NO WE'RE not making a review of Dr. Scott Peck’s beautiful book but we are indeed reviewing our roads that are less traveled today in Baguio. On March 23 in the afternoon, traffic was simply bad along General Luna Rd., Mabini St, and Assumption Rd. together with all the connecting passage ways if there were still any left. Many swore the traffic jam lasted two or more hours. Some say 4 to 5 and movement was impossible so that many drivers were kept in their vehicles for hours and could not move out! What a big jam for such a small city.
Horrible, simply horrible. While it is true that we Baguio people want our city to look good, we do care more about the functionality and practicality of whatever is used in common, roads most especially. Unlike in the past when road rehabilitation would be done one at a time, today it’s simply outrageous. Excavations and breaking up cement and asphalt roads are being done all at the same time in different places, each connected to the other by way of routing. To think, most of the roads broken up were still in good condition as many are, having been rehabilitated only one or two years back. The explanation according to the DPWH or was it the BCDEO was that the roads being worked on look good but are actually damaged in the inside. Really? Why then was this damage not looked into when these roads were cemented or asphalt overlayed? An explanation about the condition of the drainages was also mentioned by some but...if the drainage system was at fault, why break up the whole road? And why break up all the roads close to each other? Is this an assault against the riding and driving public? It also looks like the community’s convenience was no longer part of the road rehab plan. Do we love our city?
As mentioned in a weekly paper, barangay officials also asked that they be informed about these operations beforehand so they could inform their constituents. There was no prior notice to the public, no signs as to when the project starts and ends, no sign as to who is in charge of the project and where funding comes from or how much it would cost. The whole road rehab insults and robs the Baguio community of its peace, its comfort and well-being and the right to know what’s happening to their habitat. We do like good roads but not at the expense of accidents happening to our motorists, discomfort to our working and academic people and to our citizens in general. Two months or so of constant breakages of roads that are still good, adjusting time and schedule to meet the road rehab operations are simply an abuse of people. It’s what you may call mental and psychological violence. Should we add environmental violence? The road repairs that are not well planned and continue to disturb the well being of humans is an outright abuse of their right to live a peaceful life in a peaceful place. It’s taking away from people their right to mental and emotional peace harmony. Are we back to the scenes of World War 2 in history books that show pictures of Bagnio’s ruins then? Let’s pray not. Do we love Baguio?
An important message comes from the heart of Baguio’s community. Please, if you have to repair the roads, do it one at a time. You may close both ends of the street you’re working on, but finish it within days, by operating 24 hours a day with different shifts of workers. After this, you can break up another road for rehab again and the public is ensured of convenience, the children do not have to pass by hazardous paths, motorcycles and cars do not get unnecessary accidents plying broken streets to reach their destination. Breaking up all targeted roads at the same time then working only on one site is wasted effort and wasted time. This creates humongous traffic and is really very bad for the health and well-being of citizens. So, please stop excavation and breakage of roads if you cannot work on all of them at the same time 24 hours a day.
There’s a sign along government buildings that say “Hero ang Public Servant.” I think the real heroes are the citizens who have to sacrifice their well-being, get hurt and meet with accidents because of hurriedly planned road rehabs by the public servants in charge of this project. To add, heroes love the people and the land they serve. When you love Baguio, you also love its people and when you love the people, you give them your utmost best to ensure their comfort and convenience in the use of public facilities. There are so many roads around Baguio that need rehab, why not work on these? The good roads in the central business district seem to be the only target of our street planners. I think enough is enough with window dressing of the few roads in view. Give a lift to the other residential roads all over the city. Ply them yourselves and see which road needs the rehab better. You’d be surprised to find that all residential roads need help and so too their drainages.
Do we love Baguio? Loving a city is loving its land and its inhabitants as well. The government projects designed to beautify and to repair must meet the citizens’ need for convenience, ease at transport, and living. Taxpayers’ money should be spent well not squandered according to the whims of a few. Projects must be well planned to serve the public better. And please, the central business district of the city has had so many face lifts already and each time the answer given is “ ...the road may look good but underneath it’s not...” Then do the job from the beginning and look under first. Heroes think of the public good first and foremost. Last would be their own personal agenda. There are many public servants and many of them are real heroes working their lives away for the people. Out of these many, there are some whose places in service are not understood well. One tip to serve well is to look for the safety, comfort and convenience of the constituents first before any government project is implemented. It is only in this assurance of public good, that heroism can be found. Being a government worker does not automatically entitle one to heroism. For indeed, many laborers even from the private sectors are heroes too in their own way. But public servants become heroes only when their service is well founded on the basics of discipline, regard for the common good and honesty on all levels. We love Bagiuo, yes we do. Then, let’s show it by serving our constituents well!