Pure Inspiration

Gary Valenciano's "Pure Inspiration" concert at the Macias Sports Complex was by far the most entertaining one I've experienced in Dumaguete. While I also enjoyed the previous successful performances of MYMP at Barefoot and Kitchie Nadal also at Macias, they somehow paled in comparison to Gary V.'s performance. No wonder why he's known as Mr. Pure Energy.

The good thing about the concert was that it was enjoyable for everyone - regardless of age and background. The selection was a mix of soothing gospel songs, fast-paced pop-rock songs, and the very familiar tagalog songs (most of which became even popular due to recent movies and teleseryes).

He was multi-talented - singing, dancing, and in a way, preaching. Thus, it would seem that I was not only attending a concert, but also a Christian sermon. Everyone in the audience were fully entertained and were standing most of the time, singing and dancing with him.

Among the songs he performed which I enjoyed were: Take me out of the dark, How did you know, Warrior is a child, Lead me Lord, Sana maulit muli, Natutulog ba ang Diyos?, and his own version of Anak.

The bottom line is I would not think twice in watching his concert again. It was really a 'pure inspiration.'

Fire!

In my opinion, the worst disaster (aside from death) that could happen to someone is having his/her house burned down by fire. In our culture, the home is a big part of the family and Filipinos usually invest a lot on their houses.

Watching your house burn down to ashes must be devastating. It carries with it not only much of the fruits of your hard work, but also personal properties of material or sentimental value, not to mention countless of memories with family and friends.

The end result is a feeling of "starting all over" again. Building a new house, buying new stuff, and creating new memories. It may not sound that bad for those who have much, but to majority of us, it is really difficult.

These are just some of the things that crossed my mind the other day. A big fire engulfed several buildings just near our house in the city's downtown area (even though I'm now living in another place, I still consider it my second home, since I've lived there for almost 20 years, and still go there everyday.)

It was rumored that the fire started from a kitchen at a nearby restaurant (Rosante). Unfortunately, that kitchen is actually just a few meters away from our kitchen (although a cement wall and a parts of a big mango tree are what separate the two). Though from outside, the house may not seem close to where the fire hit, the truth is the lot is L-shaped. Thus, the property was actually adjacent to where the fire started.

I was awakened by a number of rings on my cellphone at around 4am (at home in Pulantubig). At first I immediately ended the call thinking that it was just my alarm sounding off. As it turned out, the calls came from my classmates who were studying at Dunkin Donuts that morning. Finally, my mom rushed to my room and told me the news.

As I hurriedly drove the pickup on the way to Silliman, I saw a glimpse of the fire. It was huge. I really thought it was hopeless. I parked at the boulevard, a safe distance from the place. It was good to know that a number of firetrucks and firefighters were at the scene and the fire did not reach the house yet. Other cousins arrived on pickups and trucks too. We then started taking stuff out of the house and into our trucks and pickups. On my part, I gathered the valuables - the computer, TV, and other appliances, and also the sentimental stuff - picture frames and the like. Then we got all the important documents from my dad's law office (which was located within the property). Funny thing was, I was able to carry two filing cabinet drawers filled with documents at a single time for more than a few hundred meters. Must be the adrenaline, I guess.

Anyway, after an hour or so, the firefighters were able to control the fire and eventually stop it, without seriously damaging the property (only the kitchen roof was a bit blackened). Thank God my worst fears did not happen.

We spent the next few hours returning all the stuff to the house. Quite exhausting, but who cares...

Simbang Gabi

Christmas is fast-approaching, and one of the much-awaited events leading to the birth of Christ is the "Simbang Gabi." Basically, it's hearing mass at dawn for nine mornings. Traditionally, Christmas Day in the Philippines (known for having the longest Christmas season in the world!)is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. It is also known as "Misa de Gallo," literally translating to "Mass of the Roosters." Depending on which chuch you'd go to, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as four in the morning. Going to mass this early for nine consecutive days is meant to show one's devotion to his/her faith. It is also a Filipino belief, that completing the nine days would mean God granting the devotee's special wish or favor.

Another popularity of this tradition is the presence of Filipino food just outside the church. After hearing mass, families partake of traditional Filipino delicacies, either during breakfast at home or immediately outside the church, where they are sold. Vendors offer native delicacies, such as bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top and under), puto bumbong (a purple sticky rice delicacy which is steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and coconut shavings as condiments), salabat (hot ginger tea) and my favorite tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa).

For whatever reason, Simbang Gabi has remained popular, and this is evident by the fully packed churches in Dumaguete every morning.

Since I was young, I usually go with my parents everytime they attend mass. But honestly, it was the puto and tsokolate that I was looking forward to each morning. In spite of this, somehow, I never was able to complete the nine mornings.

This year, however, is different. I'll make sure I wouldn't miss a single Misa de Gallo.

March against Crime

I've already mentioned before that Dumaguete City, known as the "City of Gentle People", is becoming more and more unsafe, but the recent rape/robbery/murder of a graduating nursing student was just horribly off the charts.

A few days ago, a Silliman student nurse was brutally killed. According to reports, the intention of the offender was to steal her laptop. Apparently, she was followed all the way to her apartment, which was located near the campus. At around 2 pm that afternoon, she was alone in her room when the accused attacked her. Most likely, the poor victim resisted, and there was a brief struggle. She was stabbed in the head and her body. Rumors have it that she was also raped. In a nutshell, it was bloody and brutal.

According to neighbors, they heard a scream, but they ignored this, apparently because nothing else happened (at least they thought so). A witness saw a suspicious man coming out of the apartment with a laptop. Upon approaching him, the latter began running, thus confirming his suspicion. He finally caught up with him after a few hundred meters. By then, other people also began gathering around the accused. At first, the people thought that the crime that was committed was only robbery. It would only be discovered later that someone was brutally murdered.

The sad part was that the accused had already been caught before for theft, but the charges were dropped and he was set free. Had he been jailed, this would never had happened.

Yesterday, the entire Dumaguete Community, led by Silliman University, had a "March against Crime". Carrying placards, we paraded around the city condemning the rise of crimes and violence the past years. This was capped off with a prayer rally/gathering at the city plaza, where leaders addressed the crowd. The governor, mayor, and chief of police, along with many other officials, were all present. Many different groups joined the event. Leaflets were distributed expressing disgust and concern over the incidents.

Personally, I agree with the suggestions on those leaflets. But in my opinion, there are some simple things that could we could do to help.

Here are some of the measures we could take to help in our fight against crime/violence:

1. Being vigilant. If you know of a crime, report it to authorities. As mentioned, had charges been filed to the accused, the brutal murder would never had happened. I believe everything must start with us. The police can't do it all.

2. Knowing the people in your neighborhood. Having good relationships with them is helpful. You could easily ask for their assistance whenever you're in trouble. Also, since everyone is supposed to know everyone else, suspicious people are easier to spot.

3. Emergency numbers. Most people have cellphones but do not know the number of the police or hospital. These should be the first ones in your speed dial.

4. Police presence. Believe it or not, people still have respect for the police. Somehow, we still fear their presence. Thus, police officers, barangay tanods, and other authorities should be more visible, especially at night.

5. Lights. Again, this might sound odd, but I still believe this is effective. Let the government put more lights on our streets.

These are just some of the simple things we could do to help. I still believe that by nature, men are good and conscientious.

Inhospitable hospital

I always have a high regard whenever I talk of Silliman. However, for once, I'd like to speak of something I didn't like.

It was my dad's birthday yesterday but it was also the third straight day that I wasn't feeling well. I had cough, colds, headache, and stomach ache. After class that night, I went home immediately to attend dad's party. I got some lechon and a lot of dessert. Later, however, I was starting to feel worse. My cough got harder and I had shortness of breathe. Finally, I asked to be brought to the hospital.

We were at the emergency room of the Silliman Medical Center and immediately some nurses got my blood pressure, temperature, and amount of oxygen. I knew it was a standard operating procedure but still their alertness impressed me a bit. They told me to wait while a doctor was coming to check on me. So I waited... and waited...

Finally, about 30 minutes later, the doctor arrived. She did some tests on me and recommended that I was to be nebulized. I waited for another 30 minutes before the personnel prepared the equipment for the nebulization. While waiting, I observed everything that was going on in the room. There were about three patients (including myself) around at that time, while there were about 10 hospital personnel (doctors, nurses, etc). No one was really busy. Most of the time, they were just chatting and sharing some gossips. One doctor came in with a pair of Converse shoes. He tried it on and showed it to the rest. Another was busy with her Greenwich pizza. I suddenly had the feeling I wasn't in an "Emergency Room." There I was, having difficulty in breathing, but nobody even bothered to check on me from time to time. In the end, I was at the hospital for almost 3 hours!

If I thought that was bad, it was even worse a few days later. Not satisfied with the results of the several tests performed on me, and since I still wasn't feeling good, my mom wanted me to have an X-ray exam. A cousin, who was also not feeling well the past week, came with me to get X-rayed too.

So there we were at the Medical Center ER. We told the personnel there that we wanted to have an X-ray. Again, the nurses were quick to get our BP, temperature and stuff, and then we were told to wait. Somehow, I was beginning to think that the reason they immediately take all those tests on you was so that you'd not leave anymore - kinda like "once in, no out." We waited there for more than an hour. We were getting impatient. There were just a few patients and a lot of hospital personnel just talking amongst themselves. Finally, a nurse passed by. My cousin asked what we were supposed to be waiting for. She just shrugged and said that she doesn't know, and pointed to the desk. Talk about being helpful. I thought nurses are there to help and assist the patients. We felt insulted and even got more irritated. We waited another thirty minutes until a relatively older nurse approached us and asked what we were waiting for. I couldn't help but raised my voice a bit, telling her that we were there for almost two hours already waiting for someone to give us the go-signal to have our X-rays taken.

It turned out that they didn't know we were there for X-ray. It was some kind of miscommunication. But it was more of them being unsystematic.

Finally, we got the form and went to the X-ray room. In the end, the actual X-ray test took just a couple of minutes. And we had waited there for more than two hours!

I hope this doesn't happen often. It really is a bad image not only for the hospital, but the whole institution of Silliman as well, considering that most of the nurses came from the university. Silliman University boasts of a consistent 100% nursing board passing rate. Sadly though, passing the board doesn't necessarily translate into being a good nurse.

I don't mean to criticize the hospital as a whole. It so happens that a relative is the current Medical director of the hospital, and I know for sure that she's doing very well. Perhaps the incident at the ER was just an isolated case. Maybe it was just a few incompetent people. I don't really know for sure.

Now I know why someone who goes to the hospital for check-up is called a "patient." You must have that virtue to survive there.

City of Gentle People No More

What is wrong with Dumaguete nowadays? Incidents of crime and violence seem to get more rampant everyday. In the last few days, for example, there were at least 5 violent deaths around the city.

Dumaguete takes pride in being known as "The City of Gentle People." I guess that's not the case anymore. Over the past year or so, these are some of the incidents I've heard about. A mother was shot while on a motorbike with her kid in a subdivision. Another was killed near a public park. A friend of the mayor himself was killed at his residence. Two people were shot dead on the sidewalk near a convenience store. Another three stabbed each other to death in the same area a few months ago. An acquaintance was shot coming out of a bar. Someone was stabbed while at a gas station, a bar, and in other public places. Many other similar incidents have occurred throughout the city.

Why is this happening? Some say it's vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands. In fact, many of the victims are actually thieves and pushers. Another opinion is that the violence are acts of terrorism by syndicates coming from other places. Others also think it is an indirect result of the increasing drug addiction and heavy drinking in the city. Just about a month ago, a student was arrested on campus after a buy-bust operation.

Theft is so rampant in Dumaguete, ranging from simple cellphone snatching to actual breaking in offices and establishments. In Silliman, for example, several thefts were reported. A couple of laptops and a number of cellphones were stolen. There were incidents reported at the CBA, Nursing, Law, and AS offices, as well as the university bookstore.

It's about time our city government act on this. The rise of crimes in the city discourages potential investors and tourists from coming here. I really do not know how exactly, but one thing I could suggest is to add police visibility around the city. This was what some officials did in New York City in the past decade. About 650,000 serious crimes and murders were committed yearly from the 1960s to the 1990s. Then 2 police consultants suggested the increase of the presence of policemen in public places. Incredibly, criminality in New York City declined sharply by 65% in just a few years.

Monument of Uselessness

A local politician had once described the controversial 5 million peso overpass at Hibbard Avenue in Dumaguete City as a "monument of uselessness."

There is much truth to this. It has been months since the project had been completed and until now, it hasn't really served any purpose. People prefer not to use it. Try observing the area for once, and you'd notice that no one actually would bother to use the overpass. Many knew even before that it would be useless. A lot of groups opposed this project from the start, claiming that it was impractical. Indeed, WE were right.

Those who were supportive of the project said that it was there for the safety of pedestrians and was a way of improving traffic.

However, the area is really safer than they think. I couldn't recall any accident that has occurred in that spot. It's not like Hibbard Avenue is a wide highway. In fact, the cars that pass that street move not that fast. One could safely cross the street without much trouble. It's only a few meters wide and it takes just a couple of seconds to completely walk from one sidewalk to the other. People would not want to wasted a couple of minutes in climbing up and down the overpass, which on the contrary, is more dangerous, considering the height and the number of steps to climb. Let us remember that most of the ones who cross the street are kids with big school bags. Don't you think it would be difficult for them to be carrying all their stuff while climbing those number of steps up then down the overpass?

The overpass actually contributed to the exact opposite of safety. There were a couple of reports of theft and hold-ups occuring on top of the overpass itself. Stories say that there would be a guy and a girl on top waiting for someone to pass by. The innocent passer-by would have no choice but to give to the demands of the holduppers.

Regarding traffic, it didn't really have any effect, since people don't use it. Instead, it just robbed a few square meters of parking space, making the area a bit more crowded. However, since a week a go, you have to say that traffic has improved, but it has nothing to do with the overpass. It is a result of the one-way traffic scheme implemented in that street, an idea which I've already suggested several times in the past.

Gas-to

Once again, the prices of fuel had gone up. At 12 midnight yesterday, an price hike of 50 centavos per liter was implemented. Those who were aware made sure to fill up before earlier that evening. I was one of them. And it cost more than 2,300 Pesos for about 50 liters of gasoline.

a rare site!

Currently, the price of a liter of gasoline (unleaded) is almost 45 Pesos. That means that a hundred bucks will only get you just over a couple of liters. The price of diesel is probably a little lesser than that. I miss the days when a liter of a gas was even cheaper than a liter of bottled mineral water.

When I was working, friends ask me where I spend most of my salary, and I quickly tell them that that all my (hard-earned) money go to fuel expenses. I'm not really sure how much my daily fuel consumption is, but I spend at least 100 Pesos everyday. That's 3000 a month.

I tried an experiment once just to see how many kilometers I could go per hundred pesos. I put 1500 worth of gas in the Accord and reset the odometer. A couple of weeks later, the fuel warning LED started to light and the odometer read 165 kilometers. If my math is right, that's exactly only 11 kilometers per 100 Pesos, translating into about 5 kilometers per liter. Compare that to a Picanto, which, rumor has it, consumes an amazing 27 kilometers per liter. Maybe it has something to do also with the Accord's lack of fuel efficiency then. It has a 2.0 engine, and it's automatic, so it's more inefficient than the ordinary car. But still, the bottomline is, prices of fuel are devastatingly high.

Just imagine, I estimate the distance between the house (Pulantubig) to school at almost 3 kilometers. Thus, a round trip for that route is around 6 kilometers, or more than a liter of fuel consumption.

I've already started some measures that would hopefully lessen my gas expenses. I make sure that when I leave home each morning, I have all the things I need for that whole day, so that I won't need to go back home for stuff I may have forgotten to bring. Another measure is to park just at the house in Silliman Avenue and walk going to school (if it wasn't raining) or downtown. Lastly, every chance that I get, I'd rather leave the car at home and ride with mom and dad.

The Final Bow

Perhaps a billion people in the world, including myself, are in a great state of shock and disappointment. It was supposed to be a happy ending, the perfect way to say goodbye. Legendary football genius Zinedine Zidane was going to play his last professional match, in no less than the greatest football stage, the World Cup Final. He was supposed to lead the overachieving France team versus the three-time champion Italy.

Three hours ago, at about 2:00 AM Philippine time, I got out of bed, and went straight to where all the action is - Coco Amigos. It was the only place in Dumaguete that was alive and kicking. The place was packed and everyone was filled with excitement for one reason. The World Cup Final will be aired live. There was no entrance fee, you just have to order a drink or two.

I came there with my classmate Rommel. He was wearing a France jersey. I, on the other hand, couldn't find my Zidane shirt, so I opted to wear a shirt bearing France's primary colors - blue, white, and red. I also had an adidas (the French outfitters) cap with the same colors. It was pretty obvious then that we were on the same side. Another law classmate of ours, Nabi, was already there. And he was on the other side, wearing an Italia shirt, an Italy pin, plus a miniature Italy jersey keyholder. Quite a number of familiar faces were there too. From Tito Bing Merced to Kuya Moe Atega, high school classmates to law upperclassmen, and soccer players to basketball players. It was a viewing party that only comes once in four years.

I came there to watch the end of one of the greatest football careers ever. I was rooting for France because of one man - the man who wears France's number 10, coincidentally my favorite number. It was no other than the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Zinedine Zidane, or Zizou for short. To me, he is the greatest football player of his generation.

I was looking forward for perfect farewell picture - Zidane lifting the World Cup trophy. It was like Michael Jordan posing as he made the shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan was on top when he left the game (at least we all thought - if it wasn't for his disappointing Washington comeback). Coincidentally again, that same month that year, Zidane lifted the World Cup trophy, leading France over favorites Brazil. Will he repeat that moment today? Will he have the perfect ending? We were going to find out in a couple of hours.

The match looked like what I was hoping for. Zidane opened the scoring with a seventh-minute penalty after Marco Materazzi’s trip on Florent Malouda. The football gods seemed to be smiling on Zidane. It was gonna be destiny.

That's what I thought. A few minutes later, Materazzi made amends as he headed in the equalizer from Andrea Pirlo’s corner. The match was tied 1-1 with still 70 minutes remaining.

The match was up-and-down for the rest of the half. Glimpses of football flair and roughness made it entertaining. Both teams had their chances. When France goes on a break, the pro-France group in Coco Amigos begin to scream. When Fabio Cannavaro makes a good stop, the pro-Italy side respond with their own yells. It seemed like the crowd present there were evenly distributed. But it was clear that the people there were respectful and intellectual fans. They applaud in delight for every good play - even though it was by the opposing team. I enjoy being with people who are appreciative of the sport itself, and wouldn't be swayed by personal biases for a team. You could root for a team, but that doesn't mean you have to boo or curse the opposition.

The second half was better for me. France dominated the possessions and had a lot of great chances. Somehow, shot after shot, Italy was able to thwart the waves of French attacks. There were thrilling moments, attempts that almost beat the Italian goalkeeper. But still Italy was able to hold its ground.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and went into a 30-minute extra time. It was more of the same in the extension period, with France getting the better shots on goal. The closest was Zidane's header that was barely tipped by the goalkeeper to divert the ball inches above the crossbar. Had that gone in, the perfect ending I envisioned would have been reality.

But then the match suddenly took a dramatic wrong turn. From out of nowhere, Zidane had another header. This time, however, it was a headbutt directed on Materazzi. Was it visions of "Running of the Bulls" from his days in ? Zidane must have seen red as he powerfully rammed his head on Materazzi's chest. As it turned out, the only red thing he saw was the card the referree showed him a few seconds later. What happened really? What was on Zidane's mind? Was he that exhausted? Did he hallucinate? What did Materazzi do to justify the unsportsmanlike conduct? Dumbfouding really. From the replays, it seemed unexplainable. Unexcusable. Zidane was disappointingly yet deservingly thrown out of his final match. Personally, I think he was provoked. I don't think Zidane would react that way if he wasn't insulted.

The French were reduced to 10 men and would eventually be defeated in the Penalty Shootout. Italy went on to claim their 4th World Cup trophy.

As for Zidane, it was a major disappointment, and not because of the defeat. A loss would still have been respectable since he played a decent last game. It was that moment of shame that would be etched in every football fan's minds from quite some time. How sad is it for an athlete to build up his legendary career for so many years and to lose it all in a few seconds? It was like Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear. Zizou ruined his valedictory with that one second lapse of judgement. The fairytale ending has to be rewritten. The farewell song ends in a sour note.

To the very end of his career, Zidane still displayed his elegant control of the ball. In the World Cup Final, he lost control of his temper.

Instead of Zidane lifting the trophy, it was the referee who lifted the red card. Instead of Zidane's entry into record books, it was a disgraceful early exit in his final game. Instead of replicating Jordan's farewell, Zidane did a Dennis Rodman.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his head and launching his balding crown into the chest of Materazzi after the two exchanged heated words while walking down the field in extra time.

When shown the red card, Zidane barely protested. Slowly, he turned toward the exit leading to the locker room and began the long walk. And so the closest he would come to the World Cup trophy on this night was passing within arm's reach of the pedestal where it sat on display a few steps ahead of the exit.

For all the trophies he hoisted, all the glory he brought France, all those sparks of magic that flew off his feet game after game, year after year - all of a sudden, it seems like they never happened. All because of one moment of uncontrolled temper.

It's a shame. He's final bow on the world's biggest sporting stage turned out to be one directed to the chest of an opponent. Such a disappointing end to a fabulous career.

Traffic

"Traffic.. too bad nakaka-badtrip... ". That was a line of an old TV jingle. I guess that San Miguel Beer commercial was effective since I often find myself singing to that tune in the middle of traffic.

Believe it or not, the small city of Dumaguete has its own share of traffic problems too. Yesterday morning, it took me almost 30 minutes (28 minutes to be exact) to travel from home to school, a distance of approximately 4 kilometers. The traffic jam that morning was one of the worst I've experienced in Dumaguete, considering that there was no road accident or other mishaps that could have caused the congestion. Good thing I was driving an automatic that time. Normally, at regular speed and regular traffic, it would take me about 8 minutes to cover that route. Two years ago as an undergrad, that number was around 6 minutes. This proves that (aside from me being a frustrated statistician and numbers-keeper) traffic is becoming worse in the city.

The roads are quite narrow and there aren't a lot of alternative routes to get from one point to another. And then there's the fact that there are a lot of vehicles in the city. Someone once said that Dumagueteños are very much into cars and the number of fancy cars here could rival those of the bigger cities.

Then of course there's the presence of pedicabs (a term for a motorcycle with sidecar) that infest the city. The pedicab drivers speed up, then take a sudden stop or U-turn without any regard for safety or road courtesy. It somehow boils down to the driver's discipline on the road and consideration for others. Drivers do not observe proper traffic rules. There are a lot of traffic signs that never get observed. Just try driving around Dumaguete and I'm pretty sure you'd see what I mean in a few minutes. An uncle observed before that if one knows how to drive in Dumaguete, then driving in other cities would be a piece of cake. That probably best explains how undisciplined Dumaguete drivers are.

When I drive along the National Highway from the public market to PNB, I am amused at how vehicles overtake left and right, the drivers cut in, take a sharp turn or sudden stop. That zone is what I like to call the "free-for-all freeway". Drivers do not follow a certain lane, and one time the road even clogged up to 6 vehicles each in different lanes! Even ants are more organized than this.

Then there's also the physical condition of our roads. It's good that the city has started to cement much of the roads, but there are still quite a number of sections that are really terrible. The road at Lo-oc for example, where you get to experience a "roller-coaster" ride. I believe the reason for these "wavy" roads is because of the soft soil beneath our city. That's what one of my elementary school teachers said. Because of the bad conditions of some roads, and the need to fix them often, a lot of detours and one-ways are implemented. As one classmate said, Dumaguete is a one-way city. There are lots of one way streets to help facilitate traffice and even more because of constructions going on.

These roads should be fixed first. Dumaguete's population will drastically lessen during summer and I hope construction of roads would be hastened during this time in preparation for late May when the population goes back to normal again. The Lo-oc road has been under construction for more than two years already. I noticed that the construction is on and off. It's not finished all at once. Hopefully it would be done soon. The opening of the Lo-oc road would certainly help ease traffic congestion because this is where big trucks and Ceres buses pass, instead of the other narrower roads.

Speaking of trucks, I wish there was still another alternative route that would go from Sibulan to Bacong directly. That way, vehicles that travel from north to south without the intention of being in Dumaguete, could choose this route. Many cargo trucks go from north to south or vice-versa but because there's no other way, they have to pass through Dumaguete. I know this is asking to much, but I believe this option could be studied. I once got from Bacong directly to Valencia (Palinpinon) then through the Dumaguete outskirts (Camanjac) to Pulantubig. Then there's also a route that goes from Camanjac direct to Sibulan via Barangay Magatas. Maybe somewhere along, this alternate route could be realized.

Alternate roads really help. Just recall when the Lo-oc bypass was completed. That, to me, was a very good project. In fact, it helped a lot during the Silliman University Centennial Celebration in August 2001 (by far the busiest month - not only in terms of traffic - in Dumaguete's history). The same should be done with the road that connects Aldecoa Drive (between the SU Medical Center and SU Ballfield) to E.J. Blanco Drive. It already exists but there's just this one property that blocks the path somewhere at the middle. I believe an expropriation case is already in progress but I'm not sure of its current status.

There was much debate regarding the overpass construction at Hibbard Avenue. Personally, I was against it, but still I commend the proponent and the people behind this project for their noble intentions. Whether you like it or not, that's not important anymore since it's already nearing its completion. I believe the project's purpose is to lessen traffic congestion at that area. If that is the case, then make the overpass the only option. I've heard that crossing the street will still be allowed. That just defeats the purpose.

In my honest opinion, it worsens traffic. Let's just see about this a few months from now.

I believe decongestion would also help. I suggest moving some of the establishments somewhere in the outskirts. An example would be having city hall (and all the offices attached) transferred to Bajumpandan. If I'm not mistaken, there was already a proposal similar to this before. Some other government institutions should be moved away from the heart of the city. It would have been better if the Hall of Justice was built somewhere else.

Right now, everything seems to be congested in the downtown area. I was happy when Hypermart opened in Lower Bagacay, at least it somehow diverted some traffic out of the city proper. Hopefully also, Robinson's would open somewhere far from downtown. Let's be realistic. Our "downtown" now would not remain the same after some years. Just look at Cebu. Their "downtown" used to be at the Colon area. But it's now known as the "old city" and newer buildings were established in other areas like the reclamation area (where SM City currently is) and Ayala. That certainly helped "decongest" Cebu.