The long awaited construction of a bridge linking Davao City to Island Garden City of Samal may finally be realized after Mayor Inday Sara last week announced that she is optimistic the project will start following the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
The NEDA Board chaired by President Duterte has approved the 2.83-kilometer bridge which has a project cost of P23 billion.
Once finished, the city executive said it’s expected that the project is another step towards the development of the Davao region.
With honest officials at the right time now behind the realization of this most ballyhooed Davao City-IGACOS link, we expect that the bridge is a dream come true to all Davaoeños who waited so long for this project to start.
Originally, I was thinking that the bridge will connect the city side from Kilometer 11 in Sasa to Babak in Samal where a privately owned wharf whose barge transport passengers and vehicles.
With the announcement by the NEDA that the bridge starting point from the city is located at R. Castillo, Agdao district and will complement the Davao City Coastal Road project, the change of plan is not clear to me.
Like in Barangay R. Castillo, where according to the Mayor the right-of-way needed to be addressed, Kilometer 11 may have the same problems.
Nonetheless, Barangay R. Castillo in Agdao is just across Lanang (Maharlika Highway) at kilometer 8 from our location in Mamay road and I see that my present residence now is strategically located near the planned bridge.
I can then finally navigate my bicycle from my residence to IGACOS in a few minutes by passing through this dream bridge for my hobby which is fishing.
Or if I might not see the light of the completion of the Davao-Samal bridge, at least my children and grandchildren, and the next generation after them will. Good luck, Mayor Inday Sara.
The Davao-Samal bridge is part of the Build, Build, Build Program of the Duterte Administration.
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The discovery that City Hall employees allegedly pocketed P300,000 worth of gift certificate is now the subject of investigation by the authority.
According to City Information Officer Jefrey Tupas, the suspect is a certain Ronald Viernes Manguera, a contractual worker at the Mayor’s office and his wife Frances Desiree.
The recovery of gift certificates worth P170,000 hidden in a CMO’s drawer led to the apprehension of the couple who admitted to the crime.
The gift certificates are usually given by City Hall officials to some members of the media or friends especially during Christmas Holidays. I, for one, was a recipient then, but this was stopped when a new occupant sat at City Hall.
I used the certificates, sometimes worth P3,000 to P5,000, in exchange for groceries I bought from any designated supermarkets in the city.
Tupas assurance that the CMO is undertaking strict measures in hiring applicants before hiring them to avoid the same incident in the future is only proper because the pocketing may not only have happened now but even before the suspected couple worked at City Hall.
Matagal-tagal na rin kasi wala akong tinatanggap na grasya tuwing Pasko mula sa inyo. Baka na bulsa na rin!
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The members of the Ampatuan clan who were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the court for the 2009 massacre of 57 people, including 32 media workers and sentenced to reclusion perpetua without parole, have appealed the court’s verdict.
The move of the Ampatuans to appeal even if one will think that this is a futile attempt similar to a person suffering from incurable disease but still hoping he can be cured is but natural especially if they have the money and good lawyers to defend them. That’s their right.
But what I’m worrying is the effect of this appeal to the families of the victims who are supposed to receive P155.5 million for civil indemnity’ moral, exemplary, temperate and actual damages, and lose of earning capacity.
Do they have to wait for another 10 years or more to receive what is due them while the appeal is being heard, similar to the number of years of waiting for the verdict?
Parang hilaw pa rin ang katarungan na tinanggap ng mga biktima!
