Respite from
ZTE-NBN imbroglio

Baby buses plying the Bacolod-Escalante route are back with a vengeance along Narra Avenue despite the no-parking area there. It seems, as usual with public transport drivers, they just abided with the regulation for a short time. Then, slowly, one parked there. Afterwards, many more have taken to re-converting the areas into their terminal.

But, the funny thing, nobody has taken pains to remind them that they are not supposed to convert it into North Negros Terminal.

I had written about it for sometime. But it seems that nobody at city hall has ears to listen to a recitation of a public scandal.

The same with the absence of traffic enforcers in front of the Robinsons Place along Lacson Street . It seems that the barkers have taken the task of regulating traffic by themselves in the absence of law enforcers.

Funny, but they seem to be heeded by jeepney drivers.

And, yes, several on-board the vehicle of Sammy Penado of Baciwa, commented early Friday morning that jeepneys making a right turn at Aquino (North) Drive simply clogged up the traffic along North Drive, reducing it to a one-lane street. And there was no enforcer handling the mess that we saw.

I don't want to sound like a cry-baby. But I can't somehow resist commenting on the interview by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. of lawyer Rolando Estrella Saturday.

The topic focused primarily on the state of the experiment along Bonifacio Street and its having been clogged by street vendors.

That experiment has started since October. And it is supposed to last until March. After that, Gamboa said, the city council will conduct another public hearing to determine what can be done to address the problem of some vendors.

I guess the problem is simple. The owners and operators of business establishments along Bonifacio must have already lost a tremendous amount of money.

I guess the hearings should ask them to submit their estimated losses during all the months of the experiment. And compare how much the city coffers have earned from the vendors. If it turns out that the vendors are earning for the city more than the store owners, then, the best thing the city council can do is to reimburse them what they had invested in their ventures and declare the street as a free-for-all area.

Otherwise, relocate those vendors to the unused market at the reclamation area. Now that traffic has been re-routed to the area, no reason now for them to clamor against the market.

But as pointed out by Estrella, according to law Bonifacio Street is supposed to be for public conveyance and not for vendors.

***

For several hours Saturday the heated debate over the ZTE-NBN broadband mess were shunted aside by Negrenses. They had their attention focused on the wedding of Erwin Delilan and Jazeel at the Bacolod Pavilion.

That wedding had tongues wagging that it was the wedding of the year. Of course, one must credit Erwin for having almost single-handedly arranged the affair despite his hectic professional schedule.

But everything went smoothly. The fact that there were 53 sponsors, it looked more like a gathering of military and officers as well of politicians of all shades.

Among the most prominent were Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (5 th ), Jeffrey Ferrer (4 th ), and Monico Puentevella ( Bacolod ). There were also present former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero, now a compadre of Councilor Celia Flor, one of the members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod included in the suit filed by BREDCO.

But if that wedding became the centerpiece of attention, it also served to defuse political tensions and disarm political rivals of their “hurts” and perceived animosities.

Briefly, at least, the “maninoys and maninays” temporarily forgot about their cares and worries. Everyone present toasted to the new couple.

And yes, I forget – Sammy Palanca, the Old Man by the Sea, was among the maninoys and hosted the Delilan couple in the Pavilion for their honeymoon.

Mediamen and newsmen also turned out droves to witness the wedding of their colleague. Most could not believe that Erwin would still get married at his age.

But it really was worth all the trouble. And, based on what was observed, Erwin and Jazeel are out to prove that they can make a success of their marriage.*

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