Long before Davao

Yes, long before Davao became the go-to place to visit and look into by foreign dignitaries and local Pinoy tourists, the people of Davao and their leaders achieved success and a good reputation because they all decided they wanted better and committed themselves to a path of change.

The fact that Rodrigo Duterte and his family were chosen and elected to office does not take away from the fact that all Davaoeños made sacrifices, businesspeople made investments and everybody cooperated to get the job done.

Now Davao and its people are reaping the fruits of what they sowed for several decades. Meanwhile, it seems that the Marcos administration is following the Donald Trump playbook of ridiculing, casting doubt or diverting attention from their failures by talking about floods in Davao City.

They also wonder about the interests of foreign dignitaries in Davao. Not only is this petty behavior uncalled for, but it is also an absolute insult to the people of Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Luzon who are suffering  from the recent deluge.

While millions of Filipinos have been suffering, PBBM and his allies have used the impeachment proceedings against VP Sara Duterte to distract people from the cause of their misery, the massive corruption in ghost flood control projects.

If you have had a chance to listen in on all the psychological, political and tactical profiling being done on Donald Trump and his close officials, chances are you might ask if President Marcos Jr. is being advised by a CIA agent or if PBBM is copying the moves of his new best friend.

Like Trump, PBBM has relatives suspected if not accused of corruption and profiteering. Instead of a friend like Jeffrey Epstein the sex offender, PBBM has party friends who host private concerts only to end up on Facebook while Filipinos watched their homes and possessions washed away.

Like Trump, PBBM also has his differences with China that have escalated  dangerously. If Trump has the fighting US Defense Sec. Peter Hegseth, PBBM has the tough talking Sec. Gibo Teodoro.

If Trump had the abrasive and combative former press secretary Karoline Leavitt who recently resigned for more family time, PBBM is at par with presidential spokesperson Atty. “Anti”  Claire Castro, who sounds and acts like a perfect clone of Karoline Leavitt.

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Long before the Dutertes made a huge splash in Philippine politics, Metro Manila had already disqualified itself among foreign tourists, visitors and investors.

For many years, Metro Manila already had an unsavory reputation for pollution, traffic, crime, corruption and being costly. The hotels were expensive, food was expensive, getting around was a high risk adventure for both your pocket and your life.

Many historical sites have simply gotten old, lived on gate receipts and the pittance of budgets given by Congress, the local government or corporate grants. The iconic jeepney has devolved from a jeep to a truck pretending to be a jeepney. Call it “Transformers” gone bad.

Unfortunately, we are now known globally for “street resorts” and water parks created by floods, all with free access, organic brown waters caused by silt and mud and the chance to play the game of life and death as you tempt being infected by leptospirosis or tetanus.

Unless a tourist is one of those “disaster-thrill seeking” guests, Metro Manila has very little to offer, especially to potential investors.

Between corruption, the meter-high requirements of local and national governments, no predictability in policy and outcomes and massive corruption, you would be nuts to put your money in Metro Manila.

You might find it reassuring that our democracy is so secure that the Philippine National Police and the Presidential Security or  “guards” can almost instantaneously surround every access point to Malacañang Palace with rolls and rolls of razor wire in anticipation of history repeating itself.

The current occupants of Malacañang have not fully healed from their post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of being evicted from their palace. Yes, déjà vu can be a nightmare.

Time and again, experts from the World Bank and ADB expressed concerns about the pollution and traffic that cost billions of pesos daily. One urban architect even stated that Metro Manila was dying, if not already dead.

I remember how back in the 80’s and 90’s, many tour operators and establishments began advising guests not to stay longer than one day in Metro Manila and take the next plane out to their chosen resorts.

That is what ultimately led to the discovery of places such as Coron, El Nido, Bohol, Siquijor, etc. that were pollution free, affordable and Filipinos were the nicest.

Tour operators did not hate Metro Manila, they simply feared for the safety of foreign guests who risked getting mugged or ripped off in one of the unregulated cheap dives that call their establishments a “hotel.” Some repeat guests often said Metro Manila was an unwelcome stop.

Davao City slowly, quietly improved and progressed into what it is now. The same cannot be said for the rest of the country under the PBBM administration.

One does not build a house by burning your neighbor’s home down to the ground. A man who “questions” the good fortune of his neighbor will never fully appreciate the blessings before him and, most important of all, “he shall reap what he sows.”