Valenzuela’s top two problems

INQUIRER Metro asked young “millennial” voters from the 16 cities and one municipality making up Metro Manila about their thoughts on the 2016 elections. Let’s hear it from a generation whose raw but telling views can be both a reminder of failed promises and a source of renewed hope.

(Fifth of a series)

By Demar Grasparil Bayona

Cum laude and Academic Excellence Awardee

Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education-Class of 2015

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela

I NEVER doubt the recognition and citations received by Valenzuela these past several years, like being one of the “most business-friendly” cities in the country. I have lived here for the last 16 years and can affirm the improvements in terms of public service, like ease in government transactions. More school buildings and health centers have been built. Valenzuelanos also no longer need to leave the city to relax and unwind as its own People’s Park opened recently.

However, I still see two incessant problems that our local government should persistently address until they are solved: traffic congestion and flooding. Valenzuela is known as the northern gateway to Metro Manila, having two major highways—MacArthur and North Luzon Expressway. Since commuters from outside the city use our roads, traffic management should be upgraded.

Residents who take public transport are the worst affected. Every day I take a tricycle to get to work as a science teacher at a school on Maysan Road and have to wake up early because I spend up to 35 minutes on the road. Yet, when I was still a college student, it took me only five to 10 minutes to reach the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela which is close to where I work now. I noticed that rush-hour traffic on MacArthur Highway has also become dreadful.

I really wonder why flooding has gotten worse despite the infrastructure projects—like pumping stations and floodgates—undertaken in the city. I commiserate with other Valenzuelanos living in flood-prone areas like Wawang Polo, Tagalag, Coloong, Malanday, Marulas and Gen. T. de Leon.

The leaders we choose in the 2016 elections can make or break the progress the city has accomplished so far. Let us make the wisest choice, Valenzuelanos!