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Sunday, June 27, 2004
Micame: Everything’s coming up roses for Cebu
By Rel P. Micame
REACTION. This corner received an e-mail yesterday from a Cebu City resident who lives in the uptown suburbs of the city. The sender who requested to be identified only by his initials RG said:
“Thanks for writing about public roads with checkpoints. A glaring example of this abuse is that road through Beverly Hills to Camp Marina, which had been donated to the Cebu City Government a long time ago. Recently, I tried passing through this road from Camp Marina but I was stopped by the security guard who claimed that he was under instruction by the president of the homeowners’ association not to allow passage by the public through the road.”
“The taxes that I paid go to the maintenance of this road. I would like the City Government to explain why this is tolerated,” Mr RG explained.
Mr. RG, probably City Hall is not aware of the situation because the subdivision is far, unlike in Consolacion where the V & G Subdivision is very near the town’s public market.
BULLISH. Cebuanos are bullish about the economic development of Cebu in the coming months.
This optimism is bolstered by the following factors:
l GMA’S inaugural. The eyes of the whole world will be focused on Cebu when President Arroyo and Vice President-elect Noli de Castro will take their oaths of office here this Wednesday, Jun 30. Foreign dignitaries will be witnessing the occasion. Cebu will be in the world map.
l Open Skies Policy. We have a world-class international airport in Mactan. The declaration of an “Open Skies Policy” for Cebu will attract foreign investors to this part of the country.
l Transfer of DOT to Cebu. The promise of President Arroyo to transfer the Department of Tourism (DOT) to Cebu will redound to the economic development in this part of the country. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena has already reserved an ideal site for a DOT office at the South Reclamation Project (SRP). A DOT office at the SRP is a magnet to investors to locate in the area.
l Malacañang in the South. The promise of President Arroyo to build a Malacañang in Cebu will bolster investor’s confidence in the city and province.
Mayor Osmeña has also reserved a site at the SRP for this purpose.
WASTE MANAGEMENT. Lawyer Antonio Oposa, head of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-National Environment Action Team (IBP-Neat), has given local government units (LGUs) 60 days from July 1 this year to implement solid waste management as provided for by Republic Act (RA) 9003 (Solid Waste Management Act) or face charges.
RA 9003 prohibits the continuous use of open dumpsites after last February. The law requires LGUs to draft and implement a solid waste management plan that includes garbage segregation at source, recycling and composting. In Metro Cebu, only Cebu City has a sanitary landfill in Inayawan, Pardo.
Mandaue City has only an open dumpsite in Barangay Umapad, while Lapu-Lapu City has a dumpsite in Barangay Bankal. Talisay City is negotiating with Cebu City Government for the use of the latter’s landfill in Inayawan.
Consolacion has a dumpsite in the upland barangays of Polog and Garing area. But residents in the immediate vicinity and the town’s low-lying areas are apprehensive that toxic wastes in dumpsite will seep into the aquifer and pollute the deep wells.
Inasmuch as it is expensive to put up sanitary landfill projects, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has encouraged LGUs to form clusters and put up a common solid waste management project.
In giving the LGUs an ultimatum, Oposa, who belongs to the private sector, meant business. He is unlike the EMB-DENR officials.
SCRIPTURE READING. Suggested reading of the Holy Bible for today is found in the Gospel according to St. Luke 9:51-62, “A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus” and Gal. 5:1-18, “Living in the Light;” June 28—St. Matthew 8:18-22, “The Would-Be Followers of Jesus;” and for June 29—St. Matthew 16:13-19, “Peter’s Declaration about Jesus.”
(e-mail: relmicame@ consolacioncebu.com or telefax (6332) 423-9956 cell #0918-4435044)
(June 27, 2004 issue)
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