libreng sakay

SO, NINE more vehicles are added to Davao City’s local government Libreng Sakay Program? No, not for everybody in the designated barangay beneficiaries. Rather, these vehicles are for the students who go to school in their respective villages.

Lucky are those barangays in the city that are given the vehicles. For certain, the parents of students will be relieved of the day-to-day transportation expenses they have to foot for their school-age children. But what about the fuel and maintenance cost? Who will shoulder the same? Will the city provide a budget for the vehicles’ drivers? Or, will the expenses for the purpose be charged against the approved budget of the barangay beneficiaries?

Meanwhile, there must be some measures to be adopted so that the vehicles are not abused by the officials of the barangays.. That is, the vehicles should not be used for personal and other non-official trips like family outings and others.

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Yesterday, we wrote about the rumor that the national administration is set to appoint a mayor for Davao City. According to the rumor, the appointee will be taking over the position from the duly elected city mayor, former President Rodrigo R. Dutert,e who was unable to assume because he was – and still is – in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) prison in The Hague, Netherlands. He failed to take his oath.

In his failure to assume the position, Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte serves as acting mayor of Davao City. Then came this rumor that somebody will be appointed mayor anytime soon. But on the same issue of this paper’s online edition, screams the headline that the position of Davao City mayor is “Deemed vacant”. And by tomorrow, Nov. 13, Vice Mayor Baste “takes over as mayor, Rodrigo II as Vice Mayor.”

What is going on? What is really true between the two conflicting information? Davaoeños are now at a loss as to what to believe in this time of disinformation, fake news, and intrigue.

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This one is kind of a weird suggestion. But there is no harm in trying. Who knows, it might work, and the government might be able to save a lot in terms of human lives and the cost of rebuilding destruction.

For certain, Filipinos can very well remember the controversial Pastor of the religious sect “Jesus, the Name Above Every Name,” Apollo C. Quiboloy. The Pastor, in several instances, claimed that he has the power to “stop the storm, or an earthquake.”

Right now, he is languishing in jail for non-bailable charges. What if the government allows the Pastor to prove that he indeed can stop such disasters as earthquakes and typhoons? Well, never mind earthquakes. These will stop in less than a minute. Just focus on typhoons that usually trigger massive flooding.

If indeed the religious leader can stop a typhoon on its way to anywhere in the Philippines, the government can reward him with exoneration from his cases. Meaning he can be set free. If he cannot, then his litigation proceeds.

Maybe the Department of Justice can explore that option just to save the country from further physical destruction and financial drain.

Levity aside, what we are saying here is that the government must optimize all possible options to ensure the safety of lives, properties, and infrastructures when disasters of all kinds threaten the country.

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We extend our congratulations to the management of the University of Mindanao with Guillermo “Willie” Torres, Jr. as President. UM has joined the few elite schools that made it to the rankings of the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings, landing in the 1301 -1400 bracket.

But of course, with WT on top, a lot of innovations in university management have been introduced and adopted. And these are now paying off.

More power, Boss Willie, and your team in the school management.