Council insists talks with Banilad settlers

Vice Mayor Michael Rama said the City Council would push through with its plan to discuss with the residents of Banilad about the proposed P126-million flyover project in the area.

This statement came even if the Department of Public Works and Highways had already held the pre-bid conference for the project, and Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s earlier comment that more talks with the affected residents would only be useless.

Rama repeated what he said before that the City Council would consult with stakeholders, specifically the homeowners associations’ officers that opposed the project, and the barangay officials that favored it. 

“As far as the council is concerned, we want to listen to the concerns of the people (in Banilad) so we would know whether there is need for us to make a stand or not,” said the vice mayor.

The vice mayor said the council’s decision to hold another round of talks with the affected residents came after the latter submitted position papers opposing the project.

They also asked the city government to consider, aside from flyover, other solutions to the traffic problem there such as flaring the intersections and widening of the road, among others.

The council would start its consultations with the officers of the homeowners’ group of El Dorado Subdivision, which is nearest to the project site and thus would be the most affected, said Rama.

Rama said the council would seek reactions to the project and answers to the question, “Why can’t we make the project acceptable?”

On the conduct of the pre-bidding conference by the DPWH, Rama said that the men in that department “know better what are the repercussions” of their action.

“If we look at the Local Government Code, there is a provision there saying that there should be an inter-government relations in any project even from the national government,” Rama said.

Landowners and businessmen along Gov. Mariano Cuenco Avenue have also objected to the flyover construction at the corner of A. Fortuna Street, near Foodland, because such structure could affect direly their business.

Osmeña, however, supported the flyover project and turned down all request of the businessmen in the area for him to intervene in the project.

The mayor said, “(Rama) is entitled to file whatever it is. But basically I think the fuse has ran out. And (DPWH) also find ways and means on how to implement the project with the least amount of inconvenience,”

He added that the project does not need the endorsement of the City Council or the mayor to proceed because it is a national project. — Wenna A. Berondo/RAE