Thursday, August 23, 2007 Espinoza: Cortes only looking for faults By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
ALTHOUGH the demolition of Mandaue City’s only park located in front of City Hall did not get much attention from local dailies, the incident could further fuel the conflict between the opposition-dominated Council and Mayor Jonas Cortes.
Cortes had the park demolished to restore the road that leads to the Ouano wharf allegedly upon the prodding of the city’s residents. Councilor Victor Biaño told me that he already asked the committee on good government to look into the incident.
The issue is not about defending the deed of the previous administration but about public funds being wasted, Biaño said. A source told me the construction of the park that closed the road fronting City Hall cost the city about P2 million.
If I remember correctly, among the reasons why the road was closed was to reroute the traffic, to have a park and to provide parking space for people transacting business at City Hall.
Cortes did not have qualms ordering the demolition of the mini park because the money spent for its construction was not his and it conjured memories of the Ouano administration.
But before ordering the restoration of the road, the city mayor should have studied the volume of traffic there. Former mayor Thadeo Ouano closed it to reroute the PUJs that pass through the area.
Before the demolition of the park, churchgoers and students could walk safely from the City Hall to the church. With the two-way road restored, I expect chaos there on any day especially during peak hours.
Cortes may have his own priorities in running the city but I think that demolishing the park and restoring the road in front of City Hall is, with all due respect, a wrong priority. It can only be a harbinger of things to come.
The mayor is apparently out to redo or undo projects implemented under the previous administration. Just recently, statues of the city’s famous sons were moved to another place.
Cortes’ approach is myopic. As a young and new mayor, he should have been broad minded and exemplified the traits of the youth by doing away with petty political bickering. Otherwise, Mandaue City will retrogress.
But the way things are going in the city, the mayor seems bent on devoting his three years in office looking for faults of the previous administration instead of improving the city’s services.
If Cortes really loves his city, and I think he does, then he should start to be forward looking and do his homework in the matter of improving the city’s services and reversing the perception that Mandaue is a corrupt city.
He can get some inspiration from what Henry Ford said: “Don’t find fault. Find a remedy..”
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Our sanitation law requires every restaurant to provide comfort room or toilet. But a restaurant in Carmen, Cebu where buses usually stop for lunch does not provide this to its customers.
While there is a toilet beside this restaurant, it can be used only for a fee and users, even if they are customers of the restaurant, are required to pay P1. The woman in charge of collecting the fee says the toilet is not owned by the restaurant.
The fee for the use of this tidy and big toilet is certainly peanuts. But the issue is not the fee but whether or not the restaurant complied with the sanitation law.
Perhaps Carmen Vice Mayor Sonia Pua and the municipal health officer can provide us with answers on why this restaurant does no not have a toilet.
