DEAR Davao City, you turned 79 three days ago. You now have at least two generations of Dabawenyos who can attest to being born or live in the Davao that was inaugurated into a city by President Elpidio Quirino -- yes, in whose honor one of your busiest streets was named.
On this particular celebration of your cityhood, it is not the age that matters. It is that for the first time, one of your very own leaders has thrown his hat inside the national arena for the highest elected position of the land; and with that your entire community has been dragged into the fray.
It ought to not have been inevitable; after all, it was one man who filed his candidacy, not the entire city. But ascribe it to pride of place and co-citizens, or to a firm belief in the performance and politics of Mayor Rody Duterte, chances are high that there would be many more instances until May 2016 when many of your residents would feel compelled to defend you from the attacks of those who have conveniently lumped us together and labeled us "Dutertards".
But dear Davao City, you of all places intimately know that it takes a lot from so many over a sustained period to bring out the right blend of conditions that make a place truly livable. As a very young city, you triumphed over what historian Ernesto Corcino described as "the last, the bloodiest, the longest phase of the Liberation campaign in the Philippines... against the well-entrenched Japanese forces in Davao."
Your people did not only survive Martial Law and dictatorship, they bred a few of the tactics that challenged the duo of militarism and authoritarianism, like the massive Welgang Bayans, the general strikes of transport groups, trade unions, schools and communities that dramatized widespread opposition.
No less important are the things asked of your citizens today beyond the usual twin hallmarks of good citizenship that are paying taxes and voting during elections: the discipline to dispose garbage properly and to leave public assembly areas clean, be it a parade or a political rally; smoking only in designated spaces; abiding by the anti-pyrotechnics ordinance when our neighboring cities and towns are ablaze with fireworks during Christmas and New Year; reminding drivers to follow the speed limit and to give the proper fare change; asking street vendors to honor the agreement to keep to their side of sidewalks; instructing housing developers to establish more green spaces, among others.
Because Davao City is not just about the decisiveness and empathy of its leaders; it is also because of the quality of citizenship of its peoples, It is probably one of those chicken-egg discourses to ask if many Dabwenyos came to be more disciplined, engaged and critical because of the type of city leadership.
But the recent successful thwarting by civil society of attempts by the Sanggunian Panlungsod (City Council) to delete the more green spaces proviso of the local development plan is an example of the erosion that can happen even if the right set of officials had been elected, and adequate plans and policies promulgated, if citizens do not care and are not politically active.
I'm wondering then dear Davao City if, for the sake of effective communication and truth in electoral advertising, there is reason to revise our electoral messaging. Maybe we can point to the development conditions and initiatives in Davao not as proofs of how great the city is but evidences of the state of the possible.
The candidate from Davao is running on a platform of pagbabago (change). This pagbabago should not be a change that would only come into effect after the elections; we should take steps to change our electoral culture and practice itself. Refusing to be baited and acting troll-like online is part of the pagbabago; and so is the willingness to recognize that we might have to go across parties to handpick legislators who would not be complacent and compliant but critical--and they may not necessarily be the ones that the candidate who hails from Davao would endorse. For that matter, the candidate from Davao should not be exempt from being taken to task by Dabawenyos should his campaign pronouncements be inconsistent: supporting agrarian reform one day, opening up to increased foreign land ownership the next; equating trade unionism and defense of labor rights with being anti-business, for instance.
The election campaign is not just a period to manifest support for or against a candidate, and to influence the voting behavior of others; it is space and time to shape the electoral and governance platforms of incoming officials, against which we can hold accountable their future conduct.
Given the intimate and personalized nature of local politics and governance, it is not surprising that some of us Dabawenyos have laughed at and waved away the seeming inconsistencies between the performance and statements of the candidate from Davao. But if he is to be the leader of the rest of the country, and not just of Davao City, he would have to connect directly and effectively with them, leaving no room for second-guessing and subterfuge. Decisive leadership is more effective when backed by clear statements and coherent deeds.
Your 79th year, dear Davao City, should not just be about a Davao leader participating in the national elections, it should most of all be about you. And I wonder if we who live in and with you are paying enough attention to what is at stake in the local elections. Should we just assume that we can ride the momentum of the past and present administrations, which for the past 25 years have been associated with one leadership center, and that such energies would carry us well into the future? Have we identified the issues that affect the pursuit of a Davao that, as described in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2013-2022 is "all encompassing, and vibrant, sustainable, accessible, attractive and lively, and climate change-resilient"? More importantly, have we looked into how each candidate vying for congressional district and local government posts measure up against the issues by assessing their platform as well as public and personal track records? If we haven't yet, we should catch up on these tasks post-Araw ng Dabaw celebrations.
On your 79th year, you remind me of what I would like to be, assuming I reach your age: accomplished but still eager to grow; proud and confident but not arrogant; diverse but together and inclusive, willing to extend a quality life not just to those who are from or in Davao, but also to the rest of the Filipino people; and possessing a green nature that supports the many colors of a societal rainbow.
Happy 79th birthday Davao City!
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