Mayor Tomas Osmeña was supportive of the suggestion of the City Traffic Operations Management to remove the roofs of all skywalks in the city to discourage vagrants and mendicants from making these their dwelling places.
The mayor however said the removal should be done one at a time while CITOM already asked the Department of Public Works and Highways for permission to start such action.
As soon as the DPWH allows the city government, Osmeña said the job should start, on an experimental basis, at the skywalk connecting Robinson’s Department Store and Mercury Drug in Fuente Osmeña.
The public, including foreigners, have been complaining that this particular skywalk has been used as dwelling places of at least 10 vagrants and mendicants.
Those who passed by the skywalk in Fuente Osmeña have complained of foul odor apparently because vagrants and mendicants have also made the place as their urinals.
“Grabe kaangso! Kasukahon ka nga magtungas sa skywalk tungod sa kabaho unya sugaton ka pa nila nga mangayo’g limos,” said Fermin, an office worker who crosses the skywalk every day.
City spokesman Nagiel Bañacia said this matter was discussed during the meeting of the Citom Board last week resulting in the recommendation to remove the skywalk’s roof.
There are however people who opposed to the removal of the skywalk roofing. “Kon mag-uwan uro’y mangabasa ang moagi sa skywalk kay dili ka man makadagan kay magtungas ka pa unya manaug na pod,” they said.
They said the removal of the skywalk roofs is not needed because the problem could be solved if the City Hall personnel, the police and the tanods in the place would only stop these vagrants and mendicants from staying there.
There are 19 skywalks in various locations in the city that were built to help minimize traffic congestion. The public however do not use some of these in crossing the streets. — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE