Let stakeholders decide on flyovers, Palma says

CEBU City residents should decide for themselves whether to support the flyover projects planned for the junctions e of General Maxilom and Gorordo Avenue, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday.

“Let the Cebu people choose and react about it, without thinking so much about  personal vested interest. It should be for the good of the community,” Palma told Cebu Daily News.

Palma had an hour-long closed door meeting with Rep. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s north district along with her father Raul, the former congressman,  at the Archbishop’s Residence yesterday.

After the meeting, Palma said the church needs to hear both the proponents and the opponents of the flyover projects being implemented by the Dept. of Public Works and Highways.

The del Mars are proponents of the flyover projects which cost P300 million each.  Work was scheduled to start in November but the Gorordo Avenue flyover will likely be postponed to February next year due to last-minute changes in the design to avoid damaging the Asilo dela Milagrosa  property.

The Cebu Archdiocese will make an official statement about the issue.

Palma said he would still have to confer with dicoesan priests on the matter.

The Movement for a Liveable Cebu (MLC) composed of citizen stakeholders opposed to the flyovers earlier met with Palma last Oct. 4 to ask for guidance.

The prelate earlier admitted that he is personally against the flyovers but that he is not yet ready to  speak officially on behalf of the Archdiocese on the matter.

“But as I said I’m not a Cebuano, so I could not feel the possible difficulty it will entail,” Palma said.

Palma said del Mar told him that consultation was done and a master plan was already in effect which involved road widening.

She said this would entail longer planning and a bigger budget.

Palma said he reminded the flyover proponents to preserve the heritage value of  establishments to be affected during the construction.

“There should be respect for old architecture,” Palma said.

The lady legislator recently wrote to  Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas to request for an updated transportation  master plan for Cebu, which wuld cost P30 million.

She said if it would be approved, the DOTC would become the main proponent of the master plan.