Tuesday, November 27, 2007 Editorials: Paradigm shift for Colon St.
PRESERVING Cebu’s cultural heritage is a noble project, thus the Women’s International League (WIL) needs all the help it can get from the Cebu City Government.
Besides, the half a million pesos WIL spent for 25 markers on Colon St. is no joke and rendering them useless due to neglect does not reflect well on city officials’ mindset.
The setting up of the “Heritage Markers” is the second phase of a WIL project to raise people’s awareness on the significance of this old street in the country’s history.
And the group’s work is in turn part of a larger effort by government and other sectors to save Colon from deterioration and utilize its historic value for tourism goals.
Commercial hub
But the complaint of WIL—of damaged plants and vendors stalls covering markers—could also be an eye opener for those implementing similar projects in Colon.
Colon is one of the city’s major traffic arteries and is an important commercial hub, although its establishments have been eclipsed by malls and big stores in other areas.
While that could conflict with heritage preservation goals of well-meaning groups, it is apparent that City Hall and traders in the area are not about to change course.
Status quo
Years ago, for example, traffic in Colon was designated as one-way, which had traders complaining of low sales; two-way traffic there was eventually restored.
Which shows that until benefits of heritage preservation outweigh the gains of maintaining the status quo in Colon, heritage projects may not make a dent there.
Either these projects get damaged or these end up not being noticed.
Main goal
To ensure that heritage preservation goals in Colon will be met, a paradigm shift is needed, which would require a major facelift and shift in priority for the street.
That redesign, though, needs a thorough study and the consensus of all stakeholders in the place; meaning there should be unity of understanding and purpose.
If the preservation of Colon as a heritage site is to succeed, that goal should take precedence over other else, and City Hall and Colon traders should be one with heritage preservationists in achieving that goal.
