Wednesday, September 05, 2007 Nalzaro: Bourgeois protest By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
MEMBERS of the Banilad-Talamban Road Solutions Coalition (BTRSC) threatened to stage a series of street protests if local and national officials ignore their opposition to the construction of a flyover at the junction of Governor Cuenco and A.S. Fortuna streets in Banilad.
My friend Bunny Pages, the coalition spokesman, said street protests would be the last option after they raised the issue to President Arroyo and Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane. Another option is to go to court to force the proponent to cancel the implementation of the project.
The coalition is proposing that instead of a flyover some roads be widened instead, a suggestion rejected by Rep. Raul del Mar and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña citing budgetary constraints. The P150-million flyover is funded from del Mar’s pork barrel.
Well, the Bill of Rights says that Filipino citizens or groups are allowed to exercise their freedom of expression and to seek redress of grievances provided it is done peacefully. The coalition can therefore stage demonstrations anytime and anywhere.
But I can just imagine people living in exclusive subdivisions going to the streets with their placards and streamers and exposing themselves to dust and the heat of the sun in what can be called a bourgeois protest.
The bourgeoisie is a sector in the upper rungs of society whose status or power comes from their employment, education and wealth. Bourgeoisie, which has French origin, means upper class or the elite.
Anyway, if members of the coalition finally decide to mount street protests, I advise them to personally join the activity to prove to the project's proponent that their crusade is for real. They should not hire proxies, like urban poor groups or their househelps or their company workers.
It would be interesting to watch residents from Maria Luisa and other high-end subdivisions march in the streets or in front of City Hall shouting slogans like: No to flyover, yes to road widening.
In the meantime, the Cebu City Council will decide on the issue in its regular session today. This amid Osmeña’s threat to cancel the projects of the councilors in their districts if they recommend the cancellation of the flyover project.
As I said in my previous column, the mayor’s warning has put the Council in a very awkward situation. Let us see who among Osmeña’s political allies in the Council will have the balls to defy the party's titular head.
