The calm that the city is in

INDEED the wheel of justice seems to have succeeded in its course as far as the killing of Manila broadcaster Percy Lapid is concerned. Already there are suspects the most prominent of whom is now suspended Bureau of Correction chief General Bantag.

However, we seem to have observed that not too many Filipinos are aware that the controversy the identification of several suspects in the Lapid slay case has generated also succeeded in attaining one tacit objective of certain interested parties.

And what is this objective? Of course those concerned may not admit it but it is very clear that the media as well as the interest of most Filipinos are diverted to the broadcaster’s killing from the controversial involvement of the Justice Secretary’s son in the shipment of high grade marijuana from the United States.

In fact the national media hardly had any substantial interest in reporting the Remulla son’s lightning speed termination of his case’s preliminary investigation. Hence, we cannot really blame if some observers will be entertaining the negative idea that there will possibly be a white-wash of the Justice Secretary’s son’s case.

For now the drug case is slowly but calculatedly dumped into the canal of oblivion.

At the local setting there is also a similarly controversial slay case which is also slowly relegated into the back burner of the Davaoeno’s mind. We are referring to the killing of a 19-year old student in the vicinity of a local bar some months back. The suspect, a member of an influential family, is now out on bail.

Months after the filing of a homicide case against him we haven’t heard of any development as to the status of the case.

****************************** Recently the Department of Education issued a Memorandum Order mandating and setting of parameters in the relationship between teachers and students. One salient provision in the MO is putting certain limits on the communication of teachers and students outside of the classrooms.

It our interpretation of the gist of the order is right, the intention is to prevent the development of a strong bond between teachers and students. And we agree with the intention because it will surely prevent the possibility of closeness to the point that teachers may develop favoritism and he or she might end up favoring one student over another depending on the level of closeness they have developed.

Yes, if this Memorandum Order will be complied with religiously we believe that there will be less, if not totally no cases of complaints of parents or students of unfair treatment or evaluation of student performance in school by the teachers.

In other words the primary objective of the DepEd memorandum order is to establish a purely professional relationship between teachers and students. And we are hoping that this supposed professional engagement should not only be confined between students and teachers. It has to cover as well the relationship between teachers and parents.

After all, it is our take that when both parents of students and their teachers get so closed to each other this too, will affect the level of appreciation of teachers of their students’ school performance.

******************************** Since the assumption of Mayor Baste Duterte almost five months ago all seem quite in whichever part of Davao City. All we have heard or seen on television news and read in still existing print or on-line publications in the city are the mayor’s attendance to official social functions, visits to the barangays, and receiving guests and dignitaries visiting the city.

We have not heard of any controversial pronouncements, proposals for gigantically budgeted infrastructure projects, or even cases of criminal activities that tend to create black mark to the new city administration.

We are hoping that this kind of situation in the city will be long lasting as this will surely catch the interest of investors who normally prefer to release their extra money in places where peace and order exist and business