On our way to Paril

Paril, a mountain barangay which is a part of the north district of Cebu City, is less than 30 kilometers away from the city hall. A good amount of the “paliya” and the “batong” sold at the Carbon market is produced by the hardworking farmers there. If anyone desires to buy his paliya and batong at source, so to speak, he can make barangay Pit-os, where the Cebu International School is situated, as his jump off point. From that starting location, Paril is, after passing Binaliw and Mabini, just about 15 kilometers, more or less.

To grasp an idea of how far Paril is from Pit-os, we can draw a picturesque comparison by referring to the distance between Plaza Independencia, as a start and the junction of the South Coastal Road (SCR) at Barangay Lawa-an, in Talisay City as the end, which is less than 15 kilometers. The many among us who use the SCR negotiate the comparative route in about ten minutes. On this basis, we may also think that it takes us just about 15 minutes to go to Paril, commencing from Pit-os. The trip may even be shorter considering that the volume of vehicle going to and coming from that mountain barangay may not be huge.

That, unfortunately, is not the case. Travelling to Paril, in spite of the short distance, is not as quick. It actually takes almost an hour. More so, if we emanate from downtown area. In my estimate, it will take us about two hours to reach Paril embarking from the city hall.

This trip takes a long time because the road is not of the ideal kind. My description is generous, to be sure. Thanks, however, to Sen. Pres. Manuel Villar, the length from Pit-os to Binaliw is concrete. Of course, many nitpickers will argue that this concreting project is spawned by the marketing needs of a memorial park owned by the senator, but, to me, it does not matter. As long as some public good is achieved, that is enough.

Beyond the private cemetery at Binaliw, the trip to Paril is on a narrow and perilous avenue. Not far from the Binaliw elementary school, for instance, the road which does not have any protective railing at all, is bordered by a very deep ravine. The precipice is so steep that it looks chiseled from the mountain by an unseen hand. What else can I tell you but warn that combination of the narrow road and the depth of the ravine is a horrible formula for a tragic accident?

True, there are short stretches of asphalt and concrete along the way to Barangay Mabini. But the major part of the distance is full of ruts of all kinds and holes of indescribable sizes. The rains in the last few days have left even deeper furrows such that driving five kilometers per hour is already a luxury.

When they bring down to the market their produce, today, they anticipate a long travel. To complicate their situation, they have to wait for an even longer time for a public conveyance. When the ride arrives, they squeeze their bodies into limited spaces.

Actually, the mountain folks have adopted themselves to the risks and delays of their travel which are attendant to this anomalous road condition. Most of the people I have the chance to exchange views with, do not complain anymore. They are atrophied. At best, shall I say that they have grown accustomed to this form of government neglect? After all, this has been their situation since the first time I visited their barangay about two decades ago.

   If these upland residents do not resent anymore to the callous minds of our leaders, what the heck do I complain?

   I write of the hazards of a trip to Paril as a specific example of the general condition of the roads to the mountain barangays. May our government leaders give the mountain folks what is due them. A good road is what they need. By building a better avenue, not necessarily a wide four lane highway, we invariably push the dwellers in the mountains to be more productive. The many patches of uncultivated land will just have to be tilled by more eager hands because they know very well that with better road, it is less cumbersome (and more profitable) for them to bring their products to the lowland. In the process, we improve their lives. After all, isn’t this what our elected leaders say every election period?

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