2005 proved to be as tumultuous a year as the years past. It began with grisly violence as the vigilante-style killings in Davao City continued to claim victims even as Davaoeos welcomed the new year with optimism. Indeed, violence, mayhem and murder dominated the news in Davao for much of the year.
There was also a strong sense that, despite the assurances from the authorities that terrorism was being checked, the city was becoming increasingly insecure. There were the usual debates, both the relevant (whether Mindanao should become a separate republic) to the almost comical (whether a sordid replica of the statue of David be allowed to greet strollers at a waterfront).
In the end, it was a year of much trepidation. There was hope, to be sure, but anxiety over violence and mayhem, over increasing prices of pretty much everything, over the states tendency to take liberties with civil liberties, over the destructive exercise of politics — ruled.
