Mixed feelings about flyovers

Today, we residents of Cebu City are in a  great dilemma over whether or not having more   flyovers is a good thing.

Our  experiences with flyovers are varied. Many are happy with them and others are dismayed about their impact.  My friend and fellow columnist Bobit Avila privately told me that he favors   flyovers because they do help ease traffic congestion.

My own experience with flyovers is also varied.  When my office in  the Political Science Department  was still based in the  Talamban Campus of the University of San Carlos, the BanTal flyover was a bad experience especially during dismissal time in the afternoon because instead of easing traffic flow going to the city, it became worse with the flyover. I would leave  the Talamban campus before 5 p.m. but the line of vehicles outside would reach up to the USC gate.  It took me   about an hour to drive home.

My experience with  the Mambaling flyover has so far been pleasant. It has  indeed eased  traffic congestion in the area. But it would be best to have a  traffic master plan to rationalize and identify actual needs and to chart growth.

Should the priority be  the widening of  roads,  flared intersections,  or identifying alternate routes? I believe that government officials should listen to  people especially  experts in urban planning  to improve traffic management in the city.

Why are we  putting up  flyovers without consulting local government officials and affected residents? Why the rush?

Why not help establish a traffic master plan for Cebu City to properly identify needs for each section of the city? I hope a  compromise will be reached on this dilemma.

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Nobody expected  Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi could  be ousted after 42 years of ruling Libya. The same is true with Egypt’s Mubarak, who was ousted a few months ago as head of the government. Why the  unrest in parts of the Middle East like Libya and Syria where  rebel forces are up against powerful leaders? Are the people getting stirred up by the fever of democracy? These nations are very wealthy  but the way  the government is controlling the people and running the government are highly questionable.

Gadhafi and his family are running from the clutches of the opposition rebels, and Assad is holding on to power in Syria but their downfall is  expected  in the next few days.

The interest of  Americans in Libya and Syria has to do with oil resources.  Whoever controls the oil supply from these nations will have the most advantage.

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In my last few columns I discussed what Pope Benedict XVI said about people suffering  “amnesia” about God. I mentioned the art exhibit in the Cultural Arts Center that  scandalized many Christians by making a mockery of icons of  Jesus Christ.

Today in the news is the story of a son in Cebu City who killed his mother after being castigated for some things that went wrong at home. It shocked many that a grown man could kill his mother and keep it a secret, until a neighbor spilled the beans.

The son, a nursing graduate, has a reputation in the area as a drug dependent. The victim’s sister had already warned her about this vice.

The violence took place after the son came home drunk in the early morning. He got scolded by his mother.

At the height of his anger, he took a knife from the kitchen and slashed her throat.  To hide her corpse, he dug a hole, making it appear he was building a septic tank.

But justice caught up with him.

Is this the amnesia Pope Benedict the XVI was talking about?