We need Akrho et. al. like a hole in the head!

Last Tuesday as I was driving along D. Jakosalem St. there was a huge traffic jam, caused by a parade taking the whole stretch of D. Jakosalem St. I thought that this was probably a school celebration or something. But as I read The Freeman's headline yesterday, the parade I encountered was in celebration for the 33rd anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Rho or Akrho Fraternity. It turned out that one of their members was shot at the corner of Sanciangko St. and Panganiban St. while another was wounded.

Now it is time to ask questions. First, whether Akrho had a permit to conduct a permit from CITOM. If you ask me, with the pump prices of fuel hitting record levels, the City of Cebu should stop giving permits to motorized parades for the simple reason that we need to save gasoline. In my time in CITOM, we would limit the number of vehicles participating in a parade so that they would not be the cause of traffic jams. That Akrho parade caused a huge traffic jam around the main thoroughfares of Cebu City.

For me, that Akrho Parade was some kind of "show of force" to give the Cebuanos a glimpse of their big number. Indeed, there must have been hundreds who joined that parade, many of their members riding shotgun on the roofs of the jeepneys they hired. This is a blatant violation of traffic rules. That "show of force" was more like a "show of boast" parade with Akrho sending the message that they are "invincible" in Cebu!

Well, that boisterous parade has resulted in the senseless killing of one of their members. With Cebu City plagued by vigilante killings and the usual criminality, add fraternity rivals into this explosive situation, and it's no wonder why the Central Visayas has been dubbed as the most dangerous region in the country. For sure, Akrho would instantly blame its rival the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity for this killing and we can expect in the next few days another frat member killing in sweet revenge for the killing last Tuesday.

When will this all end? I know that Mayor Tomas Osmeña has stretched his hands and his patience in trying to use the energy of the youth for something productive. But as it seems, Akrho and Tau Gamma have become nothing but two mafia families, trying to kill each other in gangland fashion. I dare say that the City of Cebu should outlaw such fraternities who only worsen our crime statistics instead of helping our government curb violence.

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Didn't we tell you that the controversy hounding that proposed flyover along Juan Luna Ave. corner Cardinal Rosales has only been put on hold? Yes, no less than Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Director Robert Lala has come up with a statement that a flyover plan in Mabolo is still preferable to an underpass. In the first place, who asked the DPWH to put an underpass in that area? In the second place, why is it that the DPWH is exerting extra effort to put a flyover along that intersection when the clamor of the citizenry is to put it along Gov. Cuenco Ave. to A.S. Fortuna Ave.?

Director Lala warns that the realignment for this proposal would take months because they have to start from scratch. Indeed, they have to start from scratch so why is he wasting his time pushing for that unpopular Mabolo flyover? Is it because the contractor who already won this project has already "given" some kind of "cashabutan?" I'd advice the DPWH Regional Director to forget the Mabolo flyover and concentrate on putting one where the taxpayers want him to build - at the Foodland corner. There I assure him that there would be no controversy!

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Here's a letter sent to me for the DepED to please take note.

"Dear Sir, I am an avid reader of your column at The Freeman. I am sending you this mail because I would like to ask some assistance from your end. Kindly inform our new DEpeD secretary of the problem of our school, Tangke National High School Of Tangke, Talisay City, Cebu. I am about to graduate this schoo lyear. Since I enrolled at this school as a first year high school student, our school that time was housed at the barangay hall up to this time we are about to graduate.

We never tasted a real classroom for four years. Our teachers are trying their very best to give the education that we need. But our dream of staying in a real classroom has never been answered. I do not know why. We have already a school site in a sitio of Barangay Tanke. It is 1000 sq. meters and ready for any construction of school buildings, but when? Sir help us! Respectfully Yours, Aristotle Ariston.." Thanks Mr. Ariston, let's hope DepEd will read this.

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