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ROUGH CUTS | The ambivalence doesn’t make sense

In the past few weeks drug-busts were done by law enforcers in Davao City. The latest was the P3 million worth of illegal drugs along Don Julian st., Dona Pilar Subdivision in Sasa, Buhangin District.

Why is this happening when supposedly police and civilian authorities have been claiming that Davao City is literally drug-free? What with the bloody campaign against illegal drugs by the former City Mayor and later President (now former) Rodrigo Duterte starting its roots in this Southern Davao Metropolis.

But then again, lately, with the series of arrest of persons engaged in both small-time and large illegal drug trade, calling Davao a drug-free city smacks of braggadocio. For where can we attribute the series of illegal drugs busts but to the continuous existence of the illegal substance supply and the unabated distribution thereof despite the so-called warning of law enforcers.

Or, is the continuous prevalence of the addictive drugs indication to the truth of claims by certain local civilian officials that policemen who were posted in the city as replacement of several cops transferred assignment during the Quiboloy controversy are out to sabotage the campaign of the civilian authorities for a crime-free city, especially those drug related.

In fact, only lately, there were talks of planting evidence of illegal drugs possession at some checkpoints.

These talks posted in social media even insinuated that those manning the concerned checkpoints are policemen newly assigned in the city during the KOJC Pastor’s defiance of arrest orders against him.

But whatever, whether or not the spiraling of illegal drugs busts in the city for the past many months is designed to picture the Southern Mindanao Metropolis in a negative light as allegedly designed by politicians at odds with the ruling clan in Davao, the allegations need to be fully substantiated.

Earlier however, the said claim was vehemently denied by the acting police director of the Davao City Police, Col. Hansel Marantan.

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The Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) under Ms. Jennifer Romero has called on establishments providing services to tourists including residences offering bed spaces, to register with her agency.

This is because according to Romero, it is only through data provided by such tourism businesses that the number of tourist arrivals in the city can be fully validated.

Indeed we agree one hundred percent to the call of Ms. Romero. First and foremost the CTOO can only effectively assess the effectivity of programs and projects on the city’s tourism industry through the registered tourism establishments.

Yes, in terms of accommodating the tourists, providing them the food that may entice them to visit again and again Davao City, their impression on how they are provided security and safe tours to the city’s tourist destinations, all these will only be effectively known by the tourism office if the tourism-related establishments are registered and are complying with certain requirements asked of by the CTOO.

Yes, because these businesses are the ones that all the rules and regulations related to the tourism industry are regularly provided and compliance are monitored by the CTOO.

But wait, why is the CTOO still calling on the earlier mentioned establishments? As far as we could remember, the city government has long been calling for these concerned establishments to register with the CTOO since years back.

Is the recent call of the CTOO an admission that the earlier calls were never heeded by the concerned establishments?

Or, is it possible that the recent call for registration is indicative of the continuing practice by many Filipinos of the so-called “Ningas Cogon” trait? Think of this: In the earliest call for registration years back, the city government through the CTOO, was some kind of “forceful.” But then the initial “noise” brought about by the call died down as if weakened by certain viruses.

By the way, is there any effort to check on the compliance of concerned tourist service providing businesses? We are totally unaware. So, a new call is again sounded by the CTOO?

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Honestly, we feel a bit perplexed reading some people’s, closed acquaintances of ours included, claiming that the present Malacanang tenant has no knowledge in running the government; that the President is only manipulated by some vested interest and scheming advisers.

But why are anti-government demonstrations like those of the labor groups, the ultra-militants, the business sector, not present in the streets of various metropolitan cities like Cebu, Metro Manila, and even in Davao City? And why are leading countries in the Americas, Europe, Australia and in Asia, except China, are open in their appreciation of Marcos, Jr.’s leadership? And why are investments from the wealthy countries still continuously pouring in?

Clearly the apparent ambivalence does not make sense.

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