DAVAO CITY

By ANGELA LIBRADO-TRINIDAD

We have hoodlums in robes, we have cheats at the highest echelons of the government, we have crooks in Congress, landgrabbers and killers well-entrenched in state machineries and business, and the irony is, despite the laws available to victims, to the poorest among us, these criminals appear decent and held with high regard in our society. We see the young shoplifter, the young molester or the young drug pusher and, alas, we are immediately agitated to have them removed from our sight and from the streets!

Exports of Philippine-grown bananas and pineapples, most of them from the Davao region and other parts of Mindanao, may increase with the implementation of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), but it will benefit agribusiness transnational corporations and not Filipino growers, according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation.

This August, in Davao, Dabawenyos will hold a celebration of flowers, fruits, and for the year’s bountiful harvest – the…

By Rose B. Palacio The Rotaract Club of Munting Pag-asa Davao district 3860, a duly recognized and registered member of…

Tribal women perform during the opening ceremonies of the Kadayawan Festival last week. (davaotoday.com photo by Tyrone A. Velez) Click here for more Kadayawan pictures.

By TYRONE A. VELEZ and CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today

As the city announced a shift in the way the annual Kadayawan Festival is celebrated — that is, for one, showcasing Lumad culture and tradition not for tourism’s sake — tribal leaders remain concerned that the festivities hardly depict the struggle of Mindanao’s indigenous peoples to pursue their unique way of life and retain control of their ancestral lands, which have been encroached into by big mining companies and plantations.

By CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s office will get the biggest chunk — 190 million — of the nearly half a billion supplemental budget, which was passed Tuesday on second reading by the City Council. Much of it (180 million) will go to his “peace and order program.” He also gets to spend an additional 10 million for doleouts to the city’s indigents. On the other hand, the City Social Services and Development Office gets 322,000 pesos.

Alex Tuazon, president of NAMAFIL-NAFLU-KMU, said their victory was a testament to the workers’ discontent over the two “yellow unions” or management unions. “The landslide victory was also a statement to the management that we are ready to strengthen our ranks to protect our economic and democratic rights.”

Although blessed with abundant and clean water, Davao’s residents should be prepared for the possibility that their city will suffer from inadequate supply, knowing how the watersheds of the city are slowly being encroached into by plantations that use environmentally hazardous chemicals.

Edgar Ibuyan had served as barangay chairman of a Davao City village for nearly two decades, establishing a sterling public-service record that is not backed by money, power or political pedigree. Now that he is at the City Council, will this trailblazer continue serving the people?

First District Councilor Edgar Ibuyan during the oathtaking ceremonies at the City Council recently. (davaotoday.com photo by Cheryll D. Fiel)

Below are Davao Today’s pictures taken during the protest rally against the State of the Nation Address by President Gloria…