I SAY am fortunate that we have an alternate route going to and from the office daily, meaning that we could bypass the underpass being constructed in the part of the Cebu South Road that passes by the Mambaling area. But what about the many who don’t? Traffic there has long
been a mess, and it is bound to get messier today if concerned government officials won’t put their acts together.
But first, looking at recent developments reminds of the time we were new in Sitio Kawayan in Barangay Sambag 2. I was a kid then and eventually got into an altercation with one of the neighborhood toughies who was bigger than me. After the usual preliminaries that consisted mainly of a verbal exchange,
the neighborhood toughie made his move.
He walked towards me and dared me to throw the first punch. I did and immediately run up to our house, taunting him when I was already upstairs.
I would smile every time I recall that scene because it reminded me of youthful innocence.
The neighborhood toughie later became a friend until our youthful innocence faded and we no longer engaged in what can be labeled as a pissing contest. Of course, other people continued to engage in it, including politicians and government functionaries. These officials have yet to outgrow
their childlike bent.
Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Director Victor Caindec used to be the chief of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) when Osmeña’s bitter political rival, Michael Rama was mayor.
Osmeña defeated Rama in 2016 but Rama has already announced he wants a rematch in 2019. That could be the reason Osmeña is sniping at Caindec supposedly for the LTO’s delays in the processing of registration papers for motorcycles. Caindec, of course was not the ultimate target.
I don’t know what specifically triggers a pissing contest but I know it is generally sparked by hurt ego. In the mayor’s case, it was Caindec taunting him about his failure to solve the traffic mess in Mambaling—and then Caindec claiming that he can do a better job at it. Osmeña immediately let go of
the first piss: he would pull out the city’s traffic enforcers from the Mambaling area to allow Caindec to manage the traffic there.
Of course, the LTO could not manage the traffic in the Mambaling area, or any other area for that matter, without enough personnel, a force that only the Cebu City Government has. Caindec let go of his own piss anyway, again through a taunt.
He wouldn’t give Osmeña the satisfaction of wallowing in his (Caindec’s) ability to solve what the mayor couldn’t.
At first glance, the pissing game looks amusing until you realize that the real losers here are the vehicle owners and commuters not only in Cebu City but also in other parts of Cebu Province. The warning is out: brace for a traffic nightmare in the Mambaling area. Actually, traffic flow has worsened
there in the past couple of days. But Monday is when students go back to their classes after the weekend break. Traffic there could worsen if Osmeña won’t end the pissing contest.
Ahh. To have people who refuse to grow up as our leaders. What a shame. Indeed.