DAVAO AND THE WORLD

A glimpse of Davao will bring people a look into one of the fast-developing cities in the globe. Known for the exotic and delicious durian fruit, Davao City bears a picture of comfort and serenity away from the usual urban adventure. It is still a paradise. While most cities in the Philippines have been besieged with tropical storms, landslides and flood, the city known to be the home of the Phillipine eagle projects a getaway image from the grinds of city life. Right now, Davao is slowly developing its countryside by building houses, subdivisions and resorts. Foreigners and locals alike have made the city their home. What makes it unique is the way it has handled the natural habitat surrounding the urban area itself. Although, there has been a gradual transformation of the place into a metropolis, nevertheless, trees, flowers and its natural landscape are pretty much visible to view and enjoy.

Davaoeños are lucky to enjoy and to utilize one of the best water on earth. The watershed which shelters the water source is being protected at all cost. An abundance of flowing water is very much in existent around the city. The hospitality of the people is definitely world class. Discipline is strictly being implemented throughout the city. Thanks to the city mayor. Davao City has made it to the headlines more than once. It is no secret that the international community, the Human Rights Group in particular criticizes the way the city government handles its affairs with regards to the extra-judicial executions around the metropolis. It maybe ironic but Davaoeños have never felt secure in their life. The HR Group should have identified the casualties. The killings have been focused mostly on the undesirable elements of the society. Any visitor can access the corners of the city 24/7. Now, how many places can anyone point out for its safety?

The key for Davao to boost its worth and value in the global stage is to maintain its reputation as a disciplined city. Investors and guests will never hesitate to visit the place if their security is guaranteed. When people are able to roam the metro without hesitation, the freedom is just priceless. Our “kababayans” all over the country and the foreigners will have an unforgettable stint in Davao if they can flex and stretch themselves out without the danger of getting hurt by the bad elements. Discipline reinforces security. Full implementation of the law must be applied.

Th city government must join hands with the Department of Tourism to promote global competitiveness. More than eating the durian, more than watching the Philippine eagle fly, and more than enjoying the trek to the country’s highest peak, the Mt. Apo, Davao has a lot to offer. What about the efforts of the people around the countryside? How about boosting our fruit and crop production? Contributing to the progress of the nation can start at our own very backyard. Developing Davao will bring forth dividends, not only for Davaoeños, but for all Filipinos. Let us make Davao City the shooting star of the South. Sounds impossible, or even ridiculous? Cooperation and contribution from the people mean everything. Watch for a grand breakthrough.

IN DISTANT LAND

It was a good thing that technology had come up with cell phones and laptop computers to allow the world to connect from both ends of the globe. People stayed in touch with one another almost every minute. It also opened up the lines of communication about what was happening within or on the other side of the continent. Events and updates were reported immediately from the Philippines to Singapore, from Tokyo to Berlin and from China to Brazil. The earth had been filled with interesting people. Differences between races could indeed bring humanity together. Or did it?

I often heard in the news the unlikely acts of my fellow Filipinos who worked overseas. Accusations swirl around that they committed murder or some related offenses. Not until my girlfriend worked for a multi-national company in Singapore did I understood the magnitude of such acts. The world was impressed with the way this nation had been achieving success in the midst of worldwide economic crisis. Most people thought that there was comfort in being able to earn Singapore dollars. It brought some sort of stability among Filipinos to get a job in that country in order to support a family back home. But right now, I don’t see any comfort in my girlfriend’s decision to work in Singapore. The company hired her as an assistant manager. Four or five months into the training, she talked about going home. I don’t know how to comfort her when she cried over the phone or when she texted me with words of anguish that she’s being pressured to quit her job. I think pressure is natural for a trainee like her but I don’t think that it should be extreme as what she expressed. When she arrived in Singapore last January, she felt all alone. There were two of them from the Philippines hired to work in Singapore. They were later assigned to different branches. The workplace comprised of Malaysian, Singaporean, Chinese and Filipino nationalities. It would be understandable for racial differences to occur between them due to a contrast in cultural backgrounds. The language barrier barred them from fully comprehending each other’s behavior. But when it would be the manager who made things unbearable at the workplace then it would be another story. She didn’t mind working though long hours without overtime pay. What she complained about was how she was treated with contempt as if she came from a distant planet. She couldn’t remember a day without being scolded. Her managers always looked for every detailed mistakes on her job. Even things like arranging items were blown out of proportion. She was told that she was engrossed when folding textile items. She always requested for instructions but her bosses brushed her aside. Her routine was filled with criticisms and scrutiny. She later told me that she would cry inside the stockroom or at the comfort room. To some extent, she would shed tears while walking or riding on the train and the bus. I understood that pressure at work could be necessary as it would be a preparation to overcome adversity and future hard ships. But minute to minute reprimands could be viewed as mental torture. I remembered the Flor Contemplation story years back. What could had led the poor woman into doing the thing she paid with her life was the constant nagging and scolding she received from her employers. It was too much for her. And in the end, her mind just twisted.

The plight of my girlfriend and that of Flor Contemplation couldn’t be called isolated. Many Filipinos shared their situation. There were even worst incidents that could be heard around the world. I condemned such acts. Destructive criticism could lead to a mental breakdown. My girlfriend’s companion later said that she wanted to commit suicide amidst the pressures at work. It must be some pressure because in the Philippines, grilling at work could be taken in stride. In relation to my girlfriend’s recent situation, I would caution Singaporeans to stay clear from Davao City. Add to that all abusive foreigners like the Koreans who got themselves into trouble with the city mayor and the provincial governor. Davao would be unsafe for the society’s bad elements, and it sure would also be unhealthy for other nationalities whose discipline could be compared to the animals in the zoo.

SHOW SOME CONSCIENCE

Integrity is perhaps the biggest thing missing in the government today. Nobody cares anymore about hard work, honesty and service. And it shows. A struggling nation with millions of citizens in anguish means that everything in the Philippines is probably rotten. The main issue is about the national treasury. Numerous individuals desire for government positions to acquire money and more money. Being an official is the easiest way to gain wealth. The responsibility to serve the country remains a campaign slogan to get elected into public office. Although many people fail to notice it, government officials promise to make things possible during their campaign days. Filipinos bear such process for years. How the nation put up with all the corruption is a big question until now.

Peace and tranquility can be deceiving for a government official. Robbing the national coffers is a daunting task. In another way, admiration can be given to these elected individuals for taking the time to unleash their abilities to acquire the money of the Filipino people. Tricks and techniques become methodical so as to erase all tracks of internal investigations should suspicions and accusations arise. These persons wake in the morning energized by the wealth they accumulated throughout their so-called service in the government. They have the latest cars. Their children goes to the best schools. They go on vacation abroad. But who can blame them? Life is hard. They have to make sure that the lives of their families are well taken cared of. It is a natural thing for these cockroaches to thrive on the resources which they never earned. They feast on the hardships of the Filipinos, not taking into consideration the difficulty of the citizens to be rewarded of their keep.

While most of the citizenry live below poverty line, the leeches sitting on top of the government benches enjoy the comfort of their big houses and abundant food. Their wealth can probably feed off numerous generations of their families. And they are doing these at the expense of the entire nation. Forget about conscience. Forget about integrity. Once in service, the bills and the coins start to pile in. Who says working as an elected official is a white-collared crime? There is a lot to enjoy when an individual becomes a leech right there and then. Perks and bonuses are like flowing water. Almost instantly, these things start pouring in. Ah, corruption, acquiring wealth in through the pen and the paper. It is the greatest job in the world. There are many places around the countryside who have leaders wearing fashionable clothes, drive in expensive cars, throw lavish parties, spend their time abroad, and yet their areas of responsibility are covered in dirt and mad. These cockroaches have a lot of balls to roam around town and show off their wealth for everybody to see.

Whatever is happening around the country seems to be insignificant. While many elected people care, there still a lot of work to be done. Deserving government officials have a long way to go. They still have a lot to do. But the most important contribution that they can give back to the citizenry who voted them upfront is by weeding out their ranks with all the undesirable and corrupt leeches. It is a big job to consider. But it is the only way to clean up the government of its acts of corruption. Officials, good and the hood, have been working side by side for decades. Once elected, it is just impossible for the citizens to remove these cockroaches from public office. All the Filipinos can do is endure. It is now in the hands of the deserving people in the government to take out those persons who have nothing to show but gold and more gold. Can an individual sleep peacefully knowing fully well that many people outside his grand mansion are lying on dilapidated shanties and empty boxes laid out on the streets? Oh, sleeping for them has never been better. Who cares about the poor people? None maybe. Cockroaches and leeches never believe in God. They only go to church to please the watching eyes of their neighbors. But time happens to one and all. It will be quick, and it will be without warning. Wrath comes in like lightning. It is only a matter of years or months or hours or even minutes and seconds before rewards for deserving leeches and cockroaches are handed down.

DON’T BLAME THE GOVERNMENT

While the nation is in chaos, it is easy for everybody to blame the leaders of this country for all the difficulties and miseries that befall on every Filipino. Sectors from all corners and movements throughout the countryside engage in a lot of bickering and call for immediate changes. It is easy to pin anybody down especially when hardships prevail in many aspects of everyday life. It also opens up the truth that the citizens in this country can be easily manipulated for that matter. It only concludes that Filipinos are too dependent on government regulations. The trend that Filipinos keep on blaming the people given with a nationalist function only makes the entire society inflexible. If Filipinos believe that they are powerless in the midst of trouble, then there is no opportunity for an economic take off. What happens out there is not really a government issue. The usual problems today in the Filipino society resides in the citizen’s inability to get out of his way to assist or to help in any way possible.

People are too concerned about the dividends of their own actions. It seem that the world owe them something. Individuals are born with an opportunity to make something out from themselves. Although, the situation is bleak nowadays, it is not a big reason to give up and wait for assistance from anyone. Persons find fault in the decisions of their neighbors. They forget that their lives are largely what they are for what they did pursue in the beginning.

The government has been set up for management purposes, to put in a sense of harmony in an otherwise complicated and multi-opinionated community. Lest people forget, the government is filled with individuals which are counted upon by their fellowmen to function according to the laws passed and implemented. But somehow, along the way towards nation rebuilding and development, events have quite took a different approach than many actually hoped for. Filipinos look and expect a promising future. The problem is, most expect a rather ideal picture. Citizens fail to analyze and grasp the idea that the individuals catapulted into government positions are merely ordinary mortals like all you and me. There’s nothing magical in what these government people can do. The truth is, they commit a lot of blunder than most of us. And they do those things under the public eye and during broad daylight.

Reprimanding the government people is like assessing the actions of the entire society. They are what we shall become under given circumstances. The clamor for changes reflect a national yearning to make life easy and manageable. Everyone has a responsibility to make things work for this country. Only more is expected from the individuals in public service. Filipinos are brilliant people. They expect nothing less than a perfect life to live through the ages. But such belief and such principle can perhaps spell doom for a nation who has been struggling for years. Too much brilliance have something to do with it. Everybody has a noble idea about running things. Everyone has a unique approach in dealing with specific situations. Imagine an airport with numerous planes along the runway heading for different and contrasting destinations. In a capsule, yes, that is how the Filipino society is viewed today.

I truly and totally sympathize with my fellow countrymen for everything that has become of the Philippines lately. I despise the deeds that Filipinos in service do to their country. But I believe that we can do better. If Filipinos assume different roles then the nation will have a fighting chance in showing the world its true mettle and character. Perhaps relishing that leadership position to someone who is more capable is a good idea. Associating ourselves deep with the government is perhaps inappropriate considering that the entire Filipino citizenry is bent on making a name for himself in the world stage. You want to be a leader. The other guy want to be a leader. Where does that kind of mentality put us? Where are we heading with such an idea? With all the horses heading towards different direction, can we expect the wagon to reach home? I know this because there has been a time that I also wanted to be a leader. And just like most kids, my friends and I end up pounding each other as to who should be in charge. Guess where did that situation put us now?