Editorial – Quo vadis?

Greetings, fellow Dabawenyos. The old year is gone and here it is 2010. Quo vadis? Where do we go from here? That may very well be the question every Dabawenyo must ask. The country has so far survived the economic turbulence of the recent past. But we are not our brother’s keepers. Dabawenyos must look forward to this new year in unity. The global recession has ravaged certain economies around the globe which had repercussions on our own way of life as Filipinos in general, and as citizens of this region in particular. 
We have our own peculiar problems to face and overcome. Despite the economic crunch, we have managed to survive because of our resiliency and the outstanding leadership of many of those we have placed in positions of power. Whatever the economic storms swirling around our region, the fact remains that we cannot look to others outside our own geographical configuration. We have seen how mis-government and greed have caused misery in certain areas of Mindanao, not the least of which is the example of the province of Maguindanao. The upheaval there in recent weeks has spilled over to some of its neighbors. They must be wondering, quo vadis?
We cannot have that. It is only us, Dabawenyos, who should be able to work our way out of the uncertainties of the times. We can do that by starting the new year right. We shall not allow political disturbances outside of our own Davao Region to dictate on how we should go about doing what is right for our people and region. At the core of this is the coming political exercise. We have seen how electing the wrong people to positions of power – political and economic – as has happened elsewhere, resulted in nothing but distress for their constituents.
If we as a region must have a collective new year’s resolution, it has to be that we elect only the truly deserving candidates – repeat, truly deserving candidates — to public office. Reformation has been the buzzword of late, and we can begin by choosing the right people to lead and guide us to our destiny as Dabawenyos.