FOR SOME time now, we have not heard of any significant ordinance introduced in the Davao City Council, not even a proposal for the amendment of existing ordinances that are now outmoded with the passage of time.
We are really wondering why the Council members’ offices seem to ignore the importance of personnel who can conduct research or review existing local legislation. By having such staff, the individual councilor can be provided with the necessary inputs to craft relevant ordinances or introduce amendments to outmoded ones.
Or, perhaps the City Council can simply create a unit in the legislative department, the duties of which should focus on looking into the needs of the city and from there recommend to the body what ordinances are needed to be introduced or what measures should be amended to be responsive to the needs of the present society.
For now, however, it is our take that finding or identifying situations in the city governance that need support ordinances is a “to each his own” mantra for the individual council member.
Also, from where we are perched, we believe that there is no need to have additional manpower at the Sangguniang Panlungsod in order to realize our suggested unit to do studies and research. All the Council does is to pluck from the staff of each local lawmaker who meets the qualifications needed for the job of a researcher.
The SP can select five or six of the most qualified and make official the constitution of the mentioned unit, and let them do the responsibilities required.
Then the Council can prioritize the unit’s outputs in proposing it as either a new ordinance or an amendment to an existing ordinance according to the most pressing situation in the city.
We are certain the outputs of the unit recommended for the organization will justify the members’ monthly salaries and allowances.
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Vice President Sara Duterte, in a recent interview, revealed former President Rodrigo Duterte’s birthday message to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been in hiding for several months now since talks of a warrant of arrest for him from the ICC were floated around.
According to VP Sara, FPRRD wants the Davaoeño senator to “magpakatigas ka na parang bato.” There is only one interpretation of the message or birthday greetings from the former Philippine President. That is, for Senator Bato not to surrender or have himself arrested, no matter what.
If indeed it is true that there is already a warrant issued by the ICC, will the Senator follow to the letter FPRRD’s suggestion? Will he continue to be in hiding, or fight to the death any group who will try to serve his arrest order?
If Senator Bato will take the former President’s suggestion “hook, line, and sinker,” then he is negating his earlier commitment to his boss, who is now detained at the ICC jail, to “willingly accompany him” in his detention cell.
“Let us to see, (Tan-awon nato)” to quote the late Davaoeño senator Alejandro “Landing” Almendras, the maverick of the Senate during his time.
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Senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Erwin Tulfo are engaged in a vicious verbal tussle with the Chinese embassy lately. The three lawmakers appear not to mince any words in their tirades against the Chinese embassy officials in Manila.
The ongoing verbal interactions are causing apprehension in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Yesterday, the Department manifested its fears that the ongoing verbal exchanges might affect the government’s diplomatic channel in mending the “soured” relations with China.
It is calling the involved lawmakers and officials of the Chinese embassy to use instead respectful and professional dialogue to prevent the public dispute from affecting the country’s already strained relations with that giant of a country.
As of yesterday, however, we have not seen any indication that the three lawmakers are slowing down. Their language has remained scathing against embassy officials, whom they also think are wanting in respect to the Philippine government.
Are the three lawmakers and the concerned officials of the Chinese embassy stoking the fire that is already slowly burning the bridge of the Philippines-China relations?
