Tom to Labella: Don’t blame me

Top Cebu City officials are now playing the blame game on the current traffic situation along N. Bacalso Avenue and F. Llamas Street caused by the ongoing construction of the P638-million underpass project.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña lashed back at Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who earlier said that the lack of contingency plans and the supposed reckless decision to pursue the project are the reasons why heavy traffic is being experienced in the south district.

The mayor said that had it not been for his political rival’s move to block the overpasses, the heavy traffic would not have happened now.

“If Rama did not block these overpasses for six years, these projects could have been finished when the traffic was less,” Osmeña said.

To recall, Rama has been very vocal before that he is not in favor of putting up flyovers in the city for it is not an ultimate solution to traffic congestion.

He said widening roads and opening of alternative roads are still the “best” option for traffic problems.

Among the flyover projects that he objected was in M.J. Cuenco and General Maxilom Avenue and the one in Gorordo and Archbishop Reyes Avenue.

Osmeña said he doesn’t mind to be among the officials to be blamed for the traffic caused by the underpass project, but Labella should have helped address the issue for being elected as vice mayor.

The mayor further said Labella has been elected in office for 15 years already and he hasn’t seen the latter taking action to solve the traffic problem in the city.

“I don’t mind taking part of the blame but don’t take this position that you are not supposed to do anything. You know how much you (have) gotten in salaries (in) the past 15 years, what did you come up with?” he said.

He added Labella should help address the horrendous traffic situation, knowing that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is under the Office of the President.

“He’s with PDPLaban. He is the president of PDP-Laban, that’s the administration of PDP-Laban, uy gising,” Osmeña said.

Last Sunday afternoon, Labella issued a press statement blaming the present administration for the traffic along N. Bacalso Avenue and F. Llamas Street.

He said that his group, Barug PDP-Laban, has since suggested that alternate routes should be identified first and roads should be widened to avoid traffic problems.

To recall, when the underpass project was introduced in 2015, Rama objected to it because diversion routes were dilapidated and roads have not been widened.

“What is frustrating is that this situation could have been avoided if certain city officials had exercised more prudence and not plunged recklessly into undertaking a project that had been shelved by the previous administration because both the proponents and the implementing agency had no contingency plans to mitigate the traffic that we were certain the construction of the Mambaling tunnel would bring about and which we are experiencing today,” Labella said.

The mayor is thankful though that Labella expressed intention to help the mayor in declaring a state of emergency so that the city government can allow Public Utility Jeepneys access the Cebu South Coastal Road.

Osmeña said if it doesn’t work, he will come up with another system until he can find something which is effective in alleviating the traffic.

“You want a better life, you want to find gold, you have to go to the mud first, that’s the way life is,” he added.

As an immediate response of the city to the heavy traffic, Cebu City Transportation Office Operations Chief Francisco “Isko” Ouano deploys at least 12 traffic enforcers.

Since last Friday, the working hours of these employees are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., said DPWH-7 Project Engineer Roy Dela Cruz.