Undeclared war vs Davao City

by Chito A. Fuentes

In their bid to take the wind out of the sails of the presidential bid of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, his opponents are now firing away at Davao City.

The first was Laguna Cong. Dan Fernandez, he of only 23 bills filed in his three terms in Congress.

911 vehicles line up infront of Davao City Hall in what is the first and only LGU having such an efficient emergency response system in the whole country.

Swearing like a pirate, Fernandez tried to deflate Duterte’s balloon claiming the mayor is overrated.

Making up for the empty bluster, Fernandez boasted that he could do what Duterte accomplished in Davao in half the time.

Fernandez, of course, suddenly disappeared when he was exposed for who he is. 

“He has little to show for three terms in Congress,” Duterte’s media bureau lashed back.

Among Fernandez’ legislative accomplishments were the conversion of six city and municipal roads to national roads and the creation of four barangays.

Next on the line was economist and columnist Solita Monsod who disputed Davao’s growing reputation as the world’s safest city.

Monsod belittled Numbeo.com, the website that recognized Davao’s feat saying the city was not even in the list of the 50 safest cities of the Economic Intelligence Unit. 

Why Davao City should be faulted for Numbeo’s ranking, only Monsod knows. 

The third to take a crack at Duterte was Liberal Party vice-presidential bet Leni Robredo.

Reminiscent of Fernandez’ “I-can-do-that-in-half-the time”, Robredo claimed Naga was able to do what Duterte accomplished in Davao without embracing vigilante-type executions like Duterte.

The sudden outbreak of attacks against Davao is expected to continue, and even escalate, especially after Duterte topped a Pulse Asia survey in the National Capital Region.

It is obvious that the “Tuwid na Daan” and rival political parties have launched an undeclared war against Davao City.

If the attacks are calibrated by media spin doctors hired by rival political campos, Davao can only expect the modest gains it accomplished under Duterte to be disputed, if not discredited.

It could, however, blow up in the face of Duterte’s opponents. The carpet-bombing of a city fiercely proud of its identity would only drive citizens who were erstwhile disinterested to be actively involved in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to send Mindanao’s political rock star to the Palace by the Pasig.

The slow and increasing incidents of Davao-bashing can serve as a call to arms for a people who knew what it was to be caught in the crossfire between government troopers and rebels, and between cops and criminals.

It does not take much to rally behind its most popular mayor on the way to fulfilling his date with destiny.

When that happens, his rivals will have no one else to blame but themselves. (CHITO A. FUENTES)