resources of the local government go down the drain.
Indeed we cannot blame some residents in the city if they complain of the callousness of the faces of certain CENRO officials.
