Time to put a flyover in Minglanilla

Allow me to make this sorrowful announcement of the passing to eternal life of my first cousin, Alfonso “Ponsoy” Avila Cañizares. He was a couple of months shy of his 61st birthday. Ponsoy was a year younger than me… so we automatically became the “barkada” of our generation…although we were not classmates…we were schoolmates. This is why his friends were also my friends. Last Jan. 1, we were supposed to visit him in the hospital…but Ponsoy knows too well that I would rather remember him alive than emaciated.

Because we went with the same circle of friends… we were the only ones in the Avila clan who smoked (I smoke a pipe) and drank hard liquor and yes, we shared the same love for poker. I cannot talk about the yesteryears without men-tioning Ponsoy who was not only a cousin, but also our neighbor in Mango Ave. Yes, One Mango was once our family residence. My last conversation with him was about the Lord… where I asked him if he was prepared to go… and he gave me an affirmative answer. This is why, his bereaved wife, Lulette Gorospe Cañizares told me that when he passed away… he was smiling. This is what is called a holy death… as he was truly prepared to go.

Ponsoy was a true blue member and past President of Maginoo Lions Club as he followed the lines of his father, former Councilor Diego Cañizares, who even had the Lion’s symbol in their front yard. Of course, the rest of the Avila clan became Rotarians. Ponsoy’s passing brings down our generation of Avilas from 13 to 11. The first among our cousins to go was the late Mrs. Adelina Cañizares-Suaco.

Few people know that Atty. Diego Cañizares married Tita Mercedes Avila and had three children, Isidoro, Adelina and Corito. When Tita Cedes passed away, Tito Diego married the younger sister, Remedios “Tita Meding” Avila-Cañizares. This is why Doring is the eldest in the Cañizares clan, while Ponsoy is the youngest. They are brothers and at the same time cousins.

The Year 2013 just started… and we’re now mourning the loss of Ponsoy... because we will certainly miss his company and above all, his jokes. But to all our comfort… he died with the picture of the Virgin of Perpetual Help in front of him and the prayers of the Divine Mercy in his lips. This is why my faith tells me that he is now with our Lord Jesus Christ and of course, back to his father, Tito Diego, and Tita Meding and our grandpa Don Jose Avila.

Ponsoy’s remains are at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Nivel Hills. Interment will be on Sunday, Jan. 13 at the Cebu Memorial Park (Cempark) after the 1:00pm mass at the Redemptorist Church. May we request the pious reader to please pray for the repose of his soul.

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Death seems to have come early this year. We rode our bikes to Toledo City last Saturday to ride to Bacolod City and it was then I learned about the passing of famous radio broadcaster and newscaster and former Councilor and later former Vice Mayor of Cebu City,  Vicente “June” Kintanar, Jr. As I do not believe in visiting two wakes at the same time, since his wake was just beside the wake of my cousin, Ponsoy, I dropped by for my prayers. My family’s heartfelt condolences to Lee and his children. May we also request the pious reader to please pray for the repose of his soul.

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I spent the weekend on a big bike ride from Cebu to Bacolod with a group of friends since I’ve not been back to Bacolod for sometime now. I learned for instance that they already have a flyover… and like here in Cebu…the oppositors to the flyover were the business people whose businesses would be affected not only during the construction, but also because traffic would be rerouted along the route of the flyover. This was reported to me by my good friend, Philip Garcia of Thunderbugs during breakfast in Kundotel last Sunday morning.

If there is anything that I truly admire with the streets of Bacolod City, it is that the main streets are so wide, while the side streets are just as wide as Cebu’s main streets. Yet despite the wide streets, traffic is already starting to get bad in Bacolod City. This is my proof that even if we had wide roads… when the road capacity to handle cars reach its limits… it becomes a parking lot for vehicles. This is why traffic management is a must… and above all, motorists must realize that they only have a privilege… not a right to drive our streets.

Finally, as we got back to Cebu… we got stuck on one of the worst traffic jams that seem to be the daily fare in the town of Minglanilla. I dare say that it is time to put a flyover in that main road. Surely no one would dare oppose Rep. Eddie Gullas if he gets this project prioritized. It’s either a flyover or a bypass road, which would cost more. So think about it.

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