AS WE flip through the chapters of 2020, let us look back at the top stories that not only affected us Dabawenyos but also the entire world. While it is undeniably one of the gloomiest years for some, it had also sparked changes. Here are the top 20 stories in 2020.
1. Covid-19 Pandemic
A mysterious disease in Wuhan, China in December 2019 had since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic.
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19), is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2). The pandemic had not only took the lives of more than one million people, as of writing, but also caused an economic turmoil.
Davao Region wasn't spared from this health crisis. Before the year ended, more than 12,000 Dabawenyos got infected by the virus, wherein more than 10,000 had recovered, more than 1,600 still recovering, and more than 500 succumbed to the virus.
While the world is racing towards vaccination in 2021, it is bracing for a new strain of Covid-19 that was discovered in the United Kingdom (UK).
2. ABS-CBN Shutdown
ABS-CBN, which was first shut down by the administration of former president Ferdinand Marcos during Martial Law in 1972, went off air on May 5, 2020. This after a cease and desist order (CDO) was issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) after the network failed to secure a franchise renewal from the House of Representatives.
Congressional hearings for a new franchise were conducted. However, on July 10, the House of Representatives committee on legislative franchises, voting 70-11, denied the application of ABS-CBN Corporation for a new 25-year franchise.
The lack of franchise had resulted in a mass retrenchment and ended some of its longest-running regional shows such as TV Patrol Southern Mindanao (since 1989), and Maayong Buntag Mindanao (since 1993).
3. Taal Volcano
The first natural disaster in the country in 2020. The Taal Volcano erupted on January 12, more than four decades after its last eruption in 1977.
Thousands of residents were displaced. Many lost their homes and livelihood due to the eruption.
The eruption of Taal also shut down the country's main international airport and canceled more than 500 flights.
4. African Swine Fever (ASF)
The disease affecting hogs reached Davao Region in late January 2020 after it was reported in Davao Occidental.
ASF had spread throughout the region, including Davao City, wherein several hogs in some barangays in Calinan district were culled to prevent it from spreading.
Hog Farmers Association of Davao Inc. President Eduardo So estimated an P80-billion loss in the hog industry if ASF enters the island of Mindanao, and would not be prevented.
As of writing, no new deaths linked to ASF have been recorded. However, the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region said this does not guarantee that the ASF outbreak here is over yet.
5. Anti-Terrorism Law
The enactment of the Republic Act No. 11479 or The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 had sparked different reactions since it was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3, 2020, and effectively replaced the Human Security Act of 2007 on July 18, 2020.
Proponents of the law said it is an effort to address the issue of terrorism and all allied activities while ensuring the protection of civil and political rights.
However, human rights and other progressive groups are opposing this as a setback for human rights, saying anyone who is vocal in criticizing the government might use the law against them. The anti-terror law has 37 petitions, wherein oral argument against the law will be tackled at the Supreme Court in January 2021.
In August, leaders and members of progressive groups, whose faces and names became the subject of various "vilification posters" tagging them as "terrorist recruiters" and "human rights violators," filed formal complaints before the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate and arrest individuals behind it. The incident happened more than a month after the Anti-Terror Law took effect. DCPO denied involvement in this incident.
Jay Apiag, Karapatan-SMR secretary-general, said the incident had "something to do with the Anti-Terror Law, which aims to silence them."
Local chief executives in the entire Davao Region manifested their support to the law, which will address several histories of terroristic acts that took many lives.
Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte, who served as acting mayor on September 29, called for a "good anti-terror law" after seven suspects, who were involved in the deadly blast in Roxas Night Market in 2016 that resulted in the death of 17 people, were found guilty of multiple murder and multiple attempted murder and were sentenced to reclusion perpetua but were acquitted of the crime of terrorism under Section 3 (f) Human Security Act.
6. Kobe Bryant
Sports fans all over the world, Dabawenyos included, mourned the untimely death of Kobe Bryant, highly touted as among the greatest basketball athletes who ever lived.
Kobe, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California on January 26.
Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, was 41.
The legendary NBA player inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with sublime skills and unquenchable competitive fire.
After much delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, Bryant, along with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, will finally enter the Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2021.
7. Poor internet connection
Filipinos are already fed up with the poor and slow internet connection in the country that even President Duterte, in his fifth State of the Nation Address, gave telecommunication companies until the end of the year to improve their services or else they will be shut down and their assets seized.
The episode of a lag internet connection wasn't a "just now" moment for everyone. Students enrolled in online distance learning had been ranting to catch up with their online lessons.
On September 21, it was literally a "Manic Monday" for some Dabawenyos who had a bad start of the week after experiencing inconvenience due to the loss or degradation of call, text and internet services.
PLDT, the next day, said it was due to a cut on the fiber optic transmission line caused by the construction work of other telecommunication providers and road-widening projects in some parts of Mindanao.
Even the 19th Davao City Council had adjourned its session on September 8, due to poor internet connection due to slow internet connection. This was supposed to be the day the council will tackle the amendment of the city ordinance to help in expediting more cell towers in the city.
In a bid to improve internet connection, on September 24, 2020, different internet service providers such as Sky Fiber, PLDT-Smart, and DCTech released respective statements informing clients that emergency maintenance activities will be conducted on the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cables in the waters of Hong Kong from 8 a.m. of September 25 to 5 a.m. of September 30. This had resulted in some schools and universities to declare a "break week" for their students.
8. Davao-Samal Bridge
Not even the Covid-19 pandemic can stop the long-awaited Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project, or more commonly known as Davao-Samal Bridge.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar announced that the construction of the 3.98-kilometer bridge project that will connect the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) to Davao City will have its official groundbreaking in January 2021.
However, there was opposition in its construction. This was first disclosed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in early 2020, wherein she said a family, whose property will be covered in the Davao-Samal Bridge’s road right of way, filed a written opposition to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In September, the Rodriguez and Lucas family, whose property will be affected by the construction of the bridge, publicized their opposition to the project as its alignment could cause irreversible damages to the reef the bridge will traverse on.
However, Ramon Edison Batacan, lawyer of the affected party, clarified they are not against the project, as they just want the alignment of the project to be realigned. He also said the families wanted to settle the matter through "administrative remedies," as they do not want the issue to reach the higher court.
9. Kapa Founder Arrested
After more than a year of hiding, Kapa Community Ministry International founder Pastor Joel Apolinario was arrested on July 21.
The arrest, however, was a bloody encounter that happened in a far-flung area of Sitio Dahican, Barangay Handamayan, Lingig, Surigao del Sur, wherein two members of Apolinario's group were killed.
The joint forces of police in the area and the Philippine Coast Guard went to Apolinario's residence to serve his warrant of arrest for syndicated estafa, which is a non-bailable case.
The Kapa investment scam became one of the biggest financial investment fraud scandals in 2019. An estimated five million people were duped by the religious company Kapa-Community Ministry International, which promised a 30-percent monthly return on investments for life.
President Rodrigo Duterte, in June 2019, ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to shut down Kapa, as its offering can be considered a pyramid scheme.
10. DQR Implementation
As part of the Davao City government's move to improve its Covid-19 contact tracing, the local government implemented the Safe Davao QR (DQR) Code.
The DQR serves as an electronic contact tracing and travel pass platform intended to be implemented for several purposes for city and non-city residents traversing within its jurisdiction.
It was supposed to be enforced on November 7. However, the registration line, which was opened a week earlier, encountered technical glitches and errors in the registration process. The site eventually crashed days before the supposed enforcement.
Several Dabawenyos ranted on the city government's short period of allotted registration. They still aired their frustration online, as they still cannot get through due to technical glitches experienced while registering.
Some netizens and web developers also expressed concerns about the site's privacy and security issues involving the use of the DQR.
The local government later postponed it to November 23 to reconfigure the site. It was then postponed anew on an indefinite date.
Some establishments have already implemented it. However, full enforcement has yet to be announced.
11. Philhealth-SPMC IRM issue
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) was dragged in the issue of PhilHealth's Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM). In a Senate hearing, PhilHealth legal counsel Roberto Labe Jr. said SPMC got the highest amount of IRM with P326 million.
The IRM, according to PhilHealth, is a program that advances the reimbursement of members' insurance claims to hospitals and clinics directly hit by "fortuitous events," supposedly cutting the long queue and tedious bureaucratic process.
However, lawmakers questioned PhilHealth's computation on the IRM disbursement, which led to its suspension.
Critics of the Duterte administration also chided the allocation, saying there was "favoritism" in the allocation since SPMC's former chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega was appointed as Health Undersecretary and Covid-19 "treatment czar" in June this year.
Both PhilHealth and SPMC denied such claims, saying that the hospital, the largest in terms of bed occupancy in the country, tallied the highest reimbursement and number of claims in 2019, the basis for the computation of the IRM.
12. Tarlac shooting
On December 20, days before Christmas, an off-duty policeman had an altercation over the right of way in Barangay Cabayaoasan in Paniqui, Tarlac that resulted in a brutal ending after a mother and a son she was desperately trying to protect was shot in cold blood.
The perpetrator identified as Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca later on surrendered after killing Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25.
According to reports, Nuezca had an argument with the Gregorios over an improvised noise maker known locally as boga.
The incident was caught on camera and went viral on social media, sparking nationwide outrage, with some critics blaming the government over acts of impunity and human rights abuses in recent years.
Duterte, who had stood firmly behind the police in its drug war, condemned the incident and had ordered the police to ensure that he gets arrested.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Chief Kirby Kraft also condemned the incident, saying that police should impose maximum tolerance.
13. Plantitas surge amid Covid-19
While the public, during the early days of the pandemic, is in self-quarantine, interest in plant parenting and gardening boomed in various parts of the globe, most especially in Davao City. This had coined the labels plantitos and plantitas.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao Region, however, warned the public that Republic Act (RA) 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, also covers the plant species, not only the animals and that violating the law carries huge penalties.
Jayvee Jude Agas, DENR-Davao Regional Public Affairs Office chief, said the law, which has been around for almost two decades, is only often highlighted when endangered or critically threatened animals are involved, making the public unaware that the law covers both the flora and fauna.
Reported incidents of "plantnapping" were reported during the pandemic.
14. Angry 'Karen' faces raps
On October 23, a woman was detained and will be facing four cases in court after she made a public outburst inside a grocery store when police reprimanded her for not wearing a face mask and a face shield.
Based on the spot report of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) through the Talomo Police Station, the suspect is a 48-year-old businesswoman and resident of Peace Avenue, Bangkal, Talomo, Davao City.
The incident went viral, wherein some netizens called her the Dabawenya version of "Karen," a pejorative term for women seeming to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term also refers to memes depicting white women who use their privilege to demand their own way.
Authorities then reminded the public to abide by minimum health protocols and to not argue with them as they are for the betterment of the public.
15. HPBS/Jeepney Phaseout
The High Priority Bus System (HPBS), the Davao City government's public transport system, aims to address the looming traffic situation in the city.
While the riding public was generally positive with this, Transmission-Piston (Piston) and other jeepney associations formed Dabawenyo Kontra Jeepney Phaseout Coalition in early February this year, opposing its implementation, as many jeepney drivers will be displaced.
Despite opposition, the city government was determined to implement the modernization project.
The city will implement the initial phase of the HPBS in the first half of 2020. The Covid-19 situation, however, had caused a setback in its implementation.
Duterte-Carpio admitted in her State of the City Address 2020 in October that the Interim Bus System, HPBS' first phase implementation, is suffering setbacks because of the fear of investors in not being able to deliver the contract on time due to the Covid-19 global economic loss. The Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board has been on top of this matter since the first failed bidding.
16. Online Barter
If there's one good thing that this pandemic and quarantine have proven everyone as a community, it is that one man’s trash, indeed, could be another man’s treasure. Amid the quarantine and shopping restrictions, what prevailed was a neighborly exchange of goods that might have last witnessed several generations ago.
Bartering, an old Filipino tradition, found its way yet again in modern Filipino houses during the pandemic. In Davao City, different local barter communities were formed.
In July, Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez drew flak from the online barter community in Davao City after his remark that online barters are illegal and must be taxed. The official, later on, clarified that his statement was a misinterpretation.
17. Cluster Wars
At the height of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the Davao City government imposed a Clustering System, which was divided into six clusters. This aimed to prevent the people from roaming around the city, especially from traversing in Covid-19 “hotspot” areas.
As online zeitgeists go, the Davao City "cluster war" emerged from the residents' yearning to connect, maintaining the sense of community albeit in a more digital sense.
Seeing the potentials of the online community in maximizing the local government's public health approach to contain the virus, Duterte-Carpio joined the bandwagon by giving away 10,000 pieces and a liter bottle of soft drinks to clusters with the lowest Covid-19 cases since the lockdown was implemented in March.
Clusters 4, consisting of Toril District, and 5, consisting of Calinan, Baguio, Marilog, Tugbok districts and some barangays of Paquibato, emerged as the winners of the cluster wars.
The mayor, however, clarified that the local government did not shed any money for this contest and it was a donation from a private individual.
18. Save The Trees
Environmental groups have called on the DPWH Davao City District Engineer’s Office to reconsider the proposed plan of a new laybay, which would include the cutting of eight trees planted along the sidewalk of Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) Grade school/High school Matina campus.
The chopping off of trees is part of the proposed 405-meter Ma-a Junction flyover project along the McArthur Highway that may potentially result in road widening and other road improvements.
This outcry was backed by Mayor Sara and the 19th City Council, saying there must be an engineering solution in such a way that even if the project pushes through, the trees should remain there.
Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr. lobbied in the council to enact an ordinance prohibiting the cutting of heritage trees within urban areas of the city.
Addu had also suggested alternatives to spare the trees.
19. 4 dogs poisoned
Netizens and animal rights groups slammed security guards of a private subdivision for mercilessly poisoning four dogs of the San Pedro Village in Buhangin, Davao City, December 14, 2020.
Pictures of the dead dogs went viral. A video also went viral wherein the guard, whose name was not mentioned, admitted she was the one who instructed the killing of the dogs using Methomyl or Lannate, an insecticide fatal even on humans.
The village guard said they came up with the idea to poison the dogs after receiving complaints from homeowners that some of them were disturbing residents.
The Buhangin Police District immediately conducted an investigation on the incident.
Animal rights group Bantay Hayop Davao condemned the poisoning of the dogs.
20. Typhoon Ulysses
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the country was not spared from calamities.
Typhoon Ulysses was dubbed as one of the strongest typhoons that wreaked havoc on many parts of Luzon in late November.
Heavy rains caused by the typhoon overflowed rivers, causing severe flooding in Marikina.
The typhoon also made an impact on dams in Luzon that almost reached their spilling points, forcing dams to release large amounts of water into their impounds.
As of December 2, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had stated that the typhoon had 111 casualties (including 101 validated deaths, and another 10 missings), and the damages caused by Vamco reached P20.3 billion.