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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Wenceslao: Cebu City's playground
By Bong O. Wenceslao
If I were to describe the new South Coastal Road, it would be this: a project of the National Government that has become the playground of the Cebu City Government. This occurred to me during the city’s Charter Day celebration when officials sacrificed motorists by closing the road and allowing, of all things, drag racing, to be held there.
The first time rich people with vehicles and gasoline to waste used the coastal road as their racetrack, Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem was the wind beneath their wings. He was able to convince the City Council, with a few objections from some of his colleagues, to allow drag racing at the coastal road. That evidently set a bad precedent.
But I think blame should not be heaped fully on the Council, because the misuse of the coastal road started even before Jakosalem’s objectionable move. When Mayor Tomas Osmeña made sure that the coastal road won’t be utilized fully because he does not want Talisay City to benefit from it, he set the tone for the misuse of the facility.
The coastal road has been completed months ago but motorists could still not use it from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Considering that traffic at the old south highway is still at its peak in the first few hours when the coastal road is closed at night, one realizes how much taxpayers have to sacrifice just because of the misplaced priorities of Cebu City officials.
But why is Cebu City allowed to use the coastal road as its playground when it is not its owner? While the route snakes through the city’s portion of the South Reclamation Project (SRP), it does not mean it already has full authority over that road stretch. This is why the road was placed under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Maybe, the reason why City Hall has become more daring in appropriating for itself the use of the coastal road is because complaints have not been that vociferous and organized. Also, I still have to hear a squeak from DPWH officials. Still, I think that it is time to wean the coastal road away from these ego-tripping and drag racing officials.
TEXTREAX. A Mr. Bergado said he saw mv Princess of the Ocean of Sulpicio Lines spew black smoke off the seas of Naga and Minglanilla, something that he considers as contributory to air pollution.
Sylvio Ocampo of Talisay City is among the many who are opposing the move to carve separate provinces out of Cebu.
On the planned national ID system, an unidentified texter asked: Kun matuman ni, kanus-a kaha mahuman ang ID cards? Di kaha ni mapareha sa Comelec ID nga hangtud karon daghan pa ang wa kakuha kay wa pa mahuman?
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ 0927-2055064)
(March 2, 2005 issue)
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