CEBU Business Club president Gordon Alan Joseph has a point in his observation about the city being unable to transform itself into a world class and livable place.
“We are mired in traffic, garbage, peace and order problems, illegal settlers, flooding, etc. It’s all talk and posturing. No action. It’s sad,” he said.
What could be ironic there is that the man now at the helm of the city first became mayor in 1988, or three decades ago, when he was apparently still brimming with idealism. While his stint as mayor was interrupted at times, first by Alvin Garcia and later by Michael Rama, the interruptions were short and his influence on the two politicians was palpable before they became bitter rivals.
One can therefore say that Osmeña’s role in what the city has become today cannot be dismissed nonchalantly. We can cite a number of factors of a jurisdiction’s growth or decline, but surely governance plays a big part of it. And Osmeña’s role in the city’s governance in the past three decades is huge.
Throughout the years and during every election within that time span, Osmeña claimed to be a better administrator than his political rivals and the only one with foresight. On the latter claim, the South Road Properties (SRP) is almost always used as an example, although his rivals have pooh-poohed that.
But reclaiming land can’t be a good test of foresight. If Joseph’s observation is to be given credence, then the city’s leaders, with Osmeña a looming figure, failed on the matter of anticipation. On this point, we can point to any of the aspects Joseph mentioned and use it as proof.
Consider garbage. Osmeña was a young mayor when the Metro Cebu Development Project (MCDP) was implemented, with one of its components, the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill, providing a promise for a world-class solid waste management for the city. That didn’t happen.
And the city government couldn’t even prepare for its closure. Now we are throwing our trash outside of the city using rented garbage trucks, spending big amounts of money in the process. Meanwhile, officials of the city government are bickering over the logic of putting up a dump site in the city’s upland areas.