Council studies Kamagong St. as alternate road

CEBU, Philippines - After Mayor Michael Rama’s alleged failure to act on the request of some concerned persons to develop the Kamagong Street in barangay Lahug to help ease traffic along Gorordo Avenue and Escario Street, the members of the Cebu City Council accepted the request to look into the problem.

The City Council’s Committee on Traffic Management under Councilor Richard “Ritchie” Osmeña has been asked to conduct a study about the issue and to submit its recommendation, whether to recommend to Mayor Michael Rama for the dilapidated Kamagong Street to be developed so it can be used as alternate road.

The leader of the petitioners, who asked anonymity for security reasons, attached several names and signatures of persons who want Kamagong Street to be widened to 10 meters and have it cemented or asphalted to encourage motorists to pass through the road.

The petitioners told the city legislators that they are asking the city officials, including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to develop Kamagong Street because after some of the houses were demolished sometime in 2009, there was no improvement being implemented there.

Rama had been asked by the petitioners early this year to attend to the problem of illegal constructions of residential houses that already encroached on the road.

The FREEMAN passed by the area yesterday and confirmed the observation of the petitioners with the presence of several children playing along the road and with houses built on the sidewalk.

Kamagong Street is the road situated beside Lahug Elementary School that stretches from Gorordo Avenue to Escario Street beside Parklane Hotel.

Coming from Lahug, passing through Kamagong Street will only take shorter time to reach Escario Street if heading for Cebu Business Park while those who pass by Gorordo Avenue will take some 15 minutes to reach the same place due to heavy traffic.

The road, however, is very narrow where two small vehicles can hardly pass by in opposite directions.

Other residents of Kamagong Street had earlier asked the traffic authorities to go after vehicles whose owners converted the road as parking area during nighttime making it difficult for other vehicles to pass by. (FREEMAN)