Flyover politics and prayers

Ibumped into former congressman Raul del Mar and his comely wife Melanie at the entrance of the Ayala Mall last Saturday afternoon just as they were about to enter the shopping center.  I was on my way to the Asilo de la Milagrosa to attend anticipated Sunday Mass after picking up a few grocery items. When I saw them coming down from the concrete stairs of the north side of the Ayala Business Park, I walked up to the del Mars to say, “Hi.”

When I was still active in the broadcast media, I used to engage Raul in live radio interviews when needed. He does not have the gift of gab but made up for it by being accessible and forthright about his reactions. He has a knack to anticipate questions, which I believe can only be had if one listens to feedback and public opinion.

I had a very brief conversation with Raul about the weather and was about to tell him that I’m going to the chapel of the Asilo but decided against it.  I differ with Raul on the issue of flyovers and didn’t want him to think I was trying to “unmake” his day by mentioning the chapel run by a religious group opposing the megabuck project that he and his daughter, incumbent Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar are fervidly pursuing.

Raul is making a comeback to the House of Representatives after serving Cebu City’s north district for close to two decades.  His children Rannie and Cutie occupied the House seat when his three-term limit was up but Cebuano voters did  not view political dynasty as an issue against this powerful family in past elections.

One thing that goes for Raul is the way he appears to defer to public opinion. He fought on the side of Corazon “Cory” Aquino during the 1986 Edsa Revolution. He stood against the Estrada administration in 2000.  Raul bucked the administration in 2010 and supported P-Noy in the presidential elections.  In this strongly Catholic province and city, he is opposed to the Reproductive Health Bill.

But on the issue of flyovers, I think his feedback mechanism may be off, or he chooses to ignore the voice of sectors that have been left out in the supposed consultation.

The flyover in Gorordo Avenue which should have been implemented in October last year has been shelved because of the strong opposition of an independent multi-sectoral group called Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC).  The MLC is pushing for road widening and flared intersections including an updated Metro Cebu transport study. All urban planners and environmentalists think this is a sound move but politicians think otherwise. The cost of the flyovers has a range of P600 million to P800 million.

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Last year, the local frame of the feast of the Miraculous Medal was set against the highly charged plan of Rep. Cutie del Mar to implement the flyover project ranged against the impassioned pleas of people calling for participatory “envisioning.”

In the middle of the debate, the one image that stood out, even until now, is this paper’s front page story which carried a digital image of the Gorordo flyover, blocking the view of the main entrance of the chapel which was further pushed inside because of the road widening.

The picture captured the defacement of the heritage site and towards October 2011, the scenario looked imminent making tensions rise in the congregation and other sectors who didn’t want the project in front of the chapel.

However, on Oct. 07, 2011 Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary for Regional Operations Romeo S. Momo told DPWH Central Visayas Director Pedro Herrera, Jr. to hold the flyovers in abeyance.

The moratorium was meant to defuse political tension, but many believed the executive order was a miracle, signed on the Marian feast of the Holy Rosary.   Strange as that may seem, some politicians think things will change after the 2013 elections.

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Tomorrow is the feast of the Miraculous Medal and the chapel of the Asilo Medalla Milagrosa is all spruced up and nicely decorated in celebration and commemoration of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the 24-year-old nun, Catherine Laboure in the chapel in 140 Rue de Bac, Paris.

In the apparition, “the Blessed Virgin displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe, wearing many rings of different colors, most of which shone rays of light over the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words Ô Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous (‘O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee’)” (Wikipedia).

The Virgin’s message to have a medal struck was to enable countless people throughout the ages to have recourse to her in times of distress. “Those who will wear it will receive great graces,” she promised.  In 1832, France was struck by a deadly cholera epidemic which claimed the lives of some 20,000 people. People who wore the medal with faith and devotion were cured.

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Tension still frames this year’s Marian celebration but in the orphanage run by the Daughters of Charity, the political goings on has not dampened preparations for the fiesta a bit.

After the Mass, I chanced upon Sr. Letty Derilo, D.C.  directress of the Asilo, who told me the congregation remains vigilant through prayers, discernment coupled with penance and good works.  The good madre captured the dynamics of community activities by saying, “It’s all in God’s hands.”