Col Mannan C. Muarip

FORMER National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) National Director lawyer Jaime Santiago disclosed the other day that the contractor of the building undergoing construction for the agency’s central office is one of the firms owned by the Discaya couple.

Well, this one is a case of the country’s top sleuths blindsided by these days’ shrewdest of contractors. Imagine the NBI appears totally clueless that it is dealing with some people who they should have investigated or snooped upon a long time ago.

Or, like the case of contracts entered into by the DPWH, some of the probe agency’s top officials may have also been “beneficiaries” of the Discaya largesse?

Now the construction of the Bureau’s multi-million peso office building should better be investigated not by any agent of the NBI but perhaps by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Betection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

For now, we can only hope that the NBI central office building construction by a Discaya-owned firm will not suffer the same fate as the many flood control projects the Discayas are now working on or have completed in the most substandard manner.

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Yesterday, the City Government of Davao posted on Facebook a demonstration run of one of the ten or so bus units that will be fielded in different routes in the city.

According to earlier reports, the fielding of the passenger buses is aimed at easing substantially the burgeoning vehicular traffic in the city’s major thoroughfares. The same buses are among those initially to be operated under the City’s Transport Modernization Program to address the lack of public transportation going to and from certain areas in the city.

Unfortunately, we are starting to entertain doubts as to the project’s success in achieving its primary objective. And why is this? Lately, the political enmity between the ICC-detained former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and incumbent President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. appears to have rubbed in on the project.

Imagine, even as the Bus Transport Modernization program of the city could take off, the national government has sent to Davao City passenger buses reminiscent of the public transportation project of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos – the Love Bus – then operating in several routes in Metro Manila.

The Love Buses were later mothballed by the succeeding administrations after elder Ferdinand E. Marcos was banished from the Malacanang Palace.

And now its apparent resurrection, ironically fielded to help address the transportation lack in the very city that is the seat of power of the incumbent Malacanang tenant’s political enemy – the Duterte’s bastion.

But the Duterte and the incumbent President’s political animosity does not really matter at all. That is, if the final beneficiaries of the squabble are the people of Davao City.

Can the Davaoeños possibly hope for such situation to happen in the city within the next few weeks, months, or even years?

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 This one is indeed a very laudable project conceptualized by the Davao City Police Office.

We mean the ongoing development of computer application and website aimed at helping the public access to police services and information.

This was announced by no less than the Acting Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Col. Mannan Muarip during a press briefing it conducted to officially lunch the project.

Well, the acting DCPO director appears to have a penchant for innovations if only to improve the services of the police to the public that it is sworn to protect.

Muarip, a Muslim, appears to be the correct officer to lead the Davao City Police Office. The city government, headed by Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte was not quite appreciative of the police officials who were designated to head the DCPO.

The mayor was seemingly suspicious of the previous designees’ capability in what appears a hostile relation between those police officials and the people of Davao City.

In the case of Colonel Muarip, he has not only shown his utmost respect to the city leadership but also presented himself as a trusted partner of the city officials l, led by Mayor Baste, in maintaining a safe and secured Davao. He also proves himself as an active partner in pursuing socio-economic development of the area.

We are now certain that Mayor Baste and the other officials are already aware of the acting police director’s noble intentions.

Good luck Colonel Muarip. May Allah bless and guide you in your journey as DCPO’s chief.