Please don’t throw trash during the Sinulog

This week is Sinulog week and so many things have been changed purportedly to make the Sinulog, livelier, less of a hassle, and safer for the devotees. This means there are no longer any street parties that once caused much trouble due to drunken revelers. All this is preparation for making the Sinulog festival a memorable one, especially for tourists who may want to revisit Cebu in next year’s Sinulog.

One thing I learned after the traslacion of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo was that garbage collectors collected more than 40 tons of garbage. It just gives you an idea that the teaching “cleanliness is next to godliness” has been lost in the hearts and minds of our people. We hope that this will not happen in Cebu. I recall that the day after the Sinulog festivities are over, our DPS come out in droves and clean up our streets in record time. But this is what we have learned in the past 39 years of holding the Sinulog festivities. Let’s start now so that by next year as we celebrate the 40th year of the Sinulog we can show something to our people that we can be proud of.

It’s now 2019 and it is high time for us Cebuanos to show to the entire Filipino nation that we can begin the change within ourselves by making a self-promise not to throw trash in the streets during the procession of the Sto. Niño on Saturday and during the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday. We wanted a big change in this country, which is why we elected President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, but he just can’t effect this change if we ourselves do not show that we too can change our ways and attitude for the better.

So how about it? Can we make a promise not to litter our streets during the procession and during the grand parade on Sunday as a way of showing that we Cebuanos can begin this change with the Sinulog festival and give credence to that very Christian thought that cleanliness is next to godliness? I’m making this appeal to all our people, millennials, and old folks like me in order to start our new year as a better nation. So how about it?

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I don’t call it politics, but certainly when the Provincial Capitol lost their P1.3-billion Resource Center, the obviously vindictive Governor Hilario Davide III did not renew the contracts of some of their job order workers. While this was denied by PHRMO head Bonifer Nacorda, it is just too obvious that this had some political repercussions. Others call it retaliation unless Davide can show proof that it is not. In my thinking, it is not politically motivated, but clearly retaliatory.

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We learned of some good news for Cebu for 2019 when the Department of Public Works and Highways-7 Regional Director Edgar Tabacon revealed that the budget for the Metro Cebu Expressway (MCE) from Naga City to Danao City will cost some P18 billion in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). But while this project is supposed to be a go, since this comes from the GAA, this fund is still awaiting approval from the Senate. As you know the Senate is using last year’s GAA funds, which does not include the MCE. So it is time for us to pressure our senators to approve the new 2019 national budget.

Meanwhile, I’m sad to inform you that while the MCE fund is coming from the Duterte Administration, however it still does not include the projects that would help ease the traffic in Metro Cebu. I’m referring to the parallel road to Escario St. and I dare Regional Director Edgar Tabacon if he has another route in mind that would help ease the traffic woes of the Cebuano motorists.

Then, as I’ve already pointed out in previous columns, there is no funding for an overpass along H. Cortes Ave. and another one along the main Mandaue Highway, which are Mandaue City’s most traffic-prone avenues. If you ask me DPWH officials do not seem to have any cares if you folks who drive through these streets daily suffer from bad traffic because of the neglect of DPWH officials.

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