Cebuano drivers are dangerous drivers
Last night, I read in the Facebook account of my good friend Nagiel Bañacia of a 9-vehicle collision inside the tunnel of the South Coastal Road. Ambulances took eight patients, three seriously injured. This only proves that Cebuano motorists do not know how to drive inside a tunnel where the lights darken as you enter. Multiple collisions are common in American or European freeways, especially during rain or snow. This should not happen inside our tunnel, as the road surface is dry, unless the vehicles were running fast and too close to one another. Indeed, Cebuano drivers are dangerous drivers!
Again, the South Road Properties roadway should have been a training ground for Cebuano drivers to learn to drive fast and in the proper lanes. Many times I have photographed slow-moving trucks occupying the leftmost lane. In Europe and the US, trucks and other heavy vehicles can only use the rightmost lane. I pity the occupants of that black Honda City, it was a total wreck. But I'm sure the airbags deployed, which is why no one died.
At this point, I dare say it is time for Cebu City to impose severe penalties for drivers of trucks and buses using the leftmost lane reserved for fast-moving vehicles and overtaking vehicles, otherwise Cebuano motorists will never learn what the Tagalogs already know when driving in a freeway!
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I saw in Facebook a photo of Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella being sworn in as President of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan Cebu City Chapter before House Speaker Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez. So the group opposed to the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan has now abandoned their old party name Team Rama and has the support of the ruling PDP-Laban Party.
It is about a year and a half before we hold our midterm elections and Vice Mayor Labella has positioned himself at the top of the mayoralty race to become the most serious challenger to Mayor Tomas Osmeña. To be perfectly honest about it, if elections were held today Mayor Osmeña would be a huge loser because of his anti-business stand. But then, we still have a year and a half to go before the elections and the winds of change could shift to anyone's favor.
But what about former Mayor Michael Rama? I'm sure that he still has loyal supporters from Team Rama. But I dare say to Mike, that for as long as he is tainted with that ugly tag of "drug protector" I don't think he should waste his precious money to run in a three-way fight for the mayoralty seat of Cebu City. But then, we know too well that politicians live by a different logic; that if they run and win it is a way of the people clearing his name. But let me say it here this early that a three-way fight would be a huge advantage for Mayor Osmeña, as it would split the votes for Vice Mayor Labella and Mayor Mike Rama.
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I have been getting replies via my cellphone about the article I wrote about Mayor Tomas Osmeña limiting the height of buildings here in Cebu City. Here is one letter emailed to me by a good friend, but since I did not ask his permission to reprint his letter I will just withhold his name.
"Bai, re Mayor Osmeña's not allowing new buildings over four stories high. And he cites Beverly Hills as an example? That's asinine. We know Beverly Hills is in the Metro Los Angeles area, in fact abutting it. When he lived there, more than 20 years ago, didn't he see the L.A. skyline? Full of skyscrapers. Definitely not four stories high.
"Problem here is governance. Building inspectors, checking fire alarms, sprinkler systems, etc. Most important, the government engineers, who go thru the blueprints of the builder's applications. The ones that approve said plans. Are all those mentioned competent or knowledgeable enough? They are the ones that approve the plans so that construction starts. Who do they work for?
"So why should the prospective building owner or builder have to suffer for the incompetence of the city government? All because of the "whim" of Hizzoner? Only in D PILIPINS. I definitely didn't expect it here in Cebu."
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