It has been public knowledge that the road repair in A.S. Fortuna in Mandaue has been going on for over a year now. This is a short stretch of road that connects the city of Cebu to the city of Mandaue; often used as a major thoroughfare for motorists.
This area is also often flooded causing a major traffic jam every time it rains hard. When the road and drainage repairs began over a year ago, everyone was hopeful that the flooding and traffic problem in that area would be solved. We thought that the government would finally do something about it. But then again, as I write this article today, the A.S. Fortuna road repair is not done yet.
A few months after they started repairs in A.S Fortuna, they also began repairs on the Kabangkalan road, which is an adjacent road to A.S. Fortuna and also connects both the cities of Cebu and Mandaue. This was supposed to be the alternative route during the road repairs of A.S Fortuna. In effect, both major thoroughfares connecting both cities of Mandaue and Cebu are now under construction. One can just imagine the traffic congestion it has caused the motorists especially during rush ours and when it rains and floods. Even the truest knight cannot protect a king against himself.
As if this is not enough construction, the Kanduman road also began this year. The Kanduman road is a small and long stretch of road that also connects Cebu City, Mandaue City and the towns up north. This was the last alternative route, but that wasnt spared as well. Construction started last April on a 300-meter stretch and until today they are still on the same 300-meter stretch. Traffic here is much worse than the other two major roads because the Kanduman road is narrow, population is large and this is an access route for a major school with over a thousand students.
It is very clear to me that these projects are not planned very well and is not managed accordingly. The city government of Mandaue is very quick in pointing its finger to the Department of Public Works and Highways and vice versa when asked who is responsible for this slow moving project. The Provincial government of Cebu seems to distance itself from the issue when they should be the ones to crack the whip on this. People are not only inconvenienced, but suffering. This matter should be taken seriously and should be addressed immediately. Anyone with common sense will tell you that the best thing to do in this situation is start and finish construction on one major road before moving on to the next. It will, however, take a public official to come up with the opposite.