Congresswoman, father seek return of city flyovers
Tomorrow, the Del Mars—father and daughter—will stage a two-pronged campaign in Malacañang and the Regional Development Council (RDC) to secure approval of their derailed flyover projects in Cebu City.
In an interview, Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar said she will meet with President Benigno Aquino III to discuss her flyover projects in the afternoon.
Her father, former congressman Raul del Mar, will attend an RDC-7 meeting in Bohol in the morning.
Cutie told Cebu Daily News she would go alone to the 1 p.m. meeting with President Aquino. Since the invitation was addressed to her, “I don’t think it’s proper to bring anyone else.”
The President will also be meeting in the afternoon with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, who were invited as well.
“I will tell the President how I feel about the flyovers. I think he just wanted to hear both sides,” said Cutie.
It will be Del Mar’s first time to meet with Secretary Singson after he issued an order in October suspending all flyovers projects in Cebu, particularly two projects worth P600 million along Gorordo Avenue near the Asilo dela Milagrosa nd MJ Cuenco Avenue following opposition from Mayor Rama, heritage advocates, environmentalists, traffic managers, and urban planners who support a citizen’s movement for a “liveable Cebu”.
“I have not talked to Singson yet. Hopefully, it (the suspension) will be discussed,” said Cutie.
She has repeatedly said the flyovers relieve traffic congestion and were a part
Her father stood in for her in two crucial meetings of a committee of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Central Visayas, where the need for flyovers was reviewed.
Cutie said she was unable to attend the meetings in Cebu City because of ongoing sessions in Congress.
“I have perfect attendance in Congress,” she explained, adding that she had requested her father to represent her in the Cebu forums.
Cutie said the Technical Working Group (TWG) report of the RDC should be dropped at the committee level since the proposal to submit their findings to the full council was voted down.
“I thank the committee for that. It means that the previous eight RDC resolutions endorsing the flyovers are right,” she said.
Her father Raul attended last Tuesday’s RDC-Infrastructure Development Committee meeting, where members voted 6-16 in secret balloting not to submit the findings and recommendations of the TWG to the RDC full council for action.
The TWG report recommended a “moratorium” on flyover projects in Metro Cebu pending the conduct of a complete transport study because previous projects were pursued without adequate public consultation and planning.
Raul’s vigorous objection to having the RDC “withdraw” its previous endorsements of the flyover projects was a “dangerous” move and had never been done before.
Mayor Rama, who chairs the RDC 7, said he would still bring up the TWG recommendations in the full council meeting tomorrow in Bohol.
He said he would let someone else preside so he can join the floor discussion, then later fly to Manila for his meeting with President Aquino.
Raul del Mar said Rama’s action was “not proper” and that he should respect the decision of the RDC-IDC.
“It’s very simple logic and not difficult to understand. Just because he’s the chairman doesn’t mean that he can violate the manual of operations of the RDC,” he said.
Raul said that under the RDC manual of operations, a matter that the sectoral committee wants to take up with the RDC should be endorsed by the committee in a resolution.
“At this point, there is no resolution and the TWG study was not approved by the committee,” Del Mar said.
Del Mar will go to Bohol tomorrow with his allies, Rep. Tomas Osmeña and several Cebu City councilors to make clear their position on the flyovers in the RDC.
Congressman Osmeña said Mayor Rama can no longer withdraw the RDC’s endorsement of flyover projects without looking ridiculous.
The TWG report is not on the official agenda of the council tomorrow.
However, Mayor Rama said the matter can be discuss during the “matters arising” from the previous meeting.
Rama hinted that Congressman Osmena and former congressman del Mar are not allowed to speak in the RDC meeting, which he will preside, unless they are invited.
He said he will make sure that RDC members are given priority to speak tomorrow.
These are mayors and governors of the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental as well as heads of national offices.
The council includes private sector representatives who make up 1/4 of the RDC membership.
Rama said there is no mention of other elected officials in the RDC’s manual.
He said members of Congress may only be admitted as part of the RDC advisory council after they inform the council’s secretariat of their intention to be part of the council.
Rama said Raul del Mar’s participation in the RDC’s infrastructure and development committee discussion last Nov. 22 should have been barred since he was not an RDC member nor was he invited to the meeting.
The Cebu City mayor said he didn’t have a hand in the Nov. 22 meeting because it was called for by RDC-IDC chairman Emmanuel Rabacal.
The Movement for a Liveable Cebu, which opposed the flyover projects, will send 15 members to the RDC meeting in Bohol as observers.
Rudy Alix, one of the convenors, said they will bring banners calling for alternative solutions to flyovers, such as “flared intersections” and road widening.
