Editorial: Don’t rush things

Editorial Cartoon by Rolan John Alberto
Editorial Cartoon by Rolan John Alberto

GOV. Hilario Davide III is pushing for what can be described as the biggest project of his two-term hold on the Cebu Provincial Government, a P1.5-billion, 20-storey building to be built inside the Capitol compound. Projects of this magnitude need to be scrutinized well in terms of their cost and benefit. More so because its construction will be funded by a loan.

The building will host government offices and commercial establishments that would generate revenues to help pay off the loan. This means that the old Capitol building, which was declared a national heritage site during the term of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, would be further emptied of offices.

Years ago, a legislative building was built behind the main structure, resulting in the transfer of anything related to the Provincial Board (PB) and its legislative work to the new building. This should prod a review of the use of the old structure.

We just hope that Davide’s plan is part of an overall well-studied redesign of the Capitol compound, one that considered practical use and heritage implications. Consider that the compound not only hosts the old structure, the legislative building, but also the Cebu CFI Cooperative building. The plan and the design should have also considered the situation of the surrounding areas. The Capitol area is where traffic gridlocks occur because of the flow of vehicles passing there going to and from Osmeña Blvd. Any additional construction in the area should consider this point.

Having an additional structure to house Provincial Government offices is a good move. But the governor needs to ensure that what he is doing is not knee-jerk but part of a well-studied plan. Because it would be difficult to undo everything once these are already in place.

In this sense, the governor should consult as many sectors as possible before proceeding with the plan’s implementation.

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