Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Editorials: Muddled issues in Lapu-Lapu
LAPU-LAPU appears to be a city that has lately become a battle ground of two “warring factions” claiming to be doing something good and yet are at the same time pointing accusing fingers at each other.
On the same day that the city was supposed to recognize investors that made Lapu-Lapu emerge as the second most investment friendly in the whole country, a report said some business leaders, meeting in a forum earlier, criticized the city’s leadership for failing to act on basic problems.
The inaction was said to have “undermined the growth of the island, particularly Lapu-Lapu City.”
Not corrupt
Yet, days after the forum, another group of business leaders proclaimed that there is no such thing as big-time corruption in Lapu-Lapu and that what have been said about the city is not true.
“Big businessmen with investments of over P500 million in Lapu-Lapu City,” so said a report, “denied the claim of Efrain Pelaez Jr. that transaction at the City Hall follow a system of corruption.”
One of them said that she never experienced the claimed corrupt acts.
“The mayor is good to us, because maybe he knows that business is very critical to the system of governance,” she said.
Confusion
While it is not clear how the conflict between the local business group and the city administration started, the fact remains that it has placed the city’s development in a confused and confusing environment.
On the one hand, the city’s local business community tells inhabitants that they have a corrupt City Government, resulting in the stunting of its economic growth.
On the other hand, there is the result of a nationwide survey that says Lapu-Lapu is a city most friendly to investors.
Also, city officials denied they are corrupt and instead sued some business leaders for non-payment of back taxes.
Stagnation
Now which is which?
Where indeed does the truth lie in these obviously muddled issues in Lapu-Lapu City?
In the face of this confusion, there is need for the protagonists to come to terms with each other, sort out their differences and save the city from the agony of divisive stagnation.
