PAOLO DUTERTE, in his novice political career has given athletes, academic students and parents due recognition as they hurdle another grinding school year of athletic and academic excellence and patience, survival, perseverance for parents and guardians.
As acting mayor, the young Duterte showed he could be as hard as his predecessors against the major nemesis of peace and the future represented primarily by the youth sector he himself leads.
Pulong, as he is fondly called by majority of the constituency applies stringent rules, more of another “Kamay Na Bakal” policy against illicit drugs which he considers as major stumbling block to the total physical, emotional and intellectual development of Davao City youngsters.
While coaches and educators figure out on what to do with dilapidated, unkempt training grounds and facilities of most schools except that of the more modern Ateneo campus in Matina, Councilor Edgar Ramos Ibuyan went ahead in implementing the program he and Vice-Mayor Duterte are doing to direct help where help is needed the most and to benefit a greater number.
What they cannot do at the moment to provide expensive sports facilities in every game, they have reinforced with what they can do to lessen the burdens of parents, athletes and students.
One of their non-legislative support services is getting louder and livelier for all students, athletes, teachers and parents alike.
The now popular and sought-after Duterte-Ibuyan mobile sound system has been very effective in making sports and graduation activities more memorable and lively anywhere on the road during benefit fun runs or inside the gyms for the intermissions, dances and graduation marches.
It is only a mobile sound system built up from the modest legislative funds of the Sangguniang Panlungsod but it is one readily available sound system which had given sports organizers, teachers and parents big savings which normally costs a rental fee ranging from P30-T to P40-T.
During graduation, the free services take the burdens out from teachers and parents of their cash contributions which DepEd officials impose with great caution due to the financial constraints of parents.
We congratulate our moms and dads for their perseverance and endurance in parenting our students with special mention to student-athletes, who hurdled long years of sacrifices and disciplining their minds and bodies to attain certain academic and athletic strides.
Special mention is made to our Most Valuable Players and individual awardees including all members of the teams and individual events. As an athlete myself during elementary and high school, I know that it is never easy to do two things at one time.
One such important venue for recognition to boost the self esteem of our young people was the 77th Araw Ng Dabaw cultural and sports festival which Mayor Rody Duterte had wanted all his support committees to make sure that excellent players and individual performers be given recognition before bowing out of school, the Araw events having been organized close to the coming graduation ceremonies.