Time for LTO-7 to have its own offices
If there is something that Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum Jr. said, it is the realization that the Philippines remains unprepared for major catastrophes such as Typhoon Ompong, a government official has admitted. It reminds me of what then Pres. PNoy Aquino and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas did just a day before Super Typhoon Yolanda struck Tacloban City. If I wrote what I wrote at that time, I’d ran out of space to write. Let’s just admit that Super Typhoon Yolanda showed to the world how incompetent was the government of then Pres. PNoy Aquino, III and nothing much has changed.
Phivolcs Director Solidum made this observation on how we dealth with Typhoon Ompong. Indeed, first and foremost was how Filipinos adopted that CNN Fake news report that a storm with the same degree as Yolanda was headed our way. No one realized that this was fake news plus the fact that PAGASA did not have a similar weather report or warning. Solidum also said, “I think we will find out that many of our preparedness are for lightweight disasters. We need to prepare for the large-scale ones.”
After studying what Super Typhoon Yolanda has done, including the previous typhoons like super typhoon Ruping. I suggested to our congressmen that each congressional district should construct a facility that would house supplies, like food or water, including mechanized wood cutters and hoses that would be constructed one floor below the surface. Such a typhoon facility can be constructed in each congressional district and filled with the necessary supplies. If and when there is no typhoon, come Christmas time, the supplies can be used for Christmas celebrations and replenished so that they are always a year ready for any eventuality.
I wrote that article right after super typhoon Yolanda struck Tacloban but, to date, I haven’t heard of any congressional district create such a facility, which in my book is already a necessity especially in typhoon ravaged areas. I guess that Director Solidum was totally right when he accused the Philippines of not being ready for all the coming storms heading our way. I understand that there are five more before the year ends.
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As I have already expected, Mayor Tomas Osmeña has ordered the Land Transportation Office-7 regional offices to vacate the city-owned property along N. Bacalso Avenue. The mayor warned, “Vacate or face demolition,” in his letter to LTO-7 Director Victor Caindec dated September 11, 2018. The city gave LTO 30 days to vacate and 10 days to respond to the notice. The mayor said the city will use the lot to expand the new Cebu City Medical Center, which is now under construction.
Honestly, I really don’t know why the Department of Transportation (DOTr) didn’t find its own building here in Region-7. Mind you, this is not the first time that the City of Cebu threatened to remove the LTO regional offices. During my time as CITOM chief, there was a letter that rescinded all delegated authority by the LTO signed by an assistant secretary. That meant that Cebu’s CITOM was included in that order so the only way we could counter to the LTO to resume CITOM’s authority to apprehend violators was to demand for the removal of the LTO office which sits on a property owned by the City of Cebu. That did it!
Of course during the many meetings I have made with LTO Assistant Director Alita Pulga, I asked her why the head office did not come up with its own building? Of course the DOTC at that time returned CITOM’s deputization and the issue was over. But since Mayor Osmeña has been at odds with LTO-7 Director Caindec, I would like to believe that this issue would end up with the LTO moving out of its offices.
For so many years, Mayor Osmeña had the support of Malacañang from the time of then President Cory Aquino to President PNoy Aquino, which is why the LTO-7 office was never threatened with explusion. But this time things are totally different, Mayor Osmeña is publicly at odds with LTO-7 Director Caindec and he has been publicly humiliated not once, but twice by Pres. Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte. This gives us an idea of the things that could be coming the way of the Ce-bu City mayor. This is something we Cebuanos do not cherish, but unfortunately have to live with!
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