The Davao City Council appears to be hell-bent on its desire to let delivery riders secure business permits as requirement for them to practice their trade. In fact the local legislative body has already approved an ordinance for the purpose.
However, the ordinance is vehemently objected to by the delivery riders who are insisting that they are not into business but are simply providing the establishments the services to bridge them to their customers without the latter physically going to the shops to buy their desired items. In other words, as delivery rider they are both giving the customers and the merchants the convenience in meeting their respective needs.
Hence, to the delivery riders requiring them to secure business permit is one whammy the city is imposing on their already meager income and at the same time adding to their inconvenience in doing the paperwork for the permit acquisition.
As of late last week some members of the City Council appeared to have reconsidered their persistence on the measure. They decided to hold in abeyance the implementation of the Ordinance so they can have the time to review the measure and possibly amend the same for the benefit not only of the delivery riders but to the buying public who are now getting used to the new found convenience in buying certain items especially those that feed the gastronomic craving of people.
And as we wrote earlier we are elated at the support of Mayor Baste Duterte for the possible nixing of the business permit requirement for delivery riders. In his recent statement the local chief executive said he believes there is need to study very carefully the Ordinance since its implementation would mean a number of people will be denied their rightful income as the delivery riders will now have to contend with the add-on expenses in procuring the business permit and its subsequent annual renewal.
For us however, the city can easily earn something from the delivery riders. That is, if the Councilors have the necessary manpower to do research so they can discover models with which to pattern a scheme that the local lawmaking body can adopt for the purpose.
And we know the scheme is far from difficult. In fact in the model we have in mind the local government will only be dealing with one entity instead of with the individual riders.
How? That is for the Councilor’s men or women to discover.
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As we wrote this piece yesterday towards noon, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte was still a “no show” at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
The top NBI officials were in full force to witness the Vice President do her explanation of her so-called “kill” remarks on President Bongbong Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
But as expected and despite the promise of the VP to face the NBI, she did not show up. Instead she was represented by a lawyer. So the NBI chief, Retired Judge Jaime Santiago decided to reset the hearing on December 11.
But will VP Sara honor the re-setting of her appearance to the NBI? Our take is that she will just make a repeat of what she did yesterday. After all she has her lawyer ready to do the explaining. Besides, if she had the House Quad Com left “standing” how much more is the NBI?
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The other day we were watching a video on the top ten countries in the world fast shrinking to economic and political destruction.
The video was prepared by a non-Filipino and we were anxious the Philippines is one of the ten. As the video presentation was winding up we were thinking that the Philippines could be at either number 9 or number 10.
Luckily, or perhaps the video was prepared some months back, our country was not among the top ten fastest deteriorating economy and regressing in political stability.
What was that we read only recently on the Philippines being in “hemorrhage”?
That was quite an allegation that if the incumbent President will not refute by presenting a status report on the funds mentioned as well as on the alleged sale of the country’s gold reserve, then the President will be affirming the allegation.
Now this our call for the President to speak his mind out.
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