Wednesday, September 05, 2007 Malilong: Flyover project opponents should cite specifics By Frank Malilong The Other Side
NOT very long ago, the corner of Archbishop Reyes and San Jose de la Montaña (now Juan Luna) avenues was a must-avoid area for motorists, especially during peak hours. I remember getting caught in a particularly monstrous traffic jam on my way to a meeting in Banilad one late afternoon and having to disembark from the cab and walk some two kilometers in order to catch up with my appointment.
It is not so anymore except during those times when there is a concert at the nearby Waterfront hotel. The flyover that Cebu City North Rep. Raul del Mar built in the area has eased the flow of vehicles and made traveling through the intersection less stressful.
Raul (and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña) now want a similar structure built further ahead in what is now known as the Ban-Tal (for Banilad-Talamban) road but are facing strong opposition from businessmen and residents of nearby enclaves of the rich.
It may have worked elsewhere, they say, but it will definitely not work in their territory. They suggest instead that the road be widened.
The suggestion makes sense until you are told how much it costs. Del Mar said that the cost of widening could run up to a huge P750 million, a sum that, according to him, would take at least ten years to source. In the meantime, the traffic situation shall have worsened. In the meantime, there is P140 million waiting to be spent for a flyover.
The flyover is a palliative, no argument about that. Widen the road; that is the ideal. But if we can’t afford the ideal, what do we do? We have a problem, that’s obvious from the long line of vehicles caught in gridlock in Ban-Tal everyday.
The businessmen say P140 million should not be wasted on a flyover that would become obsolete in 36 months. Use it as seed money for the road widening project instead and we will help you raise the rest of the amount.
Talk is cheap. The protesters should come up with specifics such as how they intend to get the money and when before they ask del Mar and Osmeña to defer implementation of the flyover project while they talk.
For example, according to del Mar’s calculations, the land acquisition component of widening the entire stretch of the Ban-Tal road would require at least P406.3 million, roughly two thirds of the project cost. Can the protesting businessmen and residents perhaps take care of this part to make it easier for the government to immediately start widening work using del Mar’s P140 million?
I’m not suggesting that they donate their properties to the city. After all, why should one, including and especially the government, enrich itself at the expense of others? What they can do is to consent or help secure the consent of other landowners to the government’s taking immediate possession and use of their properties in exchange for tax credits or payment by installment for ten years.
That will, of course, hurt the businessmen where it hurts most: their bank accounts. But they say that they are opposing the flyover not only because it would affect their investments but because it is their civic duty to do so. So take the hit, people.
