Overpass would ‘disrupt’ ambience in Asilo dela Milagrosa church, say critics

Nuns of a Catholic church-run orphanage aren’t happy about plans to build a flyover near one of Cebu City’s landmark chapels in Gorordo Street.
“It would be more noisy and would ruin the solemnity and ambience of the place,” said Sister Leticia Deilio, the  administrator during a public forum yesterday.

She spoke in a forum of the Stop Cebu Flyovers Movement held in a hall of the Asilo dela Milagrosa, where new concerns were raised by advocates of  a “liveable” Cebu City about a proposed overpass to be built a few meters away.

Half of the garden, which has a grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the frontage  of the church grounds would be  affected.

About three meters of the area from the road along Gorordo Avenue could be taken by developers during construction of the flyover, said the administrator.

The new objections could be a telling factor in the debate over plans for two additional flyovers in Metro Cebu pushed by Rep. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s north district, who said funds were already available in the Department of Public  Works and Highways (DPWH) to start construction this year to ease traffic congestion.

Similar plans in 2007 to build a flyover next to the Carmelite monastery in barangay Mabolo were suspended, primarily due to complaints of the nuns to then President Corazon Aquino that increased traffic would “disturb” the surroundings of the contemplative order.

The chapel of the Asilo dela Milgarosa, with its stained glass windows and garden plaza, is next to a charity house for orphans and senior citizens run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, which marked its 75th founding anniversary two years back.

The chapel and some of its buildings, which were erected  in the 1950s, is considered a local heritage site.

“They did not think about preserving the church. The beautiful garden would be destroyed,” said the administrator.

“We are dependent on donations. We won’t have any financial resources to repair that.”

The one-hectare property has an orphanage, which houses 67 wards and an administration building with eight sisters.

She said the devotees of the Asilo dela Milagrosa church would also be disrupted when praying during the construction and after the flyover will be completed.

In an open forum led by environment advocate Joel Lee of Cebu Permaculutre, residents and business owners along Gorordo Avenue voiced their opposition to the flyover projects worth P600 million to rise in the juncture of Gorordo Avenue and M.J. Cuenco Avenue.

Participants discussed alternatives to reduce traffic such as road widening, mass transportation, bike lanes and more pedestrian lanes, and the proper enforcement of traffic regulations.

“There should be a review of the alternatives that would be discussed in the community,” Lee said during the forum.

He said flyovers were only short-term answers to traffic woes.

He said Cebuanos  deserve a more wholistic view of planning urban growth for a “sustainable” quality of life so people can enjoy fresh air and roads for walking and biking.

Cassy Catapang of the Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water (CUSW) said the construction of a rotunda or circular road to direct vehicular flow like the Fuente Osmeña could be adapted for Asilo.

The Gorordo Avenue where the flyover would be constructed has 13 traffic flows to Lahug, to the Pier area and to Ayala.

He said mass transportation like bus that would take the passengers from one point to another or a  ferry from Lapu-Lapu to Mactan to lessen the vehicles that travel from Mactan to Mandaue to downtown Cebu is also possible.

Kevin Chua, president of the Cebu Bloggers Society, said traffic solutions presented by public officials should prioritize business  activity and historical sites.

“The social interaction between people would diminish with a flyover because it would create a gap between people,” Chua said in the forum.

He said that if people  spend more time in cars, they would have less interaction with other people unlike a community where residents walk in the streets.

Vanessa Laestander, a Cebuana who manages a travel agency and is based in Stockholm, Sweden, described the benefits of proper pedestrian and bike lanes so that biking and walking become part of the daily routine in Cebu.

“Here we want to walk, but we’re afraid to cross the roads because there are many vehicles and few pedestrian lanes,” Laestander said.

“Cebu City is a small city. It’s a walkable city,” she said.

She said she was saddened by the sight of small and congested roads in Cebu.

In Stockholm, Laestander said residents can afford  cars but prefer to ride the bus and walk because it is more convenient and less expensive in fuel costs.

The voice of Persons with Disability (PWD) was also heard.

“We should also have the freedom to go where we want and live in a healthy environment,” said Nonoy Concha of the PWD Advocating for Rights and Empowerment (PARE).

He said that it’s difficult for PWDs to use sidewalks, which are often narrow, unevenly paved and blocked by many establishments.

Lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC) emphasized the need for a sustainable city that is not dependent in fossil fuels.

She said flyovers would encourage using more vehicles, which would result in more carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

“We have all the legal basis to stop this project,” she said, because citizens as stakeholders are entitled to have public consultations.

Ramos cited Article XIII, Section 16 of the Philippine Constitution, which prescribes the right of people and their organizations to participate on the decision-making and would be facilitated by the law.

Architect Sarah Abadilla of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Cebu Chapter said architects should be allowed to contribute their expertise in decisions about the flyovers.

She said their group would submit a position paper seeking to take part in crafting a transport and land master plan for Metro Cebu.

“Only the urban planners and engineers are involved. We also wanted to offer what we have in creating the master plan,” she said.

“We don’t have sidewalks, which is basically the reason we don’t walk and would rather ride our cars,” she said.