Thursday, March 27, 2008 Seares: Much ado about the city zoo By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
WHY the fuss over a zoo of "just pigeons and monkeys" who are pretty much underfed, which Cebu City Hall has neglected for ages?
Located on a seven-hectare gully in Kalunasan, next to Boy Scouts campsite, the zoo is all but abandoned by the city government.
In February last year, the City Council even authorized Mayor Tomas Osmeña to return the land to Capitol as it can no longer pay for zoo upkeep.
With debts on South Road Properties (SRP) still a millstone on the city's neck, those pigeons and monkeys can't compete for scarce funds.
But the mayor has this developer Robert Yupangco, owner of Zoobic Zafari in Subic, Olongapo. He told Tomas he can make the city zoo decent home for tigers, lions, giraffes, bears, and other wild animals.
When Tomas made some noise about tapping Yupangco, Capitol quickly wrote to Yupangco, telling him it owns the land and he can't touch land or zoo without its consent.
Shutting out Capitol from any zoo project would be rude if Tomas and Gov. Gwen Garcia were still sweet to each other. It would be rude and criminal now, when Tomas and Gwen trade not loving glances but dagger looks.
New passion
But why the mayor's sudden passion for wild life beyond National Geographic when he has enough things to do other than mess with the zoo?
With his relish for a fight, Tomas may just be nettling Gwen again and trying to get her back to the land swap table.
Whatever, it's not much ado about nothing. But Tomas may not be facing Gwen herself. Her Tomas-busters, Rory Jon Sepulveda and Marino Martinquilla, now do most of the snarling and clawing.
