A news item in yesterday’s local papers and broadcast media says the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has mobilized 208 policemen to keep watch in areas where protest rallies were expected be held in time for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s 3rd State-of-the-Nation-Address (SONA) yesterday afternoon.
And sure enough, a rally at the so-called Freedom Park where rally participants need not secure permit from the government to gather and voice out their sentiments was held. However, as of the writing of this column yesterday the rally participants were still finalizing the program they were to undertake. There was also no certainty whether the group identified with former President Rodrigo R. Duterte who is now at odds with the incumbent was to have its own “Prayer Rally” cum protest assembly in the city that they may collaborate with the militants.
Meanwhile, as far as our recollection is concerned, there were no single untoward incident in rallies held in Davao City during the past many SONAs of previous Presidents of the Philippines. Even during the rule of the elder Marcos there were no violent incidents. Rallies during his SONAs were merely highlighted with fiery and at certain time incendiary-worded speeches all directed against the late former President.
Yes, there were rallies even during the time when the President was former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. But all of those rallies were merely characterized with speeches detailing what the participating groups said they disagreed with the administration of the Davaoeno President. But still, law enforcement groups were mobilized during those times as a matter of precaution against possible saboteurs.
This time however, the motive of the Police mobilization for yesterday’s SONA became a bit “suspect”. The reason of course is the current enmity between the Davao City-based Dutertes and former ally in the UniTeam President Marcos, Jr. All the more that the rally in Davao City became a police concern because of a possible merging of the traditional rally organizers and the Duterte’s Maisug group. If such collaboration was worked out and agreed, then the rally would have become a major force to reckon with. Thus, the law enforcers made their preparation elaborate.
But again, the police was steadfast in saying that the presence of the law enforcers in the rally site was intended to ensure the safety of those who joined the rally and those who were merely passing by the site of the assembly and those simply witnessing the unfolding of the event. As of this writing we have not yet monitored of any report of a merger of activities between the two groups.There was also no report of threat by some terrorist groups.
Of course Davaoenos are educated, disciplined, professional and calculating citizens of the republic. They could not be goaded into doing things that will destroy the reputation of the city and its people. And seemingly it showed in the manner with which yesterday’s rally in the city was conducted.
As to the Police mobilization of 208 men from its force in time for the President’s SONA, yes, many thought it was “suspect.” But it was also the most appropriate move. After all there is that timeless adage that says: “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
So what else could be the best police option but “Better be prepared than be sorry.”
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One or two columns back, our subject was the return of the flooding days in Davao City. Yes, floods were all over again in various low-lying areas in both the city’s downtown and in the outskirts most of which are now turned into residential subdivisions with houses built so closed to each other and leaving almost no bare soil to absorb rain water. Not only that, the local government and national agencies that have responsibilities of regulating subdivision development appeared to have done nothing in monitoring whether the land developers have complied with regulations governing residential subdivision development.
Say, have the concerned officials of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) ever gone to a residential subdivision now being developed by a nationally famous company is Barangay Ula in Tugbok District? The area which is several hectares of land used to be a large coconut and other fruit trees plantation owned by a famous family in Mintal?
All the coconut palms and other fruit trees have been leveled to the ground to give way to the residential enclave. For now that the development including houses construction is not yet fully in place, where else will the excess rain water go but down to the stretch of the Talomo River in nearby Mintal. As consequence, the water emanating from the newly levelled farm will speed up the overflowing of the water in that narrow river. And when the Talomo River overflows flood inundating the Ulas and surrounding areas will be as certain as the sun rising in the east.
Not only that. In other areas of the city outside the central business district, flood water submerging houses in residential sector the other night was documented by netizens and posted in social media platforms. Places like Baliok in Toril district as well as its neighboring places were seen turning into rivers forcing residents to evacuate or move their belongings to the second floor of their houses or to some higher grounds to save them from destruction. The experiences in the flood that hit their areas several months back are still too vivid to recall. Perhaps even their trauma is still with them.
Amidst all these and the recurring flood in the city, what are the local government’s short and long-term plans to address this very glaring problem?
We can only hope that in the next State of the City Address (SOCA) of the Mayor he can include in reporting the short and long-term plan, the anti-flood projects thereat, the status of the project implementation, and how much is the cost of all the projects.
Maybe, doing such report in the next Mayor’s SOCA will assuage the hurt of the people of the city who are most adversely affected by the flooding.
