Dabawenyos are eager to hear Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s second State of the City Address (SOCA) on Tuesday and among the issues they want to hear include the ease of doing business, peace and order, environment, and solutions to lessen the flooding in Davao City.
Antonio Peralta, Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines-Southern Mindanao Council (ECCP-SMBC) and Honorary Consul of the Embassy of Finland to Mindanao, is expecting to hear updates on the full implementation and mainstreaming of the ease of doing business with the government in terms of the issuance of business and building permits.
“As well as the heightened presence of police authorities where the occurrence of crime has become a regular thing. Better traffic management given the traffic jams experienced of late,” Peralta told Edge Davao.
Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, Associate Professor at Ateneo de Davao University and a columnist for Edge Davao, is expecting the mayor to rally Dabawenyos to continue to support his vision for the city that “hopes to prepare its two million residents a bright future in a society that progressive, secure, and peaceful.”
Maboloc also commended Duterte that despite being caught in the middle of separation from the tactical alliance between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Dutertes, the mayor is showing courage and continues to navigate the muddy waters of politics with a clear vision and purpose and that is to serve the Dabawenyos.
“Davao City has so much to show in terms of maintaining law and order, providing for the needs of the least of our society, improving its physical infrastructure, and implementing an integrated values formation curriculum program through the Dabawenyo DCPlinado. His commitment to law and order is unequivocal. What this means is that as a young leader, he remains steadfast in realizing his mission given his mandate as the city’s chief executive,” Maboloc said.
Environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) called for the inclusion of the environment in SOCA 2024.
In a statement, the group finds it crucial to highlight several urgent environmental issues that require immediate attention and action.
“We call upon Mayor Baste to address these pressing environmental issues in his address and to outline concrete plans and strategies to tackle them,” the group said.
IDIS enumerated specific areas that warrant attention including healthy watersheds and addressing issues such as the illegal selling of ancestral lands, rampant encroachment, and cutting of trees within watershed areas; expanding and maintaining green spaces and parks to improve urban air quality and providing residents with more recreational areas with historical and cultural significance; enhance waste segregation and recycling programs to manage the city’s waste more effectively and reduce landfill dependence and abandoning the waste-To-Energy (WTE) incineration project; and address the issues of worsening traffic congestion and the lack of public utility vehicles especially during the rush hours including the insufficient courtesy seating for Persons with Diverse Abilities (PWDs), elderly, pregnant women, and children.
Marlon Escalicas, a Licensed Real Estate Broker, said he would like to hear about the accomplishments of the mayor for the past years and his plans for Davao City.
“Specifically, I want to know his projects or solutions to lessen the flood and traffic problems, and in luring investments here in Davao City,” he said.
