How much did the Road Board collect?

Last Sunday, my biker friends from the Road Brothers took our first bike ride for 2019. From Shell Salinas, we took the Transcentral Highway passing by Café Adventure for a short stop then riding to Balamban, Toledo City, Pinamungajan, Aloguinsan, and finally to the Unchuan farm in Biaong, Barili. It was the longest ride I have ever taken since my kidney transplant two years ago, clocking 106.2 miles on my bike, which translates to 170 kilometers. Thanks to Mr. Kito and Marissa Unchuan for having the group for lunch.

On the way back, we passed Carcar and Talisay City passing the old road, not the SRP, only to get stuck in traffic in the so-called underpass construction near McDonald’s. Basically, the roads along Carcar and San Fernando have been widened by the Department of Public Works and Highways but they are doing it on a piecemeal basis; some parts of the road are widened, but some have not even been touched. It makes me wonder where the DPWH got the funding for this road widening. I suspect they must have gotten it via the Road Board.

I read in The Philippine STAR yesterday that a contingent of the House of Representatives in the bicameral conference committee will be ready to sit down with senators when Congress resumes on January 14, to discuss President Duterte’s directive to abolish the Road Board. According to House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., this is “in concurrence with the president’s wishes, the House will designate the members of our contingent to the bicameral conference committee on our first session day this year.”

Andaya issued the statement after President Duterte visited the submerged municipalities in the Bicol Region where more than 100 people died during the onslaught of tropical depression Usman last December. He added saying: “The president has made it clear on how he wants the Road Board abolition done. During his visit to calamity areas in Bicol, he spelled out the need to use proceeds of the road user’s tax or the motor vehicle user’s charge in helping calamity victims.”

While I agree that the Road Board should be abolished they must give us all the reasons why they are abolishing this law. I recall that this was a law sponsored by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. What I would like to see is the total amount of money the Road Board collected from all over the country and how much was spent and where. I would like to believe that we in Cebu Province must have contributed greatly to the Road Board, but little monies for infrastructure development seem to have been given to Cebu. So let’s see those figures to start with, then you folks in Congress may abolish this law!

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We also learned in the news reports that Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front is still open to talk peace with the government. Well, I guess this was in response to President Duterte’s statement that he still wants to have peace with the reds. So this time around CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison posted a statement on the NDF website that he is ready to reciprocate the pronouncement of President Duterte.

Sison said: “Enemies need peace negotiations before they can become friends or partners for the sake of the Filipino people who desire social, economic and political reforms as basis for a just and lasting peace. I welcome the statement of Duterte that he is still open to peace negotiations even as there is still an exchange of hostile words in the mass media and of bullets in the battlefield.” He added: “Negotiation is a standing policy of the NDF despite his being locked in a verbal tussle with Duterte for the past several years, particularly in 2018. Words in the mass media and of bullets in the battlefield.”

But I’m willing to bet that nothing will come out of this talk about peace simply because I don’t think Joma Sison is truly serious in achieving peace in our time. He started the Communist revolution, but failed to achieve his goals, which gave him a life of luxury in Utrecht, Netherlands. Until he comes up with a different strategy only then will I believe he is serious in having peace in our country!

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