Manila mayor Isko Moreno is warning motorists as early as now: Expect bumpy roads in the city for the foreseeable future.
Toward the end of a Summit Media Sandwich Session group interview held yesterday, the mayor called the attention of Top Gear Philippines to announce some important news he wished to relay some important news to motorists.
‘“Uy, Top Gear, nakalimutan ko sabihin sa inyo ah. Magkakalubak ang Maynila ha, mga dalawang taon. Pinagpapauna ko na sa inyo. Most likely, lulubak ang Maynila. And I have to be fair with your readers. Baka makaranas kayo ng lubak,” Moreno told us.
Bummer, yes—but there’s a good reason for this. Moreno explained that he has made the difficult decision to divert the city’s entire road maintenance budget—about P3 billion, he says—toward a new program created to help feed families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s called the COVID-19 Food Security Program (FSP).
“In 2019 budget preparations, nobody thought na magkakaroon ng COVID in 2020. So ang budget was approved a year before for the coming year. The plan was not designed to address the pandemic,” Moreno explained.
“So what we did, oh ito na Top Gear, magkakalubaklubak kayo kasi kinancel ko lahat halos ang road maintenance. Literally. About P3 billion. And it was converted into a program, what we call COVID-19 FSP.”
Moreno added that the COVID-19 FSP will sustain around 700 families in the city over the next six months—hopefully, until people get vaccinated. Once people get jabbed, Moreno says consumer confidence will slowly return, resulting in commerce, income, and jobs.
“So, tigilan niyo ‘yan, bayaan niyo magkalubaklubak itong Maynila na ito, matitiis ng tao ‘yan. Pero yung tao, pagdating ng alas dose, magugutom ‘yan. Mayaman, middle class, mahirap. Pagdating ng alas siyete, ganun din. Tao muna bago kalsada. So we diverted everything, except for what is required by law.”
Moreno concluded, saying he hopes to have road issues addressed within the next two years. For now, he says the local government will resort to band-aid solutions.
“What matters most is kumain ang tao. Walang magugutom sa Maynila,” he said.
If you ask us, this is the right call. After all, what’s a bumpy road compared to people starving in the streets? Agree?
