All ASEAN lampposts in Cebu City removed

CEBU, Philippines - Starting today, no ASEAN decorative lamppost will be seen anywhere in Cebu City.

The City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) finished yesterday the removal of all 677 controversial decorative lampposts used during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2007.

CITOM and Mayor Michael Rama uprooted the last standing lamppost along Don Sergio Osmeña Boulevard during a ceremonial removal yesterday morning.

Lawyer Rafael Christopher Yap, OIC department head of CITOM, said that following the completion of the removal, they are now ready to draft and submit a report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor as the latter required.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor gave the city the go signal to remove the lampposts despite its pending litigation. There are conditions to be followed however, which include the submission of a detailed report.

The detailed documentation includes photos of each lamppost removed and the personnel that uprooted them, among others.The lampposts are secured in the General Services Office warehouse across the City Hall Building.

One of the conditions for the removal of lampposts is to secure and seal the lampposts in a safe warehouse where it will be preserved and be ready anytime the Sandiganbayan requires them.

These lampposts are evidence of various graft charges against some government officials in Cebu who were involved in its purchase. The lampposts were found overpriced.

There were about 1,800 lampposts installed in Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City for the ASEAN summit of which 685 were installed in three streets in Cebu City. There are only 677 uprooted because the rest are already missing or probably lost to thieves, according to CITOM.

Yap said that sidewalks are now free of the obstructions which were a huge inconvenience for pedestrians especially those who use the sidewalks along Pope John Paul II Ave., formerly Juan Luna Avenue.

They targeted to finish the removal by end of May but Yap said that there had been a delay because they had a hard time removing the lampposts along Salinas and Pope John Paul II Avenue where the lampposts were planted deeper.

The City Government requested for the removal of the lampposts because they have become more of an eyesore than a decoration. The lampposts have not been functional for a while now. Aside from being an eyesore, they were obstructing the sidewalks.

The City Government will gradually restore the sidewalks since the uprooted lampposts left holes that may also cause accidents.

Rama said that if the court will allow, he would prefer to dispose of the lampposts to those who are requesting to have them.

“Daghang nangayo ana. If I were the judge, I would just dispose it kay naa nama’y proper documentation,” Rama said. (Many are requesting to have these.)

Rama said that the lampposts may also be replaced by new ones depending on the area, although Yap said that replacing them with new ones will be counter-productive.  (FREEMAN)