New reclamation area name?

Congressman Tomas “Tommy” Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) is not jumping up and down over Mayor Michael “Mike” Rama’s plans to rename the 160-hectare North Reclation Area (NRA) in memory of Tommy’s old man, the late Serging Osmeña. Nevertheless, Mike is all set to ask one of his councilor-allies to sponsor and file an ordinance to this effect, as a way of giving credit to the brains behind the NRA.  There’s no quarrel with that except that the proposal includes restrictions on the use of roads at the NRA.

Hizzoner has noted that newly paved roads, like the area from the old White Gold to SM City and J. Briones Street had been damaged by heavy vehicles, trailers and cargo trucks that pass by the area.  The city government needs to find relief because the cost of repairs goes as high as P100 million a year.

This is the rationale for including the restrictions in the “renaming” ordinance, which makes me wonder if retitling the NRA is just aimed at sweetening the ordinance so the BOPK-dominated council will allow it to pass.

Mayor Rama’s proposal, for all its beneficial reasons, has to be further studied because the NRA roads provide alternate routes to heavy duty trucks that ease traffic along the national highway in Mandaue City.  If the heavy vehicles will not be allowed to use the NRA roads, it will result in horrendous traffic in barangay Mabolo up to Mandaue City.  The scenario will be terrible for the business community in terms of actual losses not to mention lost opportunities.

The mayor has to seek a middle ground.  His idea of asking business establishments that own lots in the NRA to assume certain responsibilities in the maintenance of roads looks like a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Tommy seems disinterested in the proposal to rename the NRA because he would rather have the South Coastal Road retitled in memory of Serging. The congressman has a point because the SCR connects to the Osmeña Boulevard.

On the subject of renaming city streets, I had written a number of articles calling the city government to recognize former Assemblywoman Nenita “Inday Nita” Cortes Daluz by naming a city street in her memory.

Inday Nita was a courageous freedom fighter, who stood up against the Marcos dictatorship.  After she passed away in 2007, some sectors including then Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña talked about naming a city street after her.  I recall asking him about this subject back then and he said it was not a problem because “there are hundreds of city streets to choose from.”

Indeed, many city streets are named after birds and plant varieties that all it really takes, if we’re really sincere about rendering Inday Nita that well deserved recognition, is an initiative by the City Council.  I hope Councilor Edgar Labella will take up the cudgels for the freedom fighter because recognizing her is not only long overdue, it is also timely as Cebu media is  set to celebrate Press Freedom next month.

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Felicitations are in order for the St. Joseph parish in Tabunok, Talisay City as it prepares to celebrate its 50th founding anniversary this Sunday, Aug. 19.

The Workers’ Church, as I like to call the church in the busiest street in the south, has a lot to celebrate.

The church itself is decidedly more beautiful now than it was in the 1960s, thanks to people who gave generously without counting the cost.  The renovation bill has gone beyond P4 million and the fact that the project started only in November 2011 says a lot about the eagerness of parishioners to chip in what little they have.

The parish counts more than 70,000 members, considered  strong pillars in the Cebu Archdiocese.

That number may not be mobilized all at one time when the Archdiocese would call for warm bodies to show the Church’s opposition against the reproductive health bill, but what I know is that when pro-lifers organize mass actions against the government policy, the first thing they do is sound the call in Tabunok, through Msgr. Ruben Labajo.  The St. Joseph parish can always be relied upon to bring the biggest delegation.

Such zealous service is hard to find and gives meaning to the Jubilee celebration theme, “Work animated by faith, faith proclaimed in work.”

Happy golden jubilee!