WE CANNOT believe it. We mean those young students faking their failure to go home early into a kidnapping story!
The students, both under-aged girls from Los Amigos National High School in Davao City, told their class adviser who was able to contact them that they were picked up by white van-riding men and towards midnight of that day, they told their adviser that they were actually at 7-11 outlet in Mintal.
Frankly, we do not know where they learned to invent such kind of story that could certainly worry their parents to the bones.
We do not think they learned it from school. But there is no doubt some outside factors could have influenced their decision to tell such a grievous lie.
Their dishonesty only reinforces reports of certain groups riding a white van now roaming around the city and elsewhere kidnapping teenagers for the purpose of extracting some of their internal organs to be sold to those who are badly in need of the body parts.
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Frankly, we could not think of a justifiable reason why some personalities still insist on running for public office at the local level despite knowing fully well that they cannot win.
Yes, in Davao City there are those perennial candidates for Councilor. They had been candidates during the past many local elections without winning. And again they are running for the May 2025 elections.
Yes, we admit that some of them are more qualified than those who are lucky enough to be included in the slates of the city’s leading political groups like that of former President Rodrigo Duterte and of Karlo Nograles.
Unfortunately, they are “outcasts” and are virtually running on their own even if they claim they are part of this or that political party.
However, these “outsider” candidates, have to campaign all by their lonesome although their closest of leaders give them company. They also have to utilize their own money.
But of course, by running there are some opportunities opened to generate resources. Friends who succeeded in convincing the relevance of their advocated causes are likely to contribute money or in kind so the perennial candidates could make their campaign go.
In other words, repeatedly running in elections despite the futility of winning could either be a waste of personal resources or, it could be an opportunity to accumulate the same.
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With the result of the survey of voters’ preference showing Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang in the lead in the second district council derby, it is clear that he is well-loved by the people in that part of Davao City.
Yes, Danny has continuously topped the election for Councilors since he entered politics during the time of the late Zafiro Respicio. And he almost trounced the late Congressman Manuel Garcia in one of the closest fought elections years back.
With him on the lead in the survey conducted by the University of Mindanao-Institute of Public Opinion (UM-IPO), there is no doubt that Danny will again be on top in the forthcoming election for councilor in the second district.
So what makes Dayanghirang click? He is not moneyed like other politicians. So such a feat could only be attributed to his approachability and his performance during the many years that he had been serving as Davao City councilor.
We have no doubt Councilor Danny could have entertained the idea of running for Congressman in his district after knowing it was fellow second district councilor Javi Garcia Campus who was groomed to run vice incumbent Congressman Vincent Garcia.
But he knows too well his own party was fielding Buhangin Barangay Captain Omar Duterte, former Mayor of the city and immediate past Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s grandson.
That is the reality of patronage politics, Sir Danny. Ambition should give way to loyalty.
