THE Bacolod City Council ratified Wednesday the memorandum of agreement (MOA) entered into by the city with officials of the concerned departments relative to the construction of the flyover project at Lacson-Circumferential Road.
After the City Council earlier authorized Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia to sign the MOA with the President's Bridge Program Office (PBPO) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the DPWH-Western Visayas, the mayor endorsed the MOA for ratification to Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and members of the City Council last August 27, 2010.
The proposed Lacson-Circumferential flyover project has been considered by the DPWH as one of the priority projects to be implemented under the "Mega Bridges for Urban and Rural Development Project" of the PBPO.
The PBPO is the lead implementor of the DPWH, tasked to oversee and administer the implementation of the "Mega Bridges for Urban and Rural Development Project."
The construction of this flyover will help decongest traffic in the province of Negros Occidental, particularly in Bacolod City.
On the other hand, the Negrenses for Noynoy Movement (N4NM) issued a statement earlier this week questioning the practicality of the flyover projects.
The group believed the traffic situation in the city can be improved without letting the government to spend more or less P800 million for the two flyover projects in Bacolod.
Roque Hofileña, one of the members of N4NM, said that, to help improve the traffic congestion in the city, all it takes is strong political will on the part of the City Government, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Land Transportation Office to enforce traffic laws and to continuously educate the pedestrians about the traffic laws.
The group added it has not seen the cost benefit of the said projects, especially at this time when the National Government is facing a huge budget deficit.
Only the very vital projects, particularly programs for poverty alleviation, should be considered for implementation, the group said. (Carla N. Cañet)