‘Nobody’s minding the store’ RODY LAMENTS FAILURE OF LEADERS TO ADDRESS NATION’S PROBLEMS

By Manny Piñol

Saying that “nobody’s minding the store,” Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte yesterday warned that the country is headed to turmoil and instability because the country’s political leaders are busy going at each others’ throat rather than addressing the problems of the people.

“Go over the newspapers of the last three years and check whether there is one single leader in this country today who has clearly laid down an agenda on where to bring this country to and how to address its problems,” the 69-year-old Duterte said during his speech at the Federalism Summit in Puerto Princesa, Palawan yesrerday.

“All that you see are stories of politicians accusing each other of stealing government money and who among them has stolen more,” he said.

“Kaya kaming mga pipitsugin na mga lider galing sa Mindanao napipilitan na humarap sa inyo para humingi ng tulong,” he said.

Duterte is pushing for the shift of the country to a Federal system of government saying that this was the best solution to the neglect of the countryside by the national government.

A Federal system, he said, was also an excellent fallback solution to the Bangsamoro problem should the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) fail to pass Congress and the Supreme Court.

Speaking before a crowd of Palawan leaders led Governor Jose C. Alvarez, the Mayors of the different towns, including the island town of Kalayaan in the disputed West Philippine sea, civic and business leaders and Palawan Bishop Pedro D. Arigo, Duterte said the people of Mindanao are concerned about the implications of the latest security development where 44 members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) of the PNP were killed by a joint force of the Moro islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private armed groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

The SAF policemen were ordered to arrest international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, a Malaysia bomb-maker who carried a $6-M reward, and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman.

The operation, however, turned into a tragedy when the SAF encountered the rebels while they were on the way out from the area where they claimed they have killed Marwan.

Duterte said this development could explode into a full-blown conflict if the national leaders are not able to handle the situation.

“Kaya kaming mga taga-Mindanao nakikipag-usap sa inyo per humingi ng tulong na sana mapagtuunan ng pansin ang problemang ito,” Duterte said as he appealed to Palawenos to support the move for a shift from a Unitary Presidential form of government to a Federal Parliamentary system.

Gov. Alvarez said Federalism has also been the dream of the people of Palawan and assured the Davao City Mayor of the support of the province for the advocacy.