Wider F. Villa, T. Villa streets opened today

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama will lead the scheduled opening of the newly-completed and widened F. Villa and T. Villa Streets in Barangay T. Padilla at 11 am today and invited all barangay captains in the city to witness the event.

Cebu City Public Information Officer (PIO) Florito Dugaduga said the mayor wants the barangay captains to see the “beauty” in widening access roads in barangays.

Rama has lobbied for widening access roads in barangays up to 10 meters to make it easy for fire trucks to respond to emergency cases like in the event of a fire.

Close to 1,000 residential houses were razed by a fire that hit five sitios in Barangay T. Padilla last year because the responding fire trucks failed to penetrate the interior portion of the barangay because T. Villa and F. Villa Streets were still very narrow.

The incident prompted Rama to restore the previous wide road from M.J. Cuenco Avenue going to the interior portion of the barangay. Personnel from various City Hall departments worked double time to finish the widening project so that the road can be opened today.

Meanwhile, the mayor is still waiting for the report of City Fire Marshall Aderson Comar whom he directed to identify which urban barangays in the city should be prioritized as far as widening access roads is concerned.

When he assumed as Marshall late last year, Comar said the narrow access roads in the thickly-populated barangays in the city is a major factor why his men cannot immediately respond to fires in interior areas.

Now that T. Villa and F. Villa Streets are already wide, one problem that the city anticipates is residents in Barangay T. Padilla who own cars might utilize the roads as parking spaces.

Dugaduga said it is now the responsibility of the barangay’s officials to ensure that this does not happen.

“Kinahanglan tingali nga ang mga opisyal sa barangay mao nay molihok aron nga dili gamiton nga parking area sa mga sakyanan ang karsada, ilabi na panahon sa gabii,” the city spokesman said. – (FREEMAN)