Rama: Halt road repairs

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered all road development works in the city to stop starting January 9 to make way for the activities of the Sinulog celebration.

January 9 is also the day the Sinulog 2015 festivities will be launched by the city government.

“All areas should be open, passable, and without any libaong because that is the launching of Sinulog,” he said.

He said that before halting operations, companies or agencies undertaking the road development should make sure that these roads are passable.

“They have to stop, but before stopping they have to restore approximately that it can be passable,” he said, adding that the unfinished roads should be asphalted to avoid potholes and rough roads during the festivities.

Road rehabilitation projects can resume on January 20, he said.

Rama is referring to the ongoing rehabilitation of road sections at the North Reclamation Area, V. Rama Avenue and S. Osmeña Boulevard, among others.

He said that he will be sending copies of his order to the Department of Public Works and Highways-7 and the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Rama also directed Cebu City Traffic Operations Management to deve-lop a strategy on managing the traffic situation before and during the celebration in the city.

CITOM executive director Victor Caindec said that CITOM is still handling traffic situation in the city in crisis mode following the holidays.

Caindec said that CI-TOM has been undertaking several adjustments in the city such as parking confi-gurations, rerouting schemes, flashing traffic lights and other road experiments to have better traffic flow.

Rama also urged the public to be patient.

“Sinulog is not me, it is us. …I need everybody’s help because Sinulog is us. This is our Sinulog. Let’s all contribute to make it successful,” he said.

He also said that everyone should continue to be vigilant during the celebration.  —/BRP (FREEMAN)