It seems that the Lapu-Lapu statue issue refuses to die down and it is only due to many indignant Cebuanos who go out of their way to fight anyone who wants to remove the Lapu-Lapu statue erected at the Agrifina Circle in the Luneta, which was a gift by the Korean Freedom League in honor of the Filipino soldiers who fought and died during the Korean War. In response to our columns on this issue, no less than former Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon replied to our commentary. Here’s his letter in full:
“Bobit, Sorry for the delay. I had my staff research the antecedents. The attachments clearly show Mayor Radaza was enticed to “accept “the transfer by DOT and NHI which even says Lapu-Lapu desecrates the National Park in Luneta. President Diosdado Macapagal is in front of Lapu-Lapu along with many other heroes aligned together at the park.
It is imperial Manila all over again. There are thousands of monuments of Rizal all over the country, I do not think if Rizal was alive, he’d mind being with the nation’s original defender of freedom. What a travesty. Of course taxpayer ‘s money or DAP money ha ha will be used by DOT and NHI to initiate the transfer. Oh well. If we cannot stand to right our history and give honor to our hero, let us just return Lapu-Lapu to Korea. He is far more respected there than in Manila and in our country. Dick.”
At this point, Mayor Paz Radaza can still save her face by telling the officials of the Department of Tourism and the National Historical Institute that she has changed her mind… that there is no spot available to place the Lapu-Lapu statue in Mactan Island. With that said, it would mean that the DOT or the NHI would have a problem where to put the Lapu-Lapu statue and keep it there. Of course, Dick Gordon’s letter falls short of telling me the names of the persons responsible for asking Mayor Radaza to accept the Lapu-Lapu statue. So until I get their names we will leave this issue for a while. But it certainly ain’t over yet!
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I have been out as chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management for nearly 9 years now (though I returned as a director in the years 2007-2010) so it is the first time that I heard of a group that calls itself the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper and Operators Nationwide–Cebu. Gone are the old names and the people I used to deal with.
But no matter, their planned transport strike fizzled out, barely able to paralyze 30 percent of the Ibabao-Estancia route in Mandaue City for two hours during a protest against the local and national governments, including the controversial Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 which prescribes stiffer penalties for traffic violators. But PISTON itself admits that only 10% of its members joined the planned protest strike.
Frankly speaking… it just gets my guts that we Filipinos cannot even solve simple problems such as disciplining erring motorists. Yes, I’m not only talking about those militant jeepney drivers… the taxicab drivers and, yes, even privately owned vehicles are notorious traffic violators.
As reported in The Freeman, among the demands of PISTON-Cebu is for the Mandaue City Council to pass a resolution in support of the drivers plea to scrap the controversial order, designate area for loading and unloading, stop the rerouting that was made without prior consultation, punish the abusive traffic enforcers, and for traffic chief Edwin Ermac to resign.
Just imagine what would happen to Mandaue’s bad traffic if Mayor Jonas Cortes agreed to their demands? How lawless can these people get? Don’t they know or even realize that in this country, getting a driver’s license is a privilege granted by the State? It is not a right… no sir! How dare they demand for the resignation of Mandaue’s traffic czar?
The jeepney has been with us since the end of World War II. It was the perfect public transportation for a devastated Philippines. But in today’s modern world… it is time for the jeepney to be in a garage permanently. Unfortunately, we still cannot find a suitable replacement for the jeepney, which is why it is still with us at this time. But have you ever examined our jeepneys today? A great majority of them are old and decrepit…and should never be allowed to serve the public until they are fixed.
As for traffic penalties… we don’t need to increase them. However we must put a cap on recidivists. A recidivist is someone who repeats his undesirable behavior. Remember a traffic violation is a crime and I dare say to our lawmakers that it is high time to put a cap on repeat offenders.
In the United States, there is what they call a “Strike Three you’re out! Policy” If you violate traffic rules three times in a year, your driver’s license is taken away from you for six months. This is something that we should be doing for all motorists. But then it can’t happen under this highly-centralized form of government. But when we become Federal we can do it!