Saturday, August 18, 2007 Carvajal: Bosses or servants of the people? By Orlando P. Carvajal Break Point
IT is passé, of course, to ask whether elected government officials are the people’s servants or their bosses. At the rate they ram projects down our throats you can easily convince yourself they definitely have their own private agenda other than serving the people.
The Banilad-Talamban flyover is the current case in point. We recall that the budget was originally for a flyover at the F. Cabahug-Juan Luna intersection near the Carmelite monastery. Obviously it was planned without consulting the nuns whose strong objection to the flyover prompted the proponents to move it to the Banilad-Talamban area.
Presumably, the move was done again without consultation because now that it is meeting strong opposition, the main proponent, Rep. Raul del Mar, and his principal backer, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, seem to be bent on pushing through with it for the most inappropriate of reasons.
Del Mar’s reason is the fact that the budget is there, available for the taking and might be lost if not used within the year. Osmeña’s reason is not far from this. He has to pay the principal of the interest-free loan offered by affected businessmen in the area whereas the budget from del Mar is free.
Responsive governance requires that the only reason the project should push through is it will effectively solve the traffic congestion in the area. If that is less than certain, and so far it seems it is, then we should not waste people’s money on a flyover that would only serve, perhaps, as an expensive bill board for del Mar. (I can already see the sign on it ‘Rep. del Mar’s gift to the people of Banilad and Talamban’).
We should wait for a thorough study to be completed and not risk building another white elephant.
Then when Vice-Mayor Rama intervened because, according to him, there is a law requiring projects of this sort to have the Council’s nod (on which del Mar concurred), I was delighted. However, my delight lasted only until the time I realized that the Council’s intervention will pit it against the mayor. I did not think the Council was up to it.
Councilor Jack Jakosalem confirmed my fears. In an effort I could only surmise as designed to assure the mayor of the Council’s support, Jakosalem was quoted to say that the Council does not have to take a stand on the flyover issue. But how can the Council not make a stand if no project can be implemented within the city without its nod?
My point simply is that this flyover project should proceed only when results of the study are in and it is confirmed that it will effectively solve traffic congestion in the area. But why do I feel like I’m flailing at the wind?
