Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Wenceslao: Acting weird because of the summit By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
Today is the Capitol’s self-imposed deadline for the completion of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). That deadline has not been met, although I am sure that when the Asean summit opens next month, the CICC will stand out as a venue. But what I will remember most on the CICC issue is Architect Manuel Guanzon.
Or specifically Guanzon’s P1.5 million bet gambit. Former senator John Osmeña did call it, but only half-heartedly. One should give it to Guanzon for acting so sure, the reason why those who contradicted him became tentative in their stand. But Guanzon is but one of those people who sounded weird because of the Asean summit.
Remember Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s “no-man’s land proposal” for Metro Cebu for the duration of the Asean summit? He even offered P100,000 to each Cebu town that will hold festivals to draw people away from the summit sites. And the four-day vacation proposal many sectors now find weird was his.
And what about members of the Lapu-Lapu City Council declaring the city under imminent danger of a calamity to be able to access calamity funds to finance projects for the Asean summit? Many laughed at the effort but no matter how illogical a move is some wise guys can always find ways to defend the seemingly indefensible.
Then there was Jonkie Ouano climbing up the roofs of shanties in Paradise Island in Looc to help paint them green. The area is visible to visitors from the first Mactan-Mandaue bridge. So there. But that is better than the ruthless demolition of shanties near the Asean summit venues: the CICC in Mandaue and Shangri-La in Mactan.
And the curfew idea. The reason why Osmeña opposed the resolution of Carmiano Kintanar (that the Provincial Board adopted) is probably because it was not as weird as his no-man’s land proposal. Besides, members of legislative bodies are allowed to come up with inane resolutions from time to time.
Difficult times, they say, test the mettle of leaders. I say the holding of major international events also exposes leaders’ logic or the lack of it. There are officials that sound good under normal circumstances but fall under the weight of important tasks. The Asean summit is still almost a month away and we have seen many examples of this.
TEXTREAX. From 0917-2027551: “Max Soliven’s demolition job on the CICC and Gov. Gwen Garcia reminds me of how he also attacked then transportation and communications secretary Sonny Garcia, incidentally the governor’s first cousin, for breaking up the transport and telecom monopolies."
