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Saturday, August 13, 2005
Editorials: Macias’ lament
The lament of Rep. Emilio Macias, chairman of the House committee on good government, that opponents of the split Cebu bills are unfair in calling him as biased and anti-Cebu is understandable.
It is possible he is really doing his best to be fair to both the pros and the antis and only wants to ensure the smooth handling by his committee of the issue.
Macias, however, could not also blame the antis and even neutral Cebuano observers for seeing him in a negative light, as both his statements that filtered into the province and his actuation tend to belie his claim to being objective.
For one, he should have been careful with statements he gives to reporters.
When sought for a reaction after last Wednesday's hearing, for example, he criticized the use of the term "Sugbuak" and advised the antis to consider the creation of smaller Cebu provinces as a boon, citing the example of the splitting of Davao.
While Macias may have only wanted to place the split Cebu bills in perspective, a view like that, which echoes that of the bills' proponents, is easily misunderstood.
On the other hand, Macias has continued to insist on holding the
committee hearing in Manila, on an issue that is very important to the Cebuanos using such lame excuses like Manila being a more manageable venue than Cebu.
Which is both an insult to the ability of the Cebuanos to conduct debates in a civil manner and the capability of the committee to handle hearings on explosive issues.
And as if that isn't enough, Macias attempted to reduce the deliberation on the three split Cebu bills to mere technicality, or only on the matter of whether the proposed new provinces will meet the requirements for their creation.
Which of course was disproved by the decision of the committee to create a technical working group that would discuss not only Macias' legal requirements angle but also the defects of the bills and the ramifications of splitting Cebu province.
What these examples point out is that Macias can do better in handling the split Cebu issue—that is if he does not have a sinister motive and really wants to be objective and fair to all Cebuanos.
Dengue debate
Instead of delving too much on terminology ("epidemic," "calamity," etc.) and picking a fight with its critics, it would be better if the Cebu City Council will pour its undivided attention on stopping the spread of dengue.
There is a need, for example, for the Council to correct the imbalance in its use of the two-pronged approach--prevention and treatment--in the anti-dengue drive.
While there is a need to prevent the spread of dengue, improving the capability of the Cebu City Medical Center to treat those undergoing treatment is a must, especially with the disturbing higher death statistic.
And doing that needs a good dose of dedication and hard work.
(August 13, 2005 issue)
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