Mayor is forced to be a good mayor

Yesterday, when I went to Barangay Paril (a village far from but still a part of our city), I saw a project that warmed my heart. I was pleased to see the concreting of a portion of the road nearing Sitio Baugo. In my rough estimate, the project would run about 120 meters. While that length could, indeed be, relatively short, the concrete road would replace that dangerous and jagged stretch I wrote about months ago such that this construction could be, in a manner of speaking, an answer to my column. For this reason, I should be grateful to the city administration.

 The present engineering effort might not approximate the technical demands of modern highway. I have seen how good roads are built - wide, carefully leveled or gently sloped. But, suffice it to say that it feels a need. When, completed, it will make it somehow easier for mountain people to come to the city bringing their products or doing some other business hereabout. Some residents, who are likely to benefit from the construction, are only thankful to His Honor, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. After all, to them, it is the first time ever in their lives that the city administration thought of attempting to provide them with a better road.

If only I had any access to Mayor Rama, I would whisper to him a Tagalog phrase. I like to recall it because it best represents my feeling. While hesitant to put it to print this because I am not sure if I am right, I find no better statement. "Lubos-lubosin nyo na lang, mayor" an unpolished translation of which could be "Pour it out" or"Give it everything you've got".

Yes, Mayor Rama, the width of the road looks to me as less than ideal. It is narrow. Why build such a narrow road defies reason. But, believe it or not mayor, it may be good enough at the moment. However, you have to make sure that the shoulder of the road is paved well. Such paving, in effect, extends the width and the extension it produces can provide two vehicles coming from opposite directions enough space.Better still mayor, please do not succumb to the temptation of putting up projects where your block of voters live. Projects should not be prioritized on the basis of election results. That idea always leads to disjointed roads in the mountain barangays.

About 100 meters before this span, mayor, there is a more terrible stretch of about 80 meters. It is not concreted nor asphalted. Going on a down slope, this road is in a state of disrepair. It allows only one vehicle, gingerly picking the spot, to travel on.The potholes are too deep and the boulders that were probably used as foundation of the road have started to protrude. If this portion of the road remains to be unattended to, it will make the present concreting job you are doing look fanciful, unreasonable and who knows, awful. The publicity gains you expect to reap from this on-going project will not materialize unless the nearer portion is also cemented.

Let us put that concreting project aside and delve into a theory. I dare say that we can only expect the best from the sitting mayor. The next two and a half years, Mayor Rama will do what former mayor Tomas Osmeña failed to achieve in almost two decades.

At the back of the mind of the incumbent, there is likelihood, no matter how remote, that an Osmeña will contest the mayoralty in 2013. He may be the congressman himself seeking to reclaim city hall or she may be the congressman's lady. Whatever be the case, the mayor will lose the support of most of the men and women at city hall and the officials in many barangays throughout the city. In that scenario and given the cowardice of the mayor, he will then oblige being asked to run as vice mayor again. But, if he values his honor so much, he will have to face an Osmeña as the opponent in which latter event, the need for him to be a good mayor now finds reason.