Thursday, October 16, 2008 Why is Cebu City seal on the floor?
ITS seal being a “symbol of authority,” the Cebu City Government should not have placed it on the floor for people to step on, a former city official said yesterday.
“The seal of a local government unit (LGU) should not be displayed for people to step on because it diminishes its importance as symbol of authority,” said lawyer Manuel Legaspi, an Integrated Bar of the Philippines governor.
A Cebu City councilor for two terms, Legaspi now sits in the board of the City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (Chac), which Acting Mayor Michael Rama heads.
Legaspi questioned why the seal is on the floor of the lobby of the renovated Legislative Building right by the main entrance. People who go in and out of the building inevitably step on the seal.
“Why should people just step on the seal of a very important local government unit, which is recognized not just in the Philippines but in the world?” he said.
He said it is okay if government agencies place their seal on the doorsteps, but it should not be in the case of LGUs, especially Cebu City.
He said others of the Chac share the same concern, which he raised in yesterday’s public hearing on the draft ordinance adopting an official seal of the City.
The City has long used as its seal an image of checkered blocks underneath a representation of Magellan’s Cross. This is enclosed within a circle inside a bigger circle. However, the City has not officially adopted it as a symbol.
In a proposed measure, City Councilor Lea Japson said Cebu City needs an “emblem of authority.”
The seal, she said, is “essential to have an identity that sets it apart from the others and one that inspires trust, admiration, respect and loyalty of the people it represents.”
In an interview, Acting Vice Mayor Hilario Davide III said Legaspi has a point worth pondering.
He said the Supreme Court, for example, cordoned off its seal, which sits half-inclined on the floor.
But he said that while “the observation is valid,” having the seal on the floor of the Legislative Building attracts the attention of people towards it and what it represents.
“When people step on it, it doesn’t mean desecration or that they intend disrespect, or that they intentionally disregard the seal of the City. It is a valid point, but for me
no disrespect is meant,” Davide said.
He said that for the seal to be on the floor and readily seen by all reminds Cebuanos that it represents the “hopes and aspirations of the inhabitants of the City.”
“I don’t see anything wrong ana kay even the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency of the US Government) naa sa floor ang ilang seal,” he added.
Legaspi mentioned the seal on the Legislative Building’s floor after presenting the points the Chac raised on Japson’s proposed measure.
He pointed out the need for permanency of the seal, which is not assured with the two stars in the seal being made to represent the two political districts.
If another district is created, which is being thought of already, then the stars would no longer be representative of the districts composing the city, he said.
The Magellan’s Cross kiosk “represents the seed of Christianity in the country,” while the checkered blocks symbolize the 80 barangays, though not necessarily the same number.
The yellow color of the round seal is meant to represent the “hopes and aspirations of the people of the City of Cebu.”
Legaspi, though, said that Chac thinks that yellow is “not exactly representative of hopes and aspirations,” which University of the Philippines sociologist Sofia Logarta also pointed out.
She said the Chac was correct in suggesting gold. She also offered the color brown as a symbol of race.
Legaspi likewise said that many have called Chac’s attention to the cross inside the Magellan’s Cross kiosk being described as “a replica of the wooden cross which Ferdinand Magellan…planted in Cebu on April 14, 1521.” It is not.
City Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa mentioned that an inscription in the kiosk states that the original cross is encased by the cross that is being displayed.
While she does not object to the use of the Magellan’s Cross, as it is already synonymous to Cebu City and shows its heritage, other religious groups may question why
only a Christian symbol is made part of the seal of the City.
The council asked both Legaspi and Logarta to write their suggestions for members to consider during the final deliberation on the ordinance. (RHM)
