Saturday, December 22, 2007 Roperos: Cebu in 2007 By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
THE year opened with the city and province carrying the Asean Summit burden from 2006, together with its attendant problems, controversies and charges and counter charges.
People who played the role of critics of the various phases of the preparation, from the lamp post purchases to the CICC construction refused to shut up.
They continued clucking, as if work for the summit in mid-January would cease.
Truth to tell, in a situation where the stakes are of international concern, no amount of restraining forces could stop the work or slow its momentum. Public interest has to prevail, or we lose face before the international community.
But the initial problem at the start of 2007 was really of no consequence to the developing events that would characterize the dynamics of the island’s complex rural-urban life throughout the year.
What should be of deeper concern here is the state of the island’s economy.
For one, I am somehow satisfied by the performance of our key officials of the city and province in the past 12 months. Although I am not in a position to claim having a full grasp of what our local leaders achieved, still a kind of wholesome atmosphere prevails.
My point is that, as local economic observers assess the year 2007, we get a potent mix of images. What appears to insinuate itself into the picture is the three accepted realities influencing the provincial economy.
There is the problem of our exporters, vis-à-vis the peso appreciation against the US dollar, the increase in dollar remittances of OFWs and the dollar inflow from a developing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.
Actually, the latter two seems to have balanced the scale between the dollar inflow and outflow in the provincial economy in the face of our beleaguered export industry.
There is no doubt that 2007 has the makings of a banner year, if considered against the backdrop of the mentioned three factors. The truth is, the strength of Cebu’s economy this year may have exceeded the expectations of some of our leaders in the business community.
It would have been a grand all around yearend satisfaction worthy of celebration, however, were it not for the grim experience of the exporters’ community.
