Negative politics

WHEN things are anchored on wrong political decisions, or on wrong political moves, chances are that the people as political beneficiaries would suffer in the process. This is the way I look at the case of the Ciudad project in this city.

Capitol, as lot owner, has linked up with a private corporate entity to develop the place. And thus the problem arose. For to proceed with the joint venture, government requirements have to be fulfilled. One of these is to see to it that trees would not be sacrificed for the project.

Towards this end, former mayor and now congressman Tomas Osmeña, watchful and con­­­c­erned of the city’s condition, opposed the possible cutting of trees in the project area. That stymied the Ciudad pro­ject proponent since the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) refuses to grant the permit.

It is a situation that in the final analysis, would make residents of the city and the province suffer. After all, the true beneficiaries of the Ciudad project would not be the governor, the incumbent mayor, or the former city mayor.

It is obvious that wrong politics is at work here, working to the disadvantage of the residents and both the city and the province. But then again, all may be well that ends well. I read in this daily the other day that a solution may have been found to resolve the problem of the Ciudad project. And that is the transplanting of the trees, and not cutting and killing them.

The plan is to dig around the young trees, wrap the ground around them with their roots, and move them. Between the province and the city, the thought of transferring the young plant to a better and safer place is the best solution available that promotes not only practical common sense as well as portraying our handling of political power play among our leaders as being done in favor of, and to the advantage, of the general public.

We can no more say that the political game our leaders play is selfish, and done to their advantage only. In the beginning really, Ciudad was a project that sort of hung on the balance, a project that showed a lot of promise for the livelihood not only of those whose lives will be directly benefitted by the business enterprise.

But alas, the political maelstrom that the project has nourished within it also packs enough power for its own destruction. Let’s face it. Our democratic way of life has not yet matured enough as to allow it to undertake compromises, and allow developmental politics to hold sway. Still, the demanding disadvantageous politics we have to contend with found its own solution.