The chair of the Davao City Council Committee on Peace and Order and Public Utilities denies that the ordinance setting new speed limit to vehicles passing certain streets in the city is a “money making venture.”
We agree one hundred percent to that as it is very clear that it is intended to reduce or totally eliminate road accidents due to over-speeding. But of course we agree that the ordinance can make money for the city when drivers refuse to obey it. And it can also be used by some unscrupulous traffic law enforcers to milk drivers who want to get away with their violation when caught.
Nevertheless, with the level of proposed fines and penalties, it is likely that many drivers will still dare to violate the ordinance. Those whose opposition to the amount of fines is legitimate are drivers of passenger and for-hire vehicles who earn their keeps through fares collected, or based on agreed rates per travel with the “for-hire” vehicle owners and operators.
Thus we suggest that the fines be increased to a level where the drivers including those who drive their own unit, could feel the pain when the amount of penalty per violation is drained from their pockets.
We believe that it is the only way that the ordinance will be observed by majority – if not all – of the drivers.
Never mind those who will complain against the amount. After all, most violators come from their ranks. And if they legitimately feel the fines and penalties are too high then they must endeavor to comply with the ordinance and not be swayed by their ego as dare devils.
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So the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (OPAMIN) is optimistic the present administration will not abandon the Mindanao Railway Project that failed to take off during the administration of a Mindanaoan President?
We tend to join the optimism. However, if the project was not implemented – even just the start –during the last six years when it was already much talked about to have the funding from China, how can it be done with the barely four years left of the present regime?
Yes, with the China and Philippine relations in its precarious stage because of the territorial dispute on the West Philippine Sea, it is apparent that the former country is not anymore interested to loan the latter the money needed to build the railway.
Besides, it is known world over that China’s economy is now in shambles after that country’s property development industry started to crumble over the past year. Add to it several serious calamities including the CoViD 19 pandemic, all the more that China will be less generous in lending to other countries.
In other words, the present government will now be scouting for countries and funding institutions that are willing to gamble their resources to help develop third world countries like the Philippines.
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Why is the local government administration of Davao City “secretive” as to the amount and date of release of employees’ bonus and other gratuities?
We inquired from a friend who works at City Hall and we were told that some departments’ personnel have already received theirs but several others are still to get theirs within this week.
We are really wondering why the staggered scheme (if others have already got theirs as told us). If indeed personnel from other departments are still to get their bonuses this week isn’t it too closed to Christmas day for the employees to enjoy their mana?
We cannot help but suspect that some officials could be in cahoots with loan sharks or the 5-6 money lenders. In situations like this when releases of bonuses are “delayed” the prospective recipient workers have nowhere to go but to the loan sharks where they can borrow money guaranteeing payment with their City Hall-negotiated ATM card.
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