Now Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte should have no more reason not to believe in the sincerity of newly installed Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Col. Hansel Marantan when the latter told him he has only the welfare, the security and peace and order of the city in the discharge of his duties as top cop in this southern metropolis.
Yes, other than the recovery of three mortar bullets in a particular place in the city, there was not a single untoward incident during the one week celebration of the Kadayawan. Not even a snatching incident was reported, or some brawls involving festivity celebrants intoxicated with liquor.
In other words Colonel Marantan was able to make good his promise to Mayor Baste during his courtesy call that he will prove to the young chief executive that under his watch Davao City is safe haven for all, whichever side of the political fence they are in.
We believe Davaoenos owe Colonel Marantan their heartfelt congratulations for ably steering the local police into doing their job despite suspicion that he is assigned in Davao City to help derail the younger Duterte’s governance of the local government.
Indeed, the Police chief of the DCPO did a good job during the week-long celebration. We take our hat off him.
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Will the police finally launch a do-or-die raid on structures allegedly owned by the Kingdom of Jesus Christ where Police Regional Office (PRO) XI Director positively believe the Church Pastor is hiding? In a media interview aired on television the other afternoon Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III somewhat begged with the legal team of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy to just let the police conduct a room-to-room search or plead with the KOJC leaders on the ground to convince the Pastor to voluntarily surrender so the controversial search will finally be over.
We can understand the frustration that the PRO XI chief suffers as consequence of the Quiboloy’s unserved arrest warrants. Not only that Pastor Quiboloy’s continued eluding of the law is a mockery of his and his men’s capability to carry out court orders, the Pastor’s non-arrest is also a virtual slap on Torre’s face. Imagine, with a company or two heavily armed law enforcers being stopped on their track by the KOJC fanatics who appeared willing to give their lives up to prevent the arrest of their leader!
And if indeed the good General is certain of the Pastor’s being holed up in any of the KOJC or the religious sect leaders’ buildings, may be it is the most opportune time for General Torre III to discuss with the court how he could go about executing the mandate to arrest Pastor Quiboloy without unnecessarily violating any law or depriving Quiboloy’s rights.
Knowing how astute the religious leader’s legal advisers are, we can expect that the person subject of the arrest order is already many steps ahead of the law enforcers.
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It looks like the claim of Davao City officials that with the very quick turnover of police office directors and other recent developments adverse to the city’s controlling political family are deliberate efforts to destroy this southern metropolis is not validated based on the colossal success of the just concluded Kadayawan festival.
First, there were no reported crimes committed as disclosed by DCPO chief Col. Hansel Marantan. Then there were the humongous arrivals of both local and out-of-town, even foreign tourists who witnessed the various activities conducted during the festival.
Local products from the farms in the city as well as those novelties produced by the city’s craftsmen were patronized by both the local attendees and visiting consumers and businessmen who came bereft of any anxieties that they could get harmed of mugged while touring the city.
In other words, persons in the city with criminal intensions actually “held their urge” to commit any crime.
And if indeed there exist any deliberate move to destroy the city, then those who are harboring the plan could have “sponsored” criminal activities during the Kadayawan festival if only to make good their intension. But there was none.
Instead the festivities were all undertaken with so much success and the businesses made during the entire duration were all earning money.
The peaceful celebration itself once again put Davao City in the map of the world.
So, what deliberate destruction are political “mongerers” talking about?
