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I don’t know how members of the Regional Development Council (RDC) will react to Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmena’s threat of filing charges against those who will support and approve the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) project for Cebu.
The committees of the RDC, including the infrastructure committee, headed by broadcaster Manny Rabacal, will meet soonest to discuss what issues to bring up in next week’s RDC full council meeting.
I don’t know if the LRT proposal will be taken up by the infrastructure committee or whether the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) proposal is calendared for its meeting.
I’m not sure how Mayor Tommy will go about his intention to speak in the full council meeting to present the disadvantages or the “evils” of the LRT and the advantages and the strengths of the BRT.
On my part as chairman of the development administration committee, I would love to hear both parties present their arguments so the full council could carefully evaluate the proposals. Either of these proposed mass transport systems – once adopted and implemented – would have a tremendous effect on our lives.
I heard Tommy’s presentation during last week’s session of the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, and saw valid objections to the LRT. The mayor fears the project may be another fund-raising venture by project proponents for the 2010 election. He said the the rush to have the LRT project approved was suspect.
His second objection is that an LRT would be a losing venture by the government because expenses are greater than its expected income. The fare rate would be subsidized by the national government by raising funds through raising taxes – an indirect tax on the people just like what is happening to the MRT and LRT in Metro Manila. Plus the fact that the private contractor, once the proposal is approved, would immediately get a loan from financial institutions that would be guaranteed by the government.
The LRT proposal has not yet been endorsed by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), which is still studying it.
Finally, the mayor still believes the BRT is more feasible and viable for the city, because it is cheaper to establish and more practical. The only objection that I see against the BRT is that it will be using the city’s narrow road network.
For the LRT proponents, the question now is whether the RDC 7 would approve the proposal without the Cebu city government’s endorsement?
Next week in the 888 News Forum, environmentalists will discuss the impact of the LRT and the BRT. Which one is friendlier to the environment?
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Finally, Lakas-Kampi has announced Gibo Teodoro’s runningmate, show business celebrity Edu Manzano. But a lot of people are disappointed by the administration’s choice. They can’t understand why the ruling party chose Manzano when all he can show for himself are his stints as vice mayor of Makati City and chairman of the Optical Media Board. There was nothing earthshakingly impressive about his performances in both offices.
Is it simply because Edu is popular? Was Lakas-Kampi so desperate to find any takers? Honestly, I don’t think Edu can prop up Gibo’s ratings; it may do the opposite. Many are ticked off by the party’s choice. If Gibo is really intelligent, he should have objected to it.
Well, at least the tandems have been set. The Liberal Party has Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas, the Nacionalista Party has Manny Villar and Loren Legarda, Partido ng Masang Pilipino has Erap Estrada and Jojo Binay and Lakas-Kampi has Gibo Teodoro and Edu Manzano.
The people will now have the opportunity to scrutinize the candidates’ platforms of government. We should all exercise our right to vote, and do it responsibly and wisely if we want the 2010 election to be truly meaningful.
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The condition of fire trucks in Metro Cebu is pathetic. The Bureau of Fire Protection revealed that many of their fire trucks are under repair or waiting for repair. Why did the bureau allow that to happen? Doesn’t it have a budget to buy and maintian firefighting equipment?
With fire trucks in Cebu already more than 30 or 40 years old, why didn’t the bureau request its mother unit, the Department of Interior and Local Government, to allocate a budget to buy new fire trucks?
It the responsibility of local governments to buy and repair fire trucks? The bureau has made it appear that indeed it made a request to the Cebu city government to no avail. I’m hoping both the local government unit and the DILG would coordinate and help the fire department.
The fire departments are better off with the local government units. The national government appears too slow to respond. Time and again, the incompetence of a highly centralized government structure is revealed.
