|
Friday, January 20, 2006
This is Davao: Take it or leave it
By Stella A. Estremera
TRUST the city mayor to tell it as it is; something in the line of "welcome friends, but don't expect us to wear our monkey suits for you."
"We will not change the way we are just to please our tourists," was how City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte wrote for the Asean Tourism Forum.
As if that isn't clear enough, he went on in a much longer take-it-or-leave-it statement as if to ensure that the visitors get the message.
"Truth be told, we have not really consciously promoted Davao City as a tourism destination until now, when you insisted that we should come out into the world and share our wealth of wonders," he added.
"This reluctance to open to outsiders is probably due to our history of struggle against the imperialistic agenda of our Western colonizers and even our Manila-centric National Government. We are wary of foreigners who come and visit because before one conquers and exploits a place, one first visits it as a tourist. We can never be sure."
Weeks before the opening of the ATF, the mayor has shown this reluctance in his statements. He has insisted that there will just be a little perking up of the streets but no major facelifts. The slums will not be painted over, the blight will not be hidden behind high walls. But, definitely, there will be some housecleaning for the guests as everyone does, anyway.
"We hope to be cleaner, and we're peaceful. We're trying very hard, our very best to secure the place and they're putting up the plastic flowers along the highways," the mayor said in a live interview with Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. But, that's all. The bulk of the preparations is really for the city's security;
ATF being an international gathering that could make any ill-intentioned terrorist drool; and, being acquainted with how a terrorist mind works, in whatever ill intent they have, it's the Dabawenyos' lives who will be put on the line of fire. Ergo, make sure the terrorists and bandits stay out and let the Dabawenyos get over all this hullaballoo in one piece.
The reason why there's just house-cleaning and a few decorations along the way, the mayor says, is because "tourists should be allowed to view Davao as a poor community that is struggling to be rich someday."
Just a week before the ATF was to start, the mayor was widely quoted by all media in Davao (but for one reason or another Sun.Star Davao was singled out as the only one doing the city a "disservice" for headlining the mayor's statement) as admitting that terrorists are out to disrupt the forum.
While the local organizers of the forum were having fits over the news, the mayor just simply shrugged it off saying there's nothing to hide, although he did admit having been told to tone down a bit.
Tone down, he did, for a few days. Until his keynote speech, where again he left a mouthful for both local and international media to quote.
But then, he did say it before: Tourists should be allowed to see the real Davao.
The real Davao had to live with a tough mayor for almost a generation now. There's no reason why the visitors will be spared from such.
The real Davao had to toe the line against law violators lest face the wrath of its mayor. There's no reason why the visitors will be spared from such wrath.
And so, as the ATF started, City Hall made it very clear that the liquor ban and anti-smoking ordinance will not be waived for the duration. Follow the rules or don't come over.
After all, following the rules is easy. Much easier than the "lessons" learned by the Davao residents who tried to put the mayor's word to the test.
"Alam mo naman ako (You know me), I really go for the kidnappers mga drugs, mga big-time, alam mo naman pinapalo ko lang yung mga ganun (those into big-time crimes. I only whip those who violate simple laws)," he told Sun.Star Davao when asked about the "lesson" he taught a motorcycle driver who was recklessly driving his unregistered motorcycle, without a driver's license, just before New Year's Eve.
The real Davao had to live with a mayor who has been very vocal against criminal elements--especially those dealing with drugs, kidnap for ransom, and similar syndicate-run big-time money-making ventures--and it has been electing and re-electing this same mayor. There's no reason why visitors will be allowed to deal with such.
But, unlike the urban legend that he has become--the one who orders the killings of all law violators--he insists he's not as heartless as he is deemed to be.
He understands where Davao is heading--a huge city that's now attracting all those who dream of better lives, thousands of whom are coming from dire straits--and he knows he has to lead the city toward development that will ensure a comfortable life for all those who seek its refuge.
"You cannot be just a peace and order guy for all time because you know very well that poverty breeds criminality. Kana siya (This type of criminality), you cannot solve the problem by killing people," he said in an exclusive interview.
It is addressing this fast-growing urban problem that's making the mayor push Davao to invite more investors, albeit reluctantly, for he knows there is need for major investments in the city's suburbs for him to be able to create new settlement sites.
"My problem is I can buy as much land as there are available because the money is there, but the economic support system right now is where the squatters are. If I move those squatters out, what can I give them? We cannot expect them to come here and you know, commute to where their economic support systems are situated because everything is going higher. Paano ka mabubuhay kung sa pamasahe pa lang, patay ka na (How can you live if even the cost of commuting will already be killing you)?" he explained.
Thus, he said, he hopes the investors will be willing to put up operations in the suburbs.
"(The investment) has to be outside the city (proper) because nobody is selling his land inside (where the City Government can buy for relocation of illegal settlers)," he said. "If you insist on just moving out the people from their economic support systems, then you are practically condemning them to physical or spiritual death," he added.
Here for all to see is the mayor and his irrepressible ways. Ways that include him being perceived as a tough one, the punisher.
Just one question though that has to be asked: Does he like the image he has created in the minds of people--Dabawenyos and strangers alike? "I do not like it because I'm not a cruel man. But I do it because it's part of my persona and my style of governance," he said.
"Why do you think there's less trafficking of drugs? Kasi sabi nila si Duterte naga-salvage, tingnan mo naman eh di walang drugs masyado. si duterte pinapatay ang criminal, eh di walang kidnapping (Because people say Duterte kills those into drugs, and so there is minimal drug trafficking here. People say Duterte kills criminals, and so there is no kidnapping)."
And, in his usual cryptic way of referring to the disappearances or deaths of those involved in major criminal activities, "Actually, hindi ko man talaga pinapatay yan, hindi ko alam kung saan sila (I do not kill them, I just don't know where they are)."
(January 20, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
