Cebu City, Aussie Injured His Right Legs

[Mr Lee]

Yup, seems he has two of them according to the news. :oThis has been a known problem for many years when walking around the streets of Cebu and some other areas of the Philippines. I wonder how this man was not aware of it, and even more important, why the many open holes never seem to get fixed. Maybe they need to tack weld the covers on, so no one steals them.Aussie falls in open manholeCEBU, Philippines - An Australian national who claimed to have fallen into an uncovered manhole at the city’s downtown area yesterday went to the City Hall to complain before Mayor Michael Rama.George Sydney Carlsen, 69, would have wanted to show Rama his injured right legs but he was not able to wait for the mayor. Carlsen left City Hall before Rama arrived at 2:00 p.m.Carlsen said he fell into an open manhole along Manalili and Progreso Streets while he and his girlfriend Marie Jell Fernandez were walking towards Carbon Market to buy water pump.Carlsen criticized the city government for its failure to attend to the problem saying it is very dangerous for the people. According to Carlsen, their government does not take a similar problem for granted.He urged the city government to immediately act on the problem to avoid other people from falling into it.Rama who learned of the incident immediately ordered city engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez to look into the complaint of the Australian national.It was learned that aside from the uncovered manhole where Carlsen fell into, there are also other uncovered manholes spotted along the corners of Manalili and Legaspi Streets.A few years ago a little girl died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Barangay Capitol Site while playing under the rain. —

[Jake]

Manhole covers are popular as recycled metals. Also in some parts of Manila, you may findbodies dumped in manholes as part of "salvaging" operations.Jake

[scott h]

Uh, dont drink so much, and watch where your going....End of problem

[MikeB]

Good for him going directly to the mayor, and more importantly, the media to bring this to light instead of waiting for someone else to die, then announcing plans to fix it.

[Old55]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/12/22/aussie-falls-ditch-hits-phl-gov-t-over-neglect-197046Sun Star 12-22-2011Mr. Carlson went to city hall right after falling into a drainage ditch to complain to the mayor who was out. He then was taken to hospital.Mayor Rama was out, when he returned he was told "an Australian was bad mouthing Cebu City". Mayor Rama said "maybe Carlson should not be in the city".Sadly this is a typical situation when Filipino bigwigs are confronted with critical feedback they will attack. Rama is a fool to said what the Sun Star quoted. This is the stupidity that holds back Philippines from becoming a tourist destination or even a livable one. Edited December 21, 2011 by Old55

[Steve & Myrlita]

http://www.sunstar.c...-neglect-197046Sun Star 12-22-2011Mr. Carlson went to city hall right after falling into a drainage ditch to complain to the mayor who was out. He then was taken to hospital.Mayor Rama was out, when he returned he was told "an Australian was bad mouthing Cebu City". Mayor Rama said "maybe Carlson should not be in the city".Sadly this is a typical situation when Filipino bigwigs are confronted with critical feedback they will attack. Rama is a fool to said what the Sun Star quoted. This is the stupidity that holds back Philippines from becoming a tourist destination or even a livable one.

What it boiled down to is they didn't want to hear it out of the mouth of a foreigner.

[Mr Lee]

http://www.sunstar.c...-neglect-197046Sun Star 12-22-2011Mr. Carlson went to city hall right after falling into a drainage ditch to complain to the mayor who was out. He then was taken to hospital.Mayor Rama was out, when he returned he was told "an Australian was bad mouthing Cebu City". Mayor Rama said "maybe Carlson should not be in the city".Sadly this is a typical situation when Filipino bigwigs are confronted with critical feedback they will attack. Rama is a fool to said what the Sun Star quoted. This is the stupidity that holds back Philippines from becoming a tourist destination or even a livable one.

It just goes to show that we definitely have the equal rights some people think we have, NOT! :no:I would not at all be surprised if he ends up deported and black listed for having the nerve to tell locals how to run their country. One day it will sink in to all, that while none of us wishes to have to walk on egg shells, we must be diplomatic in how we approach issues, or we could end up feeling the ire of someone who has the power to change our lives.Now as far as this guy falling into a hole, how come the locals walk around those areas all the time and do not fall in? How come my wife and I walk around and as of yet have not fallen in? Could it be that we look where we walk because we are aware of issues such as open holes, or even possible things which may not have been built to support our weight, which is often twice that of most locals. While it would piss me off too if I fell into one of those holes, I would be more pissed at myself than anyone else because the Philippines is not the US, so they do not have to build things to suit us and I am fully aware that they don't most times. Edited December 22, 2011 by Mr. Lee

[MikeB]

http://www.sunstar.c...-neglect-197046Sun Star 12-22-2011Mr. Carlson went to city hall right after falling into a drainage ditch to complain to the mayor who was out. He then was taken to hospital.Mayor Rama was out, when he returned he was told "an Australian was bad mouthing Cebu City". Mayor Rama said "maybe Carlson should not be in the city".Sadly this is a typical situation when Filipino bigwigs are confronted with critical feedback they will attack. Rama is a fool to said what the Sun Star quoted. This is the stupidity that holds back Philippines from becoming a tourist destination or even a livable one.

It just goes to show that we definitely have the equal rights some people think we have, NOT! :no:I would not at all be surprised if he ends up deported and black listed for having the nerve to tell locals how to run their country. One day it will sink in to all, that while none of us wishes to have to walk on egg shells, we must be diplomatic in how we approach issues, or we could end up feeling the ire of someone who has the power to change our lives.Now as far as this guy falling into a hole, how come the locals walk around those areas all the time and do not fall in? How come my wife and I walk around and as of yet have not fallen in? Could it be that we look where we walk because we are aware of issues such as open holes, or even possible things which may not have been built to support our weight, which is often twice that of most locals. While it would piss me off too if I fell into one of those holes, I would be more pissed at myself than anyone else because the Philippines is not the US, so they do not have to build things to suit us and I am fully aware that they don't most times.

I don't know why the locals don't fall in the holes, perhaps they do but it's not newsworthy. Have you spent a lot of time walking in Carbon? If not, how would you know what the conditions of the streets are? Mr Carlson is 69, perhaps he's too old to be walking the streets at all? The fact is, the sidewalks (when there are any) in the country are, for the most part, sadly lacking and in many cases dangerous and the mayor's comments are deplorable, even if made "in jest". About a month ago, a police commander riding a motorcycle on duty was killed when he ran into an unmarked construction barricade at night by SM. The mayor's office then announced an investigation into why it happened, in effect locking the barn door after. Mr Carlson deserves kudos and thanks for having the guts to speak the truth and do the right thing.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Uh, dont drink so much, and watch where your going....End of problem

Nothing to say he was drunk at all,poor lighting, shadows, bad eye sight or crowded streets can sometime affect what you see or notice. Last year or the one before I was walking along with Lee and across the whole width of the street most of the metal grating had gone west leaving a very open and leg braking hole,now if Lee did not point it out or maybe I was looking at what ever my trip to Cebu could have been a real trip and most likely to the hospital.What about small kids, there not drunk but run every where, I would hate to see a child fall down one of these holes.Its easy to say watch where your going but please let me know if you have never tripped on something before,same difference as accidents happen no matter how careful you are at times.That completes my Christmas sermon for today. :o

[Old55]

http://www.sunstar.c...-neglect-197046Sun Star 12-22-2011Mr. Carlson went to city hall right after falling into a drainage ditch to complain to the mayor who was out. He then was taken to hospital.Mayor Rama was out, when he returned he was told "an Australian was bad mouthing Cebu City". Mayor Rama said "maybe Carlson should not be in the city".Sadly this is a typical situation when Filipino bigwigs are confronted with critical feedback they will attack. Rama is a fool to said what the Sun Star quoted. This is the stupidity that holds back Philippines from becoming a tourist destination or even a livable one.

It just goes to show that we definitely have the equal rights some people think we have, NOT! :no:I would not at all be surprised if he ends up deported and black listed for having the nerve to tell locals how to run their country. One day it will sink in to all, that while none of us wishes to have to walk on egg shells, we must be diplomatic in how we approach issues, or we could end up feeling the ire of someone who has the power to change our lives.Now as far as this guy falling into a hole, how come the locals walk around those areas all the time and do not fall in? How come my wife and I walk around and as of yet have not fallen in? Could it be that we look where we walk because we are aware of issues such as open holes, or even possible things which may not have been built to support our weight, which is often twice that of most locals. While it would piss me off too if I fell into one of those holes, I would be more pissed at myself than anyone else because the Philippines is not the US, so they do not have to build things to suit us and I am fully aware that they don't most times.

The same news story told of a little girl who died recently falling into a manhole. A four year old boy fell into a storm drain in Talisay early this year and drowned.