BF wants more Pasig bridges to ease traffic

BAD INTELLIGENCE: By this time, the US should have dumped the Iraqi exiles who gave exaggerated intelligence that their compatriots back home were just dying to see Americans liberating them from the clutches of Saddam Hussein.

These Iraqi political foes of Saddam orbiting in the Washington-New York area should be hauled back to the desert to endure the punishment that the US liberation forces have had to endure as a result of faulty strategy calculations.

These Iraqi adventurers have been lobbying for choice slots in the US-sponsored government being cobbled to run Iraq once Saddam is eliminated. While waiting for their reward, they try to be useful to America.

American forces – with British troops embedded with them – were expecting to be embraced by welcoming Iraqis in the communities they had passed as they race from Kuwait across the desert to some 100 kilometers south of the Iraqi capital.

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DESERT LIFE: After 11 days, nothing of that sort has happened. What happened was that pockets of resistance harassed the advancing US forces, threatened their vital logistical life support stretched in a thin line through 500 kms of open space.

The army is said to crawl on its stomach. When troops advance, especially if they are American boys, the supplies to sustain the kind of life they have been accustomed to must be close behind them.

Aside from the troops, there are the tanks and the rest of the gas-guzzling rolling stock to maintain. Just as important as the warplanes, tanks and missiles are the kitchen, the water tanks, fuel tankers, and all the amenities of American military life.

The tanks and the rest of the armor, with tired troops dug in nearby, are now parked outside Baghdad while the generals argue revisions of the plans. The rethinking of the war plan has resulted in the mustering of reinforcements from the US mainland.

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FRAYED NERVES SHOWING: On TV screens all over the world, meanwhile, key US officials are seen losing their temper as they answer questions about their war threatening to go awry.

That public show of irritation is bad as it indicates that they may be losing their grip on things.

On the other side, the supposed Evil One in Baghdad (if indeed he is still there) appears to be reaping sympathy in the Arab world for standing up to America and highlighting Arab pride and bravery.

Consumed by arrogance of power, American officials have failed to catch this dangerous drift of the political aspects of the US invasion of Iraq. The Cabinet alter egos of George W. Bush are now openly threatening Syria and Iran – recklessly or deliberately, we don’t know.

Deliberate or not, such warlike declarations are likely to inflame Arabs and Muslims. They could just galvanize Arab unity in fighting off what is perceived as a US-Israeli conspiracy to subdue the Arabs.

Some crazed Arab leader – who could be a Saddam pushed to the wall – may just take advantage of the outrage and hit Israel. The moment Israel retaliates with characteristic ferocity, that could well be the signal for a pan-Arab coalition to join the war.

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CEASEFIRE A WAY OUT?: These complications are bound to happen because of the shaky legal and moral foundation of the US invasion of Iraq. Bush’s declaration that he wants his opposite number in Baghdad eliminated did not help to legitimize the attack.

Whatever we think of Saddam, based mostly on what the western press has been feeding the world, is irrelevant.

Iraq, a full-fledged member of the United Nations, is a sovereign state. It has not committed any act of aggression against the US and does not pose an imminent threat to Americans.

It is not unlikely, but suppose the US suddenly comes to its senses and wants to cease hostilities in the meantime, how can this be done? There are many ways actually, but it is too early to discuss them here.

Some observers say halting the invasion is unthinkable since it would mean loss of face for Bush. On the contrary, a ceasefire could be a face-saving device under controlled circumstances, and is a far better scenario than a Vietnam type of defeat.

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MORE PASIG BRIDGES: Hounded by horrendous traffic in the heart of the metropolis, the government is planning to build more bridges across the Pasig River to ease congestion at peak hours.

Of the four bridges on the drawing board, MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando – who is concurrently public works secretary – wants to build first the long-proposed bridge from Estrella St. in Makati to the opposite bank in Mandaluyong.

Studies on traffic volume and flow in the vicinity have shown that Estrella is an ideal point for absorbing vehicle buildup between Makati and Mandaluyong that are now linked only by the Guadalupe bridge on EDSA and the span at the north end of Makati ave. in Makati.

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READY BY YEAREND: Bayani wants the Estrella bridge ready before the end of the year. Can it be done on such short notice?

Yes, according to Waagner-Biro, an Austria firm that has been building permanent steel bridges in priority areas all over the country under the President’s bridges program financed by a P6-billion soft loan from Austria.

These Austrian-designed steel spans are not the rickety Bailey bridge type sometimes thrown across rivers as temporary measure, but they do not cost much more. The cost has been reduced because the Austrian spans are modular types and assembled with ease.

While the steel components are supplied from Austria, Waagner-Biro has seen to it that civil works are done by local governments or agencies under their supervision. Wagner-Biro Philippines president Helmut Wuzela said the arrangement facilitates technology transfer and cuts costs further.

Wuzela said that if the yearend completion target is to be met, work must start very soon. The financing is there, the bridge components are already in the country and soil tests have been completed. He said that once the go-signal is given, work can start in earnest.

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