We missed this space in yesterday’s online edition. The reason? We were pre-occupied with our having to attend to some visitors – all close relatives of the wife who came from the United States and some from Hinunangan, Southern Leyte.
Yesterday morning we brought our visitors to Davao International Airport taking the alternate route from the place where we have our rural residence passing through Mandug, then to Buhangin center them to C. P. Garcia Diversion road up to the airport.
From our residence up to sitio Lapuy in Mandug there were three times that a snake crossed our way. The superstitious believer in us leads us to believe that the snake crossing incidents were signs of bad omen.
So we became extremely careful in our driving. We were so afraid that something might happen to us along the way. This is all because since birth we were brainwashed into believing that such snake crossing incidents are major signs that all is not well on the person who happens to encounter not only once but many times snakes along the way; that he or she is potential victim of misfortune.
We however, are not quite convinced that such a situation could happen with barely seeing or encountering snakes. So we could not help but wonder why yesterday was a little bit unusual for us. Imagine seeing a snake three times in a rather short route to the airport.
But then as soon as we arrived back at the house yesterday mid-morning from the airport and had a chance to scan the messages received and/or posts in our mobile, we suddenly realized why. Yesterday, September 16, was World Snake Day. The snakes we encountered on the road may be on the way to a grand rally.
It looks like the snakes have outsmarted the crocodiles. While the latter animal are known habitating swampy areas and marshlands in some parts of the country, and they too are perceived “invading” the sanctums of Congress and the roads, the former are known slithering most of the time in the grassy woodlands. Some are in the sanctuary of commercially-operated zoos.
And the slippery-bodied snakes are lucky to get honored at least a day in a year. Will the crocodiles someday or years have their day, too?
*****************************
Presidential sister (?) Sen. Imee Marcos has filed a bill in the Senate called the Rodrigo Duterte Bill. It aims to have a law enacted prohibiting the arrest or detention of any individual within Philippine territory –and their transfer to an international court or incarceration center without a warrant issued by a Philippine court. The Bill is denominated Senate Bill No. 557.
“Is the Presidential sister still paying her family’s “debt of gratitude” to the man who allowed the burial of her father’s remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani?”
Senator Marcos takes as her guiding motivation in introducing the Bill the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherland.
Citing that the Duterte arrest by the ICC without corresponding warrant from a Philippine court was a clear “abuse that may likewise be committed against other Filipinos.”
Well, this Senator Marcos bill is clearly very well-intentioned. But somehow, many cannot be faulted if they doubt the real purpose of the lady lawmaker from Ilocos Norte in introducing the bill, Say, how much rubbing of elbows is the lady senator is doing with the Davao-based opposition leader to the administration of her brother?
Or, is the Presidential sister still paying her family’s “debt of gratitude” to the man who allowed the burial of her father’s remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani?
But of course the Bill, once it becomes a law, will benefit the most those leaders, civilian or uniformed, in the years to come.
But while there is the possibility that even if the Imee Marcos bill is to ensure that the authority of international courts or bodies where the Philippines is a member will abuse the power given them in the any of the statutes, some Philippine officials may also abuse the guarantees given them under the proposed Duterte Act, should it become a law.
***************************
Is it Davao City itself wanting in resources that the rehabilitation or repair and installation of traffic light in various road intersections is delayed?
Is the delay in the realization of the Rapid Bus Transport System also contributory to the delay of the same repair and rehabilitation of traffic lights? That is what people are made to believe by the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO).
We thought all the while that for so long we have been priding our city to be without a single centavo in indebtedness. Now traffic management officials claim the city is lacking in resources for the traffic light repair and rehab project
Our take on the issue however, is that the repair and rehabilitation of the fast deteriorating traffic lights in the city is not one immediate priority project of the city government. It might have other projects the city leadership considers more important than having a 100 percent traffic lights functional.
Now we know why Davao City is among the top ten cities with very chaotic vehicular situation as per survey conducted by a body tasked to do a study of the cities’ traffic situation all over the world.
-30-
