14/10/2025
Read so you will be enlightened.
When Baste Duterte became a Mayor in 2022, hindi siya bet ng mga negosyante ng Davao City kasi mahigpit siya sa mga permits. Older business people are not particularly happy but I guess after the earthquake, they understood why it had to be done.
I asked Mayor Baste about this before, sabi niya kumita na sila sa negosyo nila ng matagal kahit undertaking lang ginagawa nila, it is about time that they actually invest in their building code compliance. Para sa ikabubuti naman ng lahat yan, sabi niya.
Mahigpit talaga siya lalo na sa compliance ng establishments sa national building code particularly proper setback ng buildings and parking requirements. Mas mahihpit sa tatay niya at sa ate niya. For new buildings, hindi rin pwedeng tinatayo na saka lang hihingi ng permit. Hindi pwede magdeviate sa inapply na construction methodolgy. Iche-check talaga ng Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) na nasusunod ang mga construction plan. Ito ay dahil alam nila na iba ang soil composition sa Davao City, they know they must manage peculiar risk.
His new policy was not welcomed well. He was heavily criticized despite all the assistance extended by the city government to establishment owners for compliance. They see inconvenience, Mayor Baste sees something else. He held his ground, shrugged off all the criticisms and continued doing his job.
After the massive earthquake in Davao Region, Mayor Baste’s decision pays off. Doing the right thing protected his people.
See, this is why the Dutertes are loved. They do not always go for what is popular. They make hard decisions and always put the welfare of the people in the center of it all.
This is the kind of leadership that we want. The Duterte kind.
