Luigi asks public to be patient as city solves traffic concerns
Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luigi Quisumbing is asking the public to be more patient as his administration continues to look for ways to solve the city's problems on traffic and drainage.
Quisumbing, a neophyte local chief executive known for his no-nonsense approach in implementing ordinances on traffic, has been criticized by some commuters and drivers for implementing "no unloading and loading areas" along the stretch of UN Avenue.
Close to 100 passengers were already apprehended and given citation tickets by the city's traffic enforcers since the new traffic rule was strictly implemented last Tuesday.
Some violators complained that the city should have conducted a dry run first.
However, Quisumbing defended his administration, saying there is no need for a dry run of the no-stopping zone policy.
"Dry run on UN Avenue - No stopping zone was already set before my term as policy and by ordinance. I merely implemented existing law," the mayor said.
Quisumbing then asks the Mandauehanons for understanding and asks the public to give up their little convenience for the sake of progress.
"No progress has ever been achieved without sacrifice. It will be inconvenient. Absolutely it will. But I promise you, if we sacrifice now, our children and their children after them will not have to," the mayor added.
According to Quisumbing, the city's traffic problem is causing companies tremendous losses.
"Cost to economy of Mandaue due to traffic congestion far outweighs individual discomfort. If they shut down and seek better situations, what will our people do?" Quisumbing said.
Also, Quisumbing said his administration is aware of the problem about drainage.
"Yes, drainage is still clogged," he said, explaining that indiscriminate littering and lack of urban planning has caused the problem to worsen.
"We will be conducting a drainage master plan to address infrastructure spending without an end goal in mind. But if people continue to litter without care, how effective will drainage possibly be?" Quisumbing said.
With this, the mayor reiterated that the newly-implemented plastic ban in the city will remain to help ease the problem on clogged drainages.
Quisumbing admits that his strict implementation of the ordinance, which was approved during the administration of then mayor Jonas Cortes in 2010, provides bigger inconvenience to the public, especially the vendors who cannot use plastic anymore for their products.
Under City Ordinance 12-2010-562, also known as Plastic Bag Prohibition Ordinance of 2010, the use and distribution of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene containers, such as Styrofoam, in any establishment in the city, including eateries and sari-sari stores, is prohibited.
B.Lao/ATO