CLOGGED-UP canals and poor drainage systems are the primary causes of flooding in various parts of Davao City.
Authorities say it every time flood inundated some parts of Davao City in the past. And they said it again immediately after rampaging waters devastated a large part of the city’s southern sector a few days ago.
So, they know all along that it is the city’s poor drainage system and clogged-up canals that have been causing the flooding of some areas in the city every time strong and prolonged rains fall.
Then, what are the authorities doing about the causes? If they have known it since a long time ago, how come they haven’t even thought of lasting measures to address the primary causes of the problem?
What is holding the authorities from improving the drainage system and regular de-clogging of canals? Why do they only tend to remember the causes when the problem is already there?
This situation reminds us of a joke about a housewife complaining to her husband that she was seeing a number of holes in their galvanized iron roofing. She wanted her husband to fix it so leaking could be avoided.
The husband just shrugged off his shoulder and told his wife, “Do not worry dear wife. Anyway, it will only leak when it rains. And the rains are still far from coming.”
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Lately in Davao City Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio openly lauded stakeholders for coming up with a plan for the operationalization of the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority (MDDA).
Yes, there is already a law creating the MDDA. And the selfless efforts of the various stakeholders in the areas covered by the agency law were exactly what VP and Education Secretary Sara strongly lauded.
But what is exactly the status of the MDDA law now? We learned from Congressman Isidro “Sid” Ungab of the third district of Davao City who is the main sponsor of the MDDA law, that it has been questioned by the governor of Davao del Sur as to its constitutionality.
What motivated the Davao del Sur governor in questioning the MDDA law was not clearly shared with us by the congressman.
As of today, we haven’t heard of whether or not the Supreme Court has already ruled on the questioned law. We are actually eagerly waiting for the final resolution of the question because the longer it is not resolved the longer the objective of the law can be attained because no programs and projects can be implemented while the MDDA operation remains hanging.
But of course, the crafting of the plan for the MDDA is worth the Vice President’s praise. It only means that despite some initial problems in the new agency’s operation people are willing to share their ideas to be part of what the Metropolitan Davao Development intends to do for the Davao region.
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It looks like House Speaker Martin Romualdez is making amends with the Dutertes, specifically with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
Only the other day Romualdez heaped a mouthful of praises on VP Sara for her decision to forego her request for a Confidential and Intelligence Fund (CIF) for her two offices. The Speaker claimed that what the House did (without making it obvious that it was through his order) was only “trabaho lang, walang personalan.”
Really, why the sudden retreat? Was his attention called by his cousin the President telling him that he is risking his (Romualdez’s) own ambition if he continues firing his salvos against the VP this early?
Or has Romualdez realized that he is likely to lock horns with her other cousin Sen. Imee Marcos who was frank and vocal in mouthing her support to the VP and her father in their squabble with her cousin the Speaker?
We have no idea how aware is Romualdez of the way her cousins value their “debt of gratitude” to the former President for allowing the burial of their father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,’ the dying wish of the late Marcos, Sr.
That wish of the late President was only granted by Duterte after the reign of five previous Presidents.
