Wanted changes in our mass transit system

With gasoline prices on the rise once again, I don't see any hope for any reduction in world prices of crude. That means, diesel power generating units are no longer a cheap energy source and since we shunned nuclear energy when the Cory Regime came into power, that means for our energy needs, we have boxed ourselves into a small corner with only Geothermal energy and coal-fired plants as our only options left. Sure there's wind or solar power, but at this time they are still too expensive for a developing country like the Philippines. But wait! Didn't Alan Ortiz of Transco just announce that we wouldn't have power problems in the next five years? That means we have to see whether we need a coal-fired plant today or five years from now.

With high crude prices, I'm inclined to believe that this is also the right time to look for radical changes in our mass transit system, which today is still ruled by the jeepney, which if you did a little research you'll notice that the horsepower ratings of each jeepney is rated to carry even double the number of passengers... thus the jeepney is considered an uneconomical transportation system. The government must now bite the proverbial bullet and find other means of mass transportation system... a system that would not clog our traffic and would not cost much in terms of fuel cost.

Enter the AMA Holdings Corp. whose President Mr. Amable Aguiluz is proposing to build the projected US$ 622 million 18.4-kilometer mass rail transit system in Cebu. I don't know why all of a sudden this story came out in the news... when there really isn't anything there yet, but I do recall that this proposal was already on the table when retired Gen. Arturo Enrile was running the Department of Transportation and Communications until his untimely demise.

I'm not against the creation of a rail-based mass transit system for Cebu Province passing through Metro Cebu. What I'm against is that the planners in Manila are giving us the same people mover system that they have put in place in Metro Manila... a system that is losing money because it doesn't charge the right fares. We need a system that would be run like a real business so that it's fare structure won't be dependent on government subsidies, just like what is happening with the Light Rail Transit.

More importantly, we would like to have a rail-based system that would be run and operated by someone who is in the rail or train industry. I don't know what the AMA Group is into; I only know that they are not operating any railroad business. So what gives? Why should they be the ones to run the railroad for Cebu, because they're politically connected?

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A certain Bradley Steven who says he's from Guadalupe, e-mailed me about our article on Mama Mary last Thursday telling me how wrong I was in my assessment about the role of Mama Mary in God's salvation plan... that she was only "used" by God to bring our Lord Jesus into this earth. How can millions of Catholics be wrong and the estranged churches or sects right? He insist that Mama Mary was not sinless as we Catholics believe and my reply to that is another question, "If she was declared full of grace by the Angel Gabriel, how could there be room for sin?"

If you read 2 Samuel 6: 6 &7 take note that Uzzah who accompanied the Ark of the Covenant was killed instantly when the oxen stumbled and the Ark tilted. God killed Uzzah for his irreverence for touching the ark when it tilted. We believe that Mama Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant hence she had to be made sinless otherwise she would have also died.

Another misconception brought forth by Mr. Steven is that there is only one intercessor between God and man and that is Jesus Christ himself. The answer to that was in the Gospel reading yesterday on Luke 7: 1-10 a story all Christians know by heart about the Roman Centurion believing that God's word is enough to heal his slave. The Roman Centurion deemed himself unworthy to meet Jesus face-to-face sent emissaries (Jewish elders) to deliver his message to Jesus and because of his faith Jesus healed his slave. Now wasn't that a clear story of having an intercessor where our Lord Jesus responded to this by healing the slave without seeing the Roman officer?

Again, I'd like to point out to our readers that I don't intend to use this column for an endless debate against those who refuse to believe in the truth as taught by the Catholic Church. But I would never refuse to see anyone who wants to discuss this on a personal basis. So to Mr. Bradley Steven, call this an open invitation to a dialogue with our group so we can enlighten you to the truth from the perspective of the Catholic Church... that's if you're still searching for the truth and would be humble enough to accept it.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila's columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com