Duterte sets 5 priority areas in oath-taking speech

Rodrigo R. Duterte, who has taken his oath of office as Davao City Mayor for the 7^th time Sunday, has unwittingly identified the five focus areas of his administration for the next three years including peace and order, environment, informal settlers, corruption and tourism.

While he mentioned the successful programs of the city in terms of the firecracker ban, smoking ban and curfew, Duterte reiterated the need to maintain the peace and order in the city by going after drug pushers, and other criminals.

“You can stop or leave the city vertically or horizontally,” was his warning to criminals.

Duterte said while the people could not fight and prevail against nature, he said Dabawenyos should take a deliberate action by de-clogging the canals, acquiring the needed rescue and weather monitoring equipment and continuing the conduct of barangay-based education campaign to prepare people.

“We should put a stress on the management of solid waste because these clog our canals and drainage systems resulting to floods,” he said.

He said the city has acquired relocation sites to accommodate those who live in danger zones. “There is no other option, you have to leave the place,” he added.

However, he said that relocation of informal settlers will only be allowed when the site is ready for habitation which means the people’s sources of livelihood should be accessible.

He said they plan to ask the business sector to relocate their businesses along these areas. Environment-protection and economic development should complement and not clash with each other, he added.

While he made mention of his plan to continuously promote Davao as a tourism destination, Duterte said he is deadest on stopping corruption in the city.

He asked the Ombudsman to fasttrack the appointment of a city Ombudsman to investigate corruption issues in the city. Duterte asked everyone to create a city where “opportunities abound and where every house is secured and every person is safe.”