By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The traffic along Marcos Highway last weekend was hell. It extended beyond Poyopoy, Tuba which is about 20 kilometers away. It was crawling for hours and hours. Starting just about after lunch, it started to move only at around 10p.m. or almost midnight. Marcos Highway known to many as the only way to enter the city from Manila as Kennon Road was closed just could not take the sudden influx of so many vehicles, mostly of local tourists.
The circumferential roads could have helped in the absorption of the vehicles if there were nice billboards telling the out of towners of other routes entering the city proper. But no billboards, of which we had been talking about since many moons ago.
How about at Pugo, La Union where travelers from Metro Manila enters the Marcos Highway, were there enough notices or informants to tell those arriving of the existence of an alternate road through the nearby town of Tubao that goes through Asin and Nangalisan, Tuba and comes out at Naguilian Road, San Roque, Baguio City? We actually don’t know but from the looks of the number of vehicles that clogged Marcos Highway, we very much doubt it.
And as visitors enter the city limit at Tuba, the transfer site of garbage from the city stinks to high heavens. So many old timers who had been coming to the city would have winched due to the stench, perhaps muttering, whatever happened to the supposed City of Pines?
On other days, visitors to the city would be surprised that “there is no truck ban” during rush hours. Of course, there is. But you see all sorts of trucks around during those hours as if there was no truck ban. Has the city become a no man’s land? Where are the city officials? Out politicking?
These issues are not minor ones. They reflect a lot on how the city is going. . . . . . . going, gone? Hopefully these will not be blown up and become an election issue against incumbents for there are so many in office who should not be affected by the incompetence of a few bureaucrats.
Of course, we will see. Sadly, it will be too late for some.
Then again there is that forever nagging question. Who are benefitting from the influx of tourists at the expense of local residents who suffer the most? The beneficiaries are owners of businesses catering to tourists like restaurants and hotels, gas stations, souvenir item stores, vegetable dealers along the way, etc.
How about the local general populace? They suffer a lot during such times and only gain minimally, if at all. Not just due to the traffic and the pollution and high temperature caused by uncountable vehicles. Water becomes scarce, business processes slowdown because of the difficulty of moving around, and the prices of many commodities go up, etc. In return what do they gain? Not much which are, not commensurate to the suffering they always have to endure.
Hopefully, this will also not become an election issue which will be to the disadvantage of many incumbents.
As I write this, a text message arrived. There will be a press conference on Cordillera autonomy the next day. Obviously, it was meant to inspire people to go for autonomy.
Despite the supposed many benefits we will reap if autonomy were granted the region, we are sure that like Baguio festivities that draw tourists but causes a lot of suffering to the people, a lot of Cordillerans are asking the question, “What is in it for me?” Will we the ordinary citizens realize any benefit? Or will only a few (the politicians specially) amass the bulk of the goodies that autonomy will bring?
Whatever the proponents might feel regarding this concern, whether or not it is stupid, if the people are not convinced that they will be better off with autonomy, they will not support it. Apathy will be their attitude, at best.
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