Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday said the city has been doing fine since the declaration of Martial Law on May 23, especially with the military and police safeguarding it from violence.
But Mayor Sara urged residents not to be complacent by adhering to the general guidelines she issued under a ‘secure and hold’ status.
“Davaoeños must continue to be prudent in planning their activities and avoid the public places considering that the situation Mindanao-wide is very volatile,” she said.
The cooperative response of local residents notwithstanding, tourism has taken a beating with the cancellation of some incoming flights.
One airline company has offered to reimburse passengers who failed to make it to Davao due to cancelled flights.
The mayor said she had discussed the problem with the city and regional tourism office to address the situation.
It was learned that a Japanese consul official has raised concerns on the putting up of investments by Japanese investors given the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.
“Aduna nay pag duha-duha ang mga Japanese investors nga nag sulti sa iyaha (Japanese Consul) na interested sila sa Davao City” said the Mayor.
The City Officials then advised the Japanese Consul to “wait for the condition [to subside] since it is still too early [to judge the situation] while everybody is still making adjustments, and that the situation remains new for everyone yet.”
Mayor Sara said it was still premature to expect immediate normalcy basing on the initial condition of the City especially that the City is facing a real threat of violence.
The mayor said one cause of celebration has been the crime in the City that significantly lowered “because of [the] cooperation sa mga tao and because of the heightened security of the City.”
