As he prepares for his second term, the list of projects is long for Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to prioritize. Since the city is bracing for the onslaught of flashfloods this rainy season, he can continue his drainage improvement project in flood-prone areas.
In his first term, Rama kicked off with his beautification program. Under the project, major streets around the city would undergo rehabilitation. Now both sidewalks of Osmeña Boulevard, from the Provincial Capitol to Sanciangko Street, which made as the project's pilot area, were already improved and beautified.
Road widening is also an important issue that calls for immediate attention of the city government under Rama's fresh mandate. For years, the riding public has long been complaining about the city's narrow roads, which have been the cause of the worsening traffic problem in the city.
However, there is one problem that the mayor should prioritize. And this concerns those homeless people living in the streets. This problem has been going on for years but has never been solved.
Cebuanos have been used to the sight of these homeless people lying in the streets begging for food and money from pedestrians. In fact, our being God-fearing drove us to become tolerant of their presence, especially since the government has never been attending to their plight.
But they have become eyesores that would sometimes turn into predators, robbing visitors and stealing goods from sidewalk stores. Police records in uptown area are replete with complaints from foreign tourists, the favorite victims of street children.
Now it's time for Rama to deal with this concern with some toughness. This problem is a tough nut to crack. He can never solve it unless he musters enough political will.
Clearing the streets of those homeless people requires great effort not only from the city but from the national agencies as well. If Rama wants his beautification program to succeed, he should consider as top priority the solution to this problem.