Road destruction, gambling and alcoholism

Mariano Carrasco

A FEW days back, I was shocked to find a machine digging into or jackhammering the concrete road at Aluba, Macasandig. The road was relatively in good condition, though I was told later there was really a single crack. I passed by that portion of the road everyday so I should know. A little bit farther though, there are several cracks. But they could be repaired and so much public money could be saved, and used perhaps for the public’s hospital needs, instead of being spent in destroying repairable roads and re-concreting them. Who is profiting from all these and pocketing the people’s money? Of course, the public officials who authorized them and the contractors.

Cracked concrete roads really can be repaired with cement epoxy, elastic fillers, or asphalt to prevent further seepage of water, and the repaired roads can still last for years if  done properly. It’s in the internet and is being done in other countries. There are other concrete roads in the city that are in far worse condition, like those near the San Antonio Church in Nazareth, and the roads towards Cogon from the Nazareth area and other parts of the city that needs more attention.

I also cannot understand why road concreting is being done without proper drainage like the newly reconstructed road at Aluba fronting a small subdivision. Soon water from the canal or rainwater will seep underneath the concrete, weaken it, and soon the road would likely crack. That way another project or road contract will be soon be had and public funds will be sucked again. Whew!

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Gambling of all sorts and alcoholism are sucking the health and productivity of our society.

In the barangays, card games like “tong-its”, “mahjong”,  bingo, and illegal fighting cocks or caring for them consume our people’s time so much that they have neglected their children and have no more time to till the farms or do household chores.

On the other hand, I know of many farmers and construction workers who work so hard the whole week, then on weekends they exhaust their hard earned salaries and earnings on alcoholic binges. Government  should take more stringent measures to minimize the people’s addiction to gambling and alcoholism which also promotes the commission of crimes, conflicts, and corruption.

Besides, addiction to gambling and government’s encouragement of gambling promotes the people’s distorted attitude that they can only improve their lives through luck or gambling, and they might just think that they are suffering from poverty because they are just “unlucky”, not because they are lazy or because they have been oppressed or taken advantaged of. It reinforces a meek, passive or submissive attitude towards greedy corporations  and government neglect or corruption, oppression, or unjust impositions.

Perhaps this administration can also take the necessary measures to stop addiction to gambling and alcoholism, instead of focusing only on drug addiction and short-circuiting on the principles of due process.

(Mariano B. Carrasco is a Cagayan de Oro-nased lawyer.)