DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio created the Davao City Peace Council (DC PEACE). The Mayor has scheduled a visit to the hinterlands to meet with the local leaders of the communists groups. The NPA groups, the New People's Army between Dec. 7 and 9. The DC Peace recommended that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to observe a "season of peace". The peaceful seeking citizens hope this will succeed.
I am very interested and enthusiastic about the project on Metro Davao Plan. The national government together with the multi- disciplinary company of Palafox Associates will have an urban plan and craft a Master Plan for Metro Davao. The project will be people- centered where stakeholders will be allowed to offer their suggestions to be introduced. The collective vision for Metro Davao should respect the goal of the majority. The citizens must be allowed to speak up and actively participate to help the planners understand what the people want for the Metropolitan Area .The Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alongo will check the plan.
The National Government has allocated 25 million in pesos for the financing of the project. Metropolitan Davao will have workable logistics with good airports, seaports and other infrastructures. Wide roads can accommodate monorails and busses, cars and motorcycles. There could be elevated walkways where citizens can walk or they can ride bicycles if there is flooding on the roads. The plan should include main roads as the urban areas transport backbone. The plan should also include the land use as residential areas, socio- economic or business areas.
The sub urban and rural areas must be designated. I notice that Davao city did not have definite plans before. The areas started with residential areas dotting the business sections as the need arose. Metro Davao Plan will solve this problem.
A Food Processing Plant will be established in Davao. The YOVEL Agri Enterprise will unite with a Japanese company to start a fruit and vegetable purée plant in the year 2018. The plant can also produce raw materials for producing food and medicines. Mindanao is known as the ' fruit basket' of the Philippines There are bananas, pineapples, papayas, durian, mangosteens, and marang . All of these can produce purees for business
There is a program for the Davao City Tourism master Plan. The City Tourism officer Regina Rosa Tecson said that the Tourism infrastructures and enterprise zone allotments (TIEZA) are involved here. They will receive bids for interested groups to do the project. The tourism office right now is a fragmented conglomerate. These include the Hotel Industry, the Tour operators industry, and the Transportation industry. This reminds me of my lecturer's role in the National DOT education program. We have class sessions for different subject areas. The tour guides learn about history, laws, Philippine plants and animals and ecology which I taught .Most famous tourists destinations are a subject, too.
I feel good having written this column about progress and not problems of Davao City. I would also like to share my joy with my readers in celebrating my 87th birthday this Nov. 24. For comments text mobile no. 09202112534.