Rama to meet M.J. Cuenco Residents

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to meet the residents who will be affected by the road widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways in M.J. Cuenco Avenue.

Rama said he is in favor of the project but he wants the concerns of the residents to be addressed first. The residents are opposed to the proposed measurement of the widening. They said that the side where it is mostly residential gets the bigger cut.

Some of the protesting residents are owners of century-old ancestral houses. They want their houses preserved.

Rama said that while he is in favor of the widening, he wants to make sure that the project will be fair, reasonable, non confiscatory and not oppressive to those who will be affected.

“When we see that there is oppression, the city government will come in,” Rama said.

He said he wants to know where the local government unit can be of help in the situation.

Rama is in favor of widening the M.J. Cuenco so the road will have a sidewalk and more space for vehicles to lessen the congestion in the area.The DPWH and the residents have not arrived at a common ground.

The DPWH though is willing to adjust the measurement of the road from 20 meters, the standard measurement, to 17 to 18 meters only to lessen the setback of the residential houses and establishments.

Rama scheduled the meeting within this week.  (FREEMAN)