Something's wrong
with our officials

One can only suspect that our city officials are either deaf or simply blind. Including, of course, barangay officials.

That was the point raised to me by former Councilor Patty Cuaycong, yesterday. That was exactly the same question I have been asking just a few days ago when I noted the return of baby buses along Sixth Street and Lopez Jaena of the Capitol Shopping Center.

In fairness to the city officials, there was only one more bus there yesterday, I suspect that traffic aides must have already told them off after my exposé the previous days that they had re-converted the area into a North terminal after they had been driven off it for a time.

But the case mentioned by Patty is something else. This is the case of the stores (two actually) being built over the canal of Burgos Street right in front of the house of Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod City).

For the past week, Patty had called the office of Barangay Captain Drebbie Las Pinas to report the ongoing construction and to put a stop to them.

But the first time, she was passed to three persons. The last reportedly the executive secretary told her to submit her complaint in writing.

Yesterday, a friend and neighbor called her and asked Patty whether she had noticed the ongoing construction and whether she had notified the barangay authorities about them.

“I was surprised, I did not know that she was just as concerned as I was that the work should be stopped before the stores could become operational,” was how Patty put it.

It seems that when she called up the office of City Legal Officer Allan Zamora, Patty said, she was informed to go the office and submit her complaint in writing.

The problem she had earlier submitted piles written complaints to CLO Zamora and these had not been acted upon.

The thing to do is for the city officials, including the Villamonte barangay captain, to just go to the area and see for themselves that the law is being violated.

And that's the reason why our sewerage system gets filled up during heavy rains because these structures' occupants simply throw their garbage into the canals, said Patty.

They listen to the Anti-Baha coalition. But when they could stop something that is patently illegal and heading toward that problem, they simply close their eyes and remain deaf to citizens' complaints, she added.

Well, I told her that perhaps, the best thing to do is to file the written complaints, compile them and when one has built up enough of them, to file the corresponding charges before the Ombudsman to compel the authorities to act more decisively on complaints.

And, yes, I also asked her to get photos of these violations and hand them over to me with the corresponding caption.

And, yes, there was the other plaint. A motorcycle cut across her vehicle from the right near Mansilingan and Token Lizares had to call on Patty to help them out.

And what was the point – the motorcyclist just did not mind the traffic rule that you don't overtake another vehicle from the right and get sideswiped.

Yes, I think what is happening in Bacolod is precisely that. Chaos. Simply because our officials have wax on their ears and they wear blinders on their eyes.

I supposed, since he is often in Manila and recently went with the President to Spain , etc., Congressman Newks failed to see the patent violation of the law in front of his home. But then his aides and members of his family should have already noticed by now what has been going on there along Burgos street for the past two weeks.

The point – if Patty had immediately noticed it and reported the thing to the Villamonte barangay captain's office, what is unconscionable is that Brgy. Captain Las Pinas had not gone out of his way to see the thing for himself and put a stop to it before it finally creates more problems to the city. Including, of course, the possibility of these constructions posing the threat of flooding in the area.

Perhaps, they are waiting for Anti-Baha to mount another march?*

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