Osmeña gloats: Enjoy the traffic

The private sector may have persuaded Malacanang to exempt it from a four-day holiday that takes effect during the Asean Summit in December but it is not out of the woods yet. It still has to deal with the dilemma of how to get workers to their work places.

That is because all of the so-called ceremonial routes reserved for the visiting dignitaries will be closed to motorists and pedestrians. The ripple effect of the closure is expected to create a massive gridlock that those who had been pushing for the holiday fear will bring the entire metropolis to a virtual standstill.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the one who sought the declaration of a holiday, shrugged his shoulders on learning of the Malacanang change of heart. " It's their decision. We will just work with their decision, " he said.

But the mayor cannot avoid being sarcastic. " Only time will tell if I was right or wrong. But now the public will really get to enjoy the traffic, " Osmeña said.

Police regional director Silverio Alarcio Jr. said the ceremonial roads leading to and from summit venues and hotels are to be closed for two hours each day at anytime between 7a.m. to 10 p.m.

Allan Suarez, president of Phil Export, demanded to know exactly when the closures take place in order to make the necessary adjustments but Alarcio said only the National Organizing Committee has the answer to that.

Suarez admitted the closures now pose as a major problem, especially for companies in the cities of Mandaue and Lapulapu. He said employees of these companies could get stranded and fail to report for work, defeating the purpose of having the holiday lifted for the private sector.

Malacanang has declared a holiday from December 11 to 14, but with the exemption of the private sector, the only ones covered by the holidays will be government workers and schools.

Suarez however said private firms are still willing to adjust to the closure so long as they are informed of the definite times.

" We are ready to adjust for as long as they tell us what time so that we can make adjustment in our working hours. We will have to make our own plans to adjust to the closure, " Suarez said.

Suarez said private firms are now looking at the possibility of providing temporary accommodations for their workers and let them stay in for the duration of the summit.

There are about 160,000 private firms located in the areas to be affected by the summit.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, co-chairman of the Cebu Organizing Committee, admitted having endorsed the concerns of the private sector regarding the holidays to Malacanang.

Alarcio said the police also had to readjust to the exemption, maintaining it would have been easier if the holiday applied to all sectors.