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Saturday, October 22, 2005
Editorials: Safety of motorists
One can say Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is just being himself with the way he is acting after the court forced him to reopen the south coastal road. But his actions are no longer just irritating; rather, these are already meant to endanger the safety of motorists who are now passing there.
While the mayor did open the road, he also expressed his displeasure over the court’s order by, one, warning the motorists and the public not to stray inside the city-owned South Reclamation Project, and two, abandoning the road altogether.
He even denied the request of Vice Mayor Michael Rama for the City Traffic Operations Management to install traffic lights in the road to prevent accidents.
At first glance, this looks like childish tantrums by a mayor who is supposed to be mature and respectable, but a closer examination will show the same logic, though tending to be perverse, that has guided his previous actuation.
By inviting vehicular accidents or the commission of crimes at the coastal road, the mayor apparently wants the public to pin the blame for these on the court.
This was the same strategy he used in his conflict with Talisay City, wherein he closed the coastal road, drove Talisay vendors out of Cebu City, etc. in the vain hope that the people of Talisay will blame their officials for their woes.
This was also visible in his conflict with the sidewalk vendors at the Basilica del Sto. Niño. He closed the church’s main gate hoping the public would blame the sidewalk vendors for it.
That Osmeña persists in using this strategy even if the public is not buying it and has rightfully lambasted him for it defies comprehension.
But comprehending it is not the point. Asking him not to sacrifice the safety of the motorists at the coastal road for some discredited strategy is.
Cleansing the police ranks
Apparently because of the seeming surge of criminality in Cebu City and the province, people have forgotten the other important aspect of police work: purging the ranks of scalawags.
Now we are seeing three policemen being linked to questionable acts---one in the selling of fake Buddha and the other two for extorting money from a drug suspect.
The good thing there is that the public has once again been reminded of this continuing problem in the police ranks. |
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