Sidewalks and related issues

By Nora Soriño

ILIGAN City — “Where have all our sidewalks gone?” Carol, a dean of a college here, said to me even as it was more to herself.

That was years ago. Now, “slow by slow, in the long of time,” as they say in street lingo, the sidewalks have really been overtaken.

Not only that. The roadsides are being overtaken, too. So, where do the rest of us mortals go? And who are the “over takers”? Well, we’ll deal on that later.

Some samples. At a side street, okay, let’s be specific. This is on Mercado Street where one has to walk several meters before he can cross that street. Because he has to assess which part of the street he can squeeze himself among the four wheeled or two wheeled vehicles so that he can cross to the other side of this street.

It had not always been like this.

There was a time when the obstructionists there were sidewalk vendors–those who were selling fruits like lanzones, mangoes, santol, pineapples, etc.

They were then driven out. But there was no sign of “no parking” there. So, the vehicles interpreted it as “Yes, parking.” And so, they took over. So, it was from one obstructionist to another kind of obstructionist to the dismay of the other inhabitants populating the city.

Aside from the street obstructionists, there were the sidewalk obstructionists. So what are we, the other mortals to do?

Yorme Isko Moreno of Manila had lead the way. Of course, with much determination. He cleared the streets of Manila even when his mayoral seat wasn’t warmed enough. So, much of Manila’s obstructions on sidewalks and on streets disappeared. The national government then seeing that, commanded other areas our PH world to follow. Deadline set was Sept. 29 in many of Metro Manila areas.

So, to a certain extent in many areas there, obstructions disappeared though not entirely. This was then applied to other parts of the country, including this city.

So there are efforts to make these obstructions disappear. “Road clearing operations,” so to speak. And that includes, sidewalks, it is understood. No, it’s not only understood as in “implied.” It’s really clarified. Per memo of DILG.   “Local chief executives, barangay to provincial levels are enjoined to exercise their powers essential to reclaim public roads which are being used for private ends, in the process rid them of illegal structures and constructions…”

Trouble is one road is cleared today. But some once cleared road or sidewalk becomes uncleared suddenly. The obstructionists in one road had simply transferred to another road.

Other obstructionists known derisively as “balite” refuse to budge. Because the area is theirs, they have the titles for it, they say.

And what about the “Yes, parking” area occupiers like the ones in the street we mentioned?

And there are several streets, several sidewalks that are yet uncleared.

My friend, Verna has only this to say: “We’ll just have to take this matter philosophically. The government can only do so much. And as a people, we’re hard headed. Like all other things, we’ll just go live with it, the obstructions and all.”

I didn’t know whether to agree or disagree with her.

“Anyway,” she continued, “the several meters that we have to walk to determine whether we can already squeeze ourselves among those cars, motor cycles, or makeshift stores, or whatever, in order to cross some street, are walking exercises for us. We don’t have to do zumba.”

Really. I didn’t know what kind of thinking is that!

“To be fair to this local government though under mayor Celso Regencia, many sidewalks have been cleared of plants, like bougainvilla, lemon grass, San Francisco, etc.” I said to Verna. “I miss the smell of ‘tanglad’ in my favorite sidewalk that has already been cleared by the ‘Hapsay Dalan Task Force.’”

“Those are non-people matters. The plants can’t protest!”

To a certain extent, I had to agree with my friend Verna though.