Mayor Jonas Cortes’ first day in office on July 2, was without fanfare and frills. Just an endless queue of greetings and courtesy calls, kibitzers, prospective job seekers, hasty meetings and decisions with his official family. This carried over to the second day, and probably still onward. On the wings with the close-in circle, were Attys. Briccio Boholst as City Administrator and Omar Redula as City Attorney, now able wingmen of new “top gun” Jonas, to borrow an air force lingo.
On July 3, one eked out a brief interview with the busy Mayor. While most of the public concerns have already been aired, nonetheless one requested confirmation right from the horses’ mouth. At random now, here’s the score...
On traffic management, Mayor Jonas’ foresight had wisely anticipated his baptism of fire into the traffic problem. He had timely coordinated with the Mandaue PNP, Mayor Osmeña’s CITOM, and the barangay captains and, came up with the yellow-clad “Volunteers” many of whom are barangay tanods, now daily manning the traffic flow from morning until evening since then. From these “Volunteers” may emerge the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) after passing muster and evaluation of their EQ, proficiency, and other screening criteria.
P/Insp. Edwin Ermac who did good in rationalizing vehicle traffic in Lapu-Lapu City is being tapped now. So, instead of the PNP detaching itself from traffic enforcement as has been observed here and elsewhere, the Mandaue PNP including all its satellite stations shall henceforth actively coordinate and jointly work with TEAM, just at it used to be in Mayor Boy Cortes’ time.
Incidentally, Mayor Jonas is determined to restore the long-busted automatic traffic signal lights at strategic street intersections. “The more automatic traffic lighting facilities, the smoother traffic flow with much lesser manpower”, is how he summed it up.
On the City Hall-Church premises: The young mayor will make good his word to restore the connecting street from Tribunal northward to Ibabao and that one historically fronting the church down to the “Bantayan sa Hari” in Looc. This necessitates removal of the barriers installed by the previous administration that have constricted the ingress and egress of the Saint Joseph National Shrine, and also the City Hall itself.Clearing these street barriers without any court action is legally an abatement of a nuisance per se, in order to restore the two public roadways long existing since time immemorial. The flimsy and whimsical excuse in the name of alleged beautification is an outright balderdash.
On the Mandaue City College: For the benefit of its students whose classes are scattered here and there - the MCC without school plant of its own - and without a working administration to supervise, the Mayor decisively opted to install Dr. Susana B. Cabahug to oversee MCC.
To recall, its allegedly arrogant previous head didn’t cooperate with then acting mayor Ading Seno and the outgoing board of trustees, resulting in the declaration of MCC administrative positions as vacant. The pendency of court action questioning such decision is still pending resolution. Meantime, the welfare of the students who are in mid-course can’t just be ignored; otherwise, they end up like newly hatched chicks without the cuddling hen or “himongaan”.
On the barangay consultations: To give flesh to his policy of consultative and participatory administration, and in line with the oft-quoted catchphrase of “bringing the government to the people”, Mayor Jonas and his department heads will be conducting consultative meetings with the constituents at their doorsteps. He’ll do it regularly at two-week intervals, or two barangays a month to cover.
Indeed, there’s no simpler and more salutary tribute to the barrio folk who will be at home to bare their hearts out and sound off their minds openly - even in their threadbare shorts and old flip-flops - about their problems and aspirations, than informal sessions in their home grounds.(To be continued)