Christmas, traffic, and thanks

With classes over and students happy to be on long holiday break, traffic in school zones have eased somewhat. However, with many stores and malls offering holiday discounts, sale, other gimmicks and treats, traffic has intensified instead. Expect heavier traffic as we get closer to Christmas Day.

The men in blue have been conspicuous in the streets of Cebu even before Christmas. Whoever came up with the brilliant idea of posting several CITOM traffic enforcers, especially during peak traffic hours, at designated intervals along Cebu City’s busy streets deserves our applause and gratitude. Thank you to all these men in blue for being there at their posts, managing and ensuring that traffic flows and allowing commuters to get to their destinations.

Of course, traffic is still heavy even if these men in blue are doing their job. Their presence, however, provides some form of order out in the streets where certain abusive drivers feel they are kings and do not follow traffic rules. Pedestrians also have to be educated and disciplined more to cross only in designated areas. Traffic management is not only for the enforcers. Everyone has the responsibility to use and share the public streets responsibly.

On radio, the head of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) called on all street users to exercise more discipline and to obey traffic regulations, especially during the Christmas rush period. One road accident, according to the MMDA head, delays and worsens traffic by at least 40 minutes more.

We thank the patient and rule-abiding street users for helping in their own way to ease traffic, especially during this festive season of love and thanksgiving.

We also would like to thank the street cleaners and those who water the plants in various areas of the city. These street workers allow commuters to hurdle traffic more comfortably. Yes, there is still so much left to improve the traffic and cleanliness situation in our cities but we are grateful to street workers who do their jobs of cleaning up dirty, dusty streets. Oh, if there were only more greens in our cities, not only would these greens be beautiful sights for our eyes, temperatures and tempers can be cooled as well.

Certainly, there are more to thank among those who work to make our cities, our streets, our traffic more manageable and comfortable. If we failed to mention you here, please accept our heartfelt thank you and our sincere wish for a happy God-blessed Christmas and New Year to you all, too.

Our food producers and distributors who provide us our festive food during this holiday season also need to be mentioned.

Our applause and gratitude to the farmers, the fisherfolks, those who cook lechon and other favorite food items, those who are present daily in markets and stores who pack our meat, seafood, vegetables, and other items that end up on our tables for our family and guests. May their Christmases and New Years be blessed as well.

Christmas is for everyone and may all enjoy the bounty of love and grace for this season. Sadly, however, there are still so many in our midst who are disadvantaged because of what they do not have. Their presence reminds us that we all still have to share the love and grace intended by God for all.

Especially for this season and beyond, shall we reach out to those who do not have their basic needs, as well as to those who do not have their families, their health, their peace, God, and love in their hearts?