Finally, traffic managers from various local government units in Metro Cebu met at the social hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol for the traffic management summit that aims to address the worsening traffic conditions in Metro Cebu. This is under the auspices of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) which is spearheading the event that will be participated by 70 traffic managers and stakeholders. Hopefully this summit results in at least alleviating, if not solving our traffic woes and prevent another so-called "carmageddon" that happened in Minglanilla months ago.
It is sad to note that Cebu City is not participating in this momentous event, because Mayor Tomas Osmeña emphasized that he will not attend the meeting, stating that Cebu City is not part of Mega Cebu. He said: "I will not deal with Mega Cebu. To me, they're fly-by-night NGO (non-government organizations), mga self-proclaimed experts."
On the contrary, the contribution of Mayor Osmeña to this traffic summit would have been invaluable. Alas, he has that old, but unlamented "Osmeña mentality" that only he knows how to fix the problems of our city, while the rest of us who are not experts should not be allowed to help our beloved Cebu! Once upon a time, there was a Tomas Osmeña who ruled Cebu with a Big Brother program and this contributed to his popularity. Today's Tomas Osmeña has become too aloof and boastful; he thinks that he has become the Island of Cebu. Of course, he doesn't know about that old saying "No man is an island."
On the other hand, it is better that Mayor Osmeña wasn't in that meeting yesterday because his presence would have been intimidating and the 70 traffic managers who trooped to the social hall would never dare open their mouths, least they end up being insulted by Mayor Osmeña. While he insists that Cebu City is not part of Mega Cebu, whether he likes it or not, Cebu City is an integral part of Mega Cebu. I predict that someday Mayor Osmeña will become irrelevant in Cebu's political landscape.
At this point we hope that the traffic summit will have good results that can be implemented as soon as they can. Their success would go a long way in putting Mayor Osmeña in his proper place and someday the Cebu City voters will figure it out that in solving our traffic problems, we really don't need a Mayor Osmeña.
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In the swift turn of events, after telling the media that she was not resigning, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo suddenly resigned, while many pundits insist that she was fired by Pres. Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte after last Monday's Cabinet meeting. As if on cue, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was appointed to replace Teo. This was confirmed by Special Assistant to the President Bong Go last Tuesday. Can we now say that all's well, that ends well?
We gathered that the P60 million in advertisements that the DOT placed in a television program produced and hosted by the Tulfo brothers, Ben and Erwin Tulfo, and broadcaster Alex Santos was already returned. This report was confirmed by Teo's spokesman, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio who said that BITAG Media Unlimited Inc. of which Ben Tulfo is chief executive officer and founder returned the P60 million paid by DOT for its advertisements on BMUI's Kilos Pronto magazine show over PTV-4. As many pundits said, returning the money is a sign of guilt.
Earlier, Teo reported that her husband Roberto Teo had resigned from the Board of TIEZA. As it turned out, Mr. Teo was an appointee of former president Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III and had long tendered his resignation, but since he had no successor he continued to remain in his post in a holdover capacity, fearing that he might be accused of dereliction of duty.
This fiasco should be a warning to all who might still get an appointment in the Duterte government that first, the president wants clean and honest officials under him and any hint of scandal means you're out of the kulambo! Above all, when it comes to money, always be prudent and make sure that your relatives do not get involved in government monies.