An earlier sulagma took place towards the end of 2003. By my perception, it happened in anticipation of the 2004 elections, when our beloved congressman, riding on the coat tails of Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, made himself visible in the launching of a multi-million peso project. A flyover was to be put up at the corner of Escario Street and Archbishop Reyes Avenue, here in Cebu City. In fact, he added a word or two ostensibly to justify the project in the face of mounting criticisms that there were more needful matters which were left uncared for.
Another sulagma happened few months prior to the 2001 elections. In that event, our representative also played host to a presscon announcing the construction of a very expensive flyover at the corner of Arch. Reyes Avenue and San Jose de la Montaña (Juan Luna Ave.) That project itself was unique because while originally conceived to cross Arch. Reyes, it was eventually redirected. Also, instead of observing the rule that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the flyover was planned to be lengthy by following a curve. Well, anyway, discussion is here now moot and academic.
Incidentally, that flyover at Arch. Reyes necessitated the expropriation of some private lands which stood to be affected. After the government was allowed to take possession of the properties involved, construction went on. For the record, the sum deposited was just ten percent of the value pegged by the government and which was, of course, much lower than what the owners expected as the fair market value. I do not want to call it simply as sulagma because I really felt it to be a travesty of injustice, that the landowners have yet to be paid the full value of the land. I am told that our Cong. Del Mar, shortly after the start of the construction, assured the landowners that they would be paid. That promise was made many years ago and has remained unfulfilled.
It is laudable to launch projects which attract attention. We, the constituents want to see that our leaders return to us the taxes that we paid although, if you look at the bill boards proclaiming the constructions of these projects, you will agree with me that they are so described to make us believe that the funds for all of them come from the pockets of our leaders. The inaccuracy of the description which tends to mislead us is purely sulagma. Incidentally, in anticipation of the ASEAN summit, some of our roads got paved. Those where the expected participants were supposed to pass through were attended to in such a blinding speed that led us to think that if government really would want to, our roads could be quickly repaired. But, because we are accustomed to seeing slow progress of work, that experience was sulagma
As regards to the roads which were paved for he ASEAN summit, the face of the honorable president adorns the billboards announcing that these were Malacañang initiated projects. Curiously though, they contain appendages. Nailed to the bottom of these boards are words proclaiming that these projects were undertaken through the efforts of our representative. By this addition, our president is made a liar because it seems untruthful for her to claim origin of these improvements. Why should she claim origin of these road repair projects when, as the said appendages suggested, our congressman did it? Sulagma?