We are seeing the makings of a great President
For our special presentation on our talkshow on Straight from the Sky, we bring you a thorough discussion with a PowerPoint presentation on what really happened to Metro Cebu during the infamous July 1 flash flooding. This is the same PowerPoint presentation that was given by the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board a.k.a. Mega Cebu to Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar last July 6, 2016 at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center.
That Sec. Villar came to Cebu just in five days after that flash flood is unheard of from a high official from the National Government. This is one positive move by Sec. Michael Dino, the newly-appointed Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, a position which was not filled during the six-years of the Aquino administration, which is why Cebu was denied any infrastructure development in those years even if our top elective officials supported the yellow regime.
So tonight we bring you Engr. Fortunato Sanchez Jr., chairman of the Subcommittee on Infrastructure of MDCB. What I especially liked in tonight’s presentation is that Jun Sanchez gave a thorough research on the areas that suffered from the flash floods last July 1 and gave the reasons why there was flooding despite the fact that the rains last July 1 was only 55 millimeters, which was not considered alarming.
That PowerPoint presentation also showed photos before and after photos of two Visayan cities - the City of Iloilo, which suffered from typhoon “Frank” in 2008 and the City of Ormoc which was hit by typhoon “Uring” in 1991. These cities suffered deaths. In Ormoc City, 8,000 perished and because of this, Iloilo and Ormoc fixed their drainage problems by widening their rivers and relocating the illegal settlers that once caused the clogging in their waterways. What about in Metro Cebu? Do we have to suffer deaths before we make our move and finally decide to fix our drainage problems?
So watch this interesting interview with Jun Sanchez and I will understand if you folks watching this TV interview would cry because our elective officials just can’t bring themselves to fix our problems. Please see it on SkyCable’s channel 53 at 8:00PM tonight with replays on Wednesday and Saturday. We also have replays on MyTV channel 30 at 9:00PM tonight and at 7:00AM and 9:00PM respectively on Wednesday and Friday.
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I wasn’t a bit surprised when one of the orders of President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte was to drop the honorific titles that we usually bestow to government officials of high stature like the President whom we often address as “Your Excellency” or Cabinet Secretaries who want to be addressed as “Honorable” in their official letters. I’m sure that most people did not expect that Duterte to discuss such minute or trivial matters in the Cabinet, but it only reveals his true character that he is a man who doesn’t make any unnecessary claims in his official position and as such just want to be addressed as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in all official communications.
You many say that this is a very trivial matter. But in my book, it has wide ranging implications because for more than 70 years under our present system of governance, our so-called public servants have gotten used to be called “Your Excellency” or “Honorable” when in truth, there is no honor amongst these people whom we elected to serve us as the people’s public servants. I’m glad that Duterte has corrected this. Mind you this move has its roots from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 23:1-4. “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses, Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will lift no finger to move them.” I’m not saying that Duterte is a Bible-reading man. But certainly what he is doing is exactly what a public servant should be doing.
As the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 20: 28, “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life for the ransom of many.” Mind you, Duterte is showing to the Filipino people that he leads by example. For instance instead of using government aircraft which is always at the disposal in the Office of the President, he takes a regular Philippine Airlines flight to Davao and even subjects himself to security checks in the airport. That is leadership by example.
Recently during a luncheon in Malacañang, he, just like everyone else lined up for his food rather than have waiters served him. It is for this reason why Duterte has the highest rating ever of an incoming President. Today we shall hear him speak his first State of the Nation Address and already Congress has been asked not to turn the SONA into a fashion show. We are seeing the making of a Great President in President Duterte.
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