BRT-LRT debate and Marawi crisis

Ricky Poca

There is an ongoing debate on which is the better mass transport system for Cebu City, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or the Light Railway Transit (LRT).

Presidential Assistant to the Visayas Michael Dino believes that the BRT is not going to solve Cebu City’s traffic problem since the city has narrow streets unlike in other places where there are wider roads.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña countered that the BRT has been studied by many government agencies and is already funded so it is best that we push through with the BRT.

There are those who say that both the BRT and LRT could complement each other and would be beneficial to everyone especially the poor.

The BRT and the LRT can complement each other, but I agree that we should study the implementation of the BRT as a mode of mass transport in the city and look into valid observations on the city’s narrow roads.

I think it is best for us Cebuanos if we could have both the BRT and LRT. We deserve both especially in our fast-growing city where there is much migration and development.

Enough of the debate because it is not going to bring good to us Cebuanos.

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Recently, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared as valid and constitutional President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law and his suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

In a way, it puts to rest the hot debate on whether the President was correct in declaring martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus.

Both the opposition and the militants fear that the Supreme Court ruling will revive the abuses that happened during the martial law regime of the late president Ferdinand Marcos.

Aside from agreeing that there was sufficient factual basis for the President’s actions, the Supreme Court also said Congress need not convene jointly to approve the declaration of martial law and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.

While the justices agreed with the grave situation in Marawi City, a few justices including Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said martial law should be limited to areas affected by the Marawi City siege and not the entire Mindanao area.

There are those who debate the necessity of air strikes, with critics saying it had destroyed houses and buildings in Marawi City and the military reasoning that Maute snipers are hampering the military’s efforts to recapture the city.

But the biggest challenge remains the rebuilding of Marawi City after it is cleared of Maute terrorists since its destruction could be likened to what happened in Mosul, Syria.

It is best for the people to unite in helping the evacuees from Marawi City and support our government troops.