No, let's not hear from Young
The editorial in this paper last Friday suggested we give a listen to the ideas of Cebu City councilor Joy Young. "Let's hear Young's ideas," it said. The editorial was in response to Young's criticism of President Duterte's pledge, given during the Sinulog, to look for funds to fasttrack rail projects in Cebu to help ease its worsening traffic problems.
Apparently, Young does not believe rail projects will solve Cebu's traffic problems because, according to him, they have not solved similar problems in Manila. First of all, I think the editorial writer must have been joking, or was not really serious about listening to what Joy Young had to say about how to solve the traffic mess that is Cebu.
For why would anybody give a damn about what Young has to say? Even granting Young had a Hail Mary's shot at a brilliant idea, which I don't think he has, it still will not make a wee bit difference. He is just a councilor. In the grand scheme of things, he is too far removed from where things of real consequence are decided. In other words, it is not up to Young to make things happen.
Listening to someone of no real significance is a complete waste of time, especially at a time of great urgency such as when in the middle of a traffic crisis. This is not meant as an insult to Young. It is just that, as the pieces stand on the checkerboard, he is simply out of the grid. Besides, Young's comments about Duterte's pledge regarding Cebu's traffic mess, started off on the wrong premise.
If I got the story right, Duterte promised to look for funds to facilitate and speed up pending Cebu rail projects "to help ease" the traffic crisis. I did not read anywhere that he promised "to solve" the problem. Where Young got the idea that Duterte promised "to solve" the problem, only Young himself knows. But surely it did not come from the horse's mouth.
Rather than paying attention to what Young has to say on a matter that requires national government attention, Cebuanos should instead keep a close watch on whether or not Duterte keeps his word on the matter. Cebuanos should hold Duterte to his promise, not only because he made it, but more importantly because only the president hold the key to easing up the mess.
Unlike Congress which is sometimes too independent or too partisan for anyone's good, the president can, with executive action and political will, truly make things happen. And there is little doubt that this president, with a political will bordering on the stubborness of a horse, can make things happen. That is why the more he is criticized, the more he stays popular, at least according to the surveys.
There is also another reason why confidence levels should stay high on the matter of Duterte taking cognizance of Cebuano interests. Because he himself is a Cebuano. His father Vicente was a mayor of Danao City, and brother to Ramon Duterte, a mayor of Cebu City. Ramon's son Ronald, first cousin to the president, also became mayor of Cebu City. So let us wait and see. Even Young should do the same.
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