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Monday, March 14, 2005
Ledesma: DOT ignoring 'Araw' festivity?
By Jun Ledesma
Sunbursts
"I can understand the indifference of the political adversaries of Duterte, but surely I cannot comprehend why Sonia's DOT is so imperceptible when this should have been her/their finest moment."
ID ACAYLAR is right.Davao City has to do it alone. This is the 14th of March, a wink away from Araw ng Dabaw, but we still have to see the Department of Tourism running a token publicity of the city's 68th founding anniversary. Suddenly Sonia Garcia seemed to be a wallflower that withered limply by the stem.If she was able to come up with a whopping P9-million budget for that pipsqueak "Wow Mindanao" promotion why can't she have a chip of that kind of allocation for this annual"Araw" celebration which, like the August Kadayawan, has always been a best seller tourism attraction?
What went wrong? Even our congressmen are seemingly not keen on sparing the city a picayune from the devil's fruit...errr pork cake.While Mayor Rody Duterte is trying his dam best to shield Davao City from terrorist attacks our congressmen seem to be oblivious of what is taking place here.Well, maybe that is part of their scheme to exhaust Mayor Rody. It's a lousy and despicable political plot, if you ask me. Unfortunately for them, Duterte is not showing any sign of fatigue. If he is doing it alone in spending and setting in place the security infrastructures of the city, surely he can ford through this Araw Ng Dabaw celebration alone.
I can understand the indifference of the political adversaries of Duterte, but surely I cannot comprehend why Sonia's DOT is so imperceptible when this should have been her/their finest moment.What's bugging DOT? Why has Araw ng Dabaw suddenly become an insignificant event?Has DOT run out of ideas on how to promote the Araw celebration? Problem with managers in the government bureaucracy, their mental gears do not function anymore without the aid of money.
Tell you what Mayor, I am too old to be a fan of Erich and Charles, the Davaowenos who made a stellar performance in ABS-CBN Star Circle Quest, but give them the appropriate accolade and reception like putting them in a float and our traditional parade will surely be a runaway blockbuster. Our Mutya ng Dabaw deserves the limelight indeed but Dabawenyos would love to see Erich, the Grand Quest Winner, and Charles, the impeccable livewire dancer.Then you can tell Sonia and the inutile DOT that we have homegrown celebrities aside from the fine beaches, mountain resorts and our rich and colorful cultural festivities that we can be proud of.
Imagine the impact of this irony. While Davao City is in the midst of Araw ng Dabaw celebration, DOT personnel are climbing Mt. Apo and bringing with them potential Araw revelers, also beyond the reach of media men who want to ask why the treatment they are giving the city authorities is as cold as the mountain breeze of Mt. Apo.As if to add insult to injury, DOT announced it will release millions of pesos to rehabilitate Mt. Apo. Big deal!From where I stand, it looks like it's going to be a duplication of the grand failure, which was WOW Mindanao. Wow!
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 14, 2005 issue)
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