DAVAO CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led several government activities in Davao City on Wednesday, February 7, despite the apparent rift with his predecessor, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. waves to the crowd as he arrives for the distribution of electronic land titles in Davao City on February 7. (Ivy Tejano)
The President’s arrival to this prominent city was his first trip this year following the escalation of tensions with the influential Duterte political family that has garnered considerable public attention.
Marcos led the inauguration of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project – the largest of its kind in the Philippines at 300 million liters daily (MLD) with a 70-kilometer pipeline – in a program at the Apo Agua’s water treatment facility in Barangay Gumalang in Calinan District here.
The initiative caters to the water requirements of more than one million city residents. It reduces the city’s dependency on groundwater by utilizing the Tamugan River, a more sustainable water source in the central area.
Marcos afterwards the distribution of electronic titles to 2,672 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) with Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Z. Duterte and Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III at the Rizal Memorial College gym here.
Speaking before the crowd, Marcos said he and his family have a lot of fond memories and friends in Davao City. He added that his love for Davao and its people cannot be removed from his core and will always be remembered.
“Masaya ako at nakadalaw ulit ako dito sa Davao. Marami ring mga pagkakaibigang panghabambuhay ang nabuo rito, hindi maaaring mawala sa aking puso ang pagmamahal ng Davao at sa mga tao rito,” Marcos said.
The President then attended and witnessed the signing of the civil works contracts for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP) as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) celebrated its 125th founding anniversary at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Lanang here.
Viewed as a significant initiative for enhancing the transportation infrastructure nationwide, the DPTMP is a bus-centric public transport system designed to improve the ease and accessibility of commuters here.
It aligns with the government’s broader Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) which Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte mentioned earlier and the need to improve the transportation system here.
From the DOTr event, Marcos presided over a situation briefing following the aftermath of flooding and landslides triggered by the shear line and extension of a low-pressure area (LPA) in the Davao region.
Marcos gathered relevant local government officials at the Presidential Guest House in Panacan here where he attentively received updates from the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, and Davao City.
Male members of the Duterte family, notably Davao City Mayor Duterte, were conspicuously absent during Marcos’ official events here.