Fast-track Inayawan road development

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s critics have favored his plan to develop in Barangay Inayawan an access road to and from southern areas to alleviate the traffic situation in the south.

At a press conference yesterday, Councilor Joel Garganera said the access road should be built immediately to ease traffic near the site of the ongoing underpass project at the intersection of N. Bacalso Avenue and F. Llamas Street.

For many commuters and motorists, traffic congestion in the area has become a daily struggle.

“Naa nama’y appropriated nga budget, na-approve naman na. Ipadali na lang na kay by all means para naa ta’y laing kaagian,” Garganera said.

The access road already exists. It was created earlier as an alternative road used by the city’s garbage trucks to fast-track trash collection. However, it needs to be developed.

Under Osmeña’s plan, the road will serve as access to both northbound and southbound private cars and delivery trucks. It will only be accessible though if the traffic condition on main thoroughfares worsens.

The Inayawan access road, it can be recalled, became controversial when fisherfolks staged protests, claiming the road was blocking their access to the sea. A bridge made up of culverts connects Inayawan and the Cebu South Coastal Road.

Garganera is hopeful that the executive department would use “the funds” allocated last year so that the access road will be developed and become passable.

He did not agree with an earlier statement of Councilor David Tumulak, chairman of the committee on public order and safety, that there was no budget set aside for its development.

“I beg to disagree. We already appropriated budget for that last year… Gamay kaayo na nga dalan gikan sa bridge and at the back of University of Cebu-Mambaling Campus dili na maayo, dili na sementado, bati na,” Garganera said.

Tumulak separately said yesterday he has yet to confirm with Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr., chairman of the committee on public services, if there was really an approved budget for the road’s development.

Garganera’s ally, Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr., said the opposition councilors are willing to help the present administration address the traffic problem.

But he said the mayor should stop labeling them as “obstructionists” since they are supporting projects for the welfare of the public.

“Mao ni nakapait sa administrasyon kay kami hinganlan mi og Team Babag, Team Suyop… Og magkinahanglan og tabang, ang Team Suyop ang patabangon,” Alcover said.

Alcover said if the underpass project had a well-planned traffic management scheme, the horrendous traffic in the south would have been avoided.

“Ang ato unta mahan-ay ang tanan, dili mo-suffer ang publiko, total willing man mi-cooperate,” he added.

In a separate interview, City Engineer Josefa Ylanan said there is no budget appropriated yet for the development.

She declined to comment on the recent pronouncement of the mayor on Thursday that he will order the access road developed. But she said she will deploy engineers in the area in order to come up with a recommendation.

“Siguro Monday para madali ang recommendation kay wala raba nay railings sa kilid basin magpataka unya og agi. That is not intended nga paagian unta og other sakyanan but it can help kay shortcut man na siya,” Ylanan said. — JMD (FREEMAN)