Barangay Paril is very near the city, but .

I have written a number of times on the same topic that I write today. It is about the miserable condition of a road somewhere between barangays Mabini and Paril this city. With all candidness, I hate doing this because there are many other things to scribble my thoughts on. Indeed, there are various concerns to speak about. But at the moment, this seems to be the only way I know to help bring to the attention of our city leadership the terrible state of disrepair of that road, so I will continue to write about it in the hope that something may be done by our authorities soon.

The few days leading to the last May elections (even with the election ban!), some work gangs were showing to our people that roads were being repaired. It was a projection of the administration that they were busy serving their constituencies. Yes, repairs could not wait till after elections because that was the clamor of the citizens! I could only shake my head to note that workers were overlaying asphalt on some portions of a short concrete road in Barangay Mabini. I knew it was a waste of resources to pour asphalt where it was not needed but that was the area where the barangay chieftain and many other voters were concentrated. And that was important.

To demonstrate a comparison, let me speak of my birthplace of Candijay, Bohol. This town is 92 kilometers east of the capital city of Tagbilaran. Without meaning to cast aspersion to the people of the town of my birth, that place is far removed from the center of civilization. There is a barangay in Candijay called Tambongan. It is located about 8 kilometers deep into the jungle part of the town. But, one does not reach this place following a very beautifully built highway. He has to peel off from the highway and turn towards the mountains.

In my boyhood days, I used to go to Tambongan. More often than not, we had to walk the distance because the only mode of motorized travel was via a cargo truck. And the trip was not available everyday. The road being barely passable then, no enterprising businessman would put his bus there. That explained why there were no passenger buses going to and from that place.

So, when I visited Tambongan was few years ago, I expected a hell of a travel. The years did not move the barrio closer to Tagbilaran (of course). It still was a 100 kilometers from the city. I braced myself for a bumpy travel over unpaved road. To anticipate an off road kind of a trip, I took my Land Cruiser. But, I was wrong.

That trip was most pleasurable. In all the years that I have not gone home to Candijay, the provincial and municipal leaders have done great wonders. They must have put the interests of the people of Tambongan close to their hearts. It was evidenced by the fact that the road to that mountain barangay was better, a lot better, than the road to our barangay Paril that I reached my destination in no time at all.

Paril, on the other hand, is one of the 80 barangays of Cebu City. It is located very near to the downtown. By my recollection, the distance from the Cebu City hall to Paril is no more than 26 kilometers.

In going to Paril, using the backside of Barangay Binaliw, the road is as treacherous as that of Manipis en route to Toledo City. It is very narrow and when one miscalculates, there is nothing to protect him from falling directly to the ravine hundreds of meters below. Beyond Barangay Mabini proper, the road is full of deep ruts and jagged rocks. It is thus understandable that a 20-kilometer trip to Paril, from my home, takes more than one hour where, in comparison, my travel to Tambongan from Poblacion Candijay lasted for a few minutes.

It goes without saying that if the administration of His Honor, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to show to his constituents that he will not just put all of his attention to the SRP, he better start making the road to Paril as pleasurable as that one to Tambongan.