GOV. Gwen Garcia has surely visited many cities abroad and seen that most of them can boast of parks as well as greenery along its thoroughfares. One wonderful example is Singapore whose lush botanical gardens are a sight to behold. There are similar “green lungs” in our neighbors Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, as well as in Japan, all fine examples of nature which its citizens enjoy.
This is why the governor’s plan (reported in SunStar) to build a parking lot at the vacant Capitol compound, as reported in SunStar, shows lack of imagination. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a park with lots of trees were put in that space instead?
It’s long been obvious that a city like Cebu is in dire need of greenery, especially since so many of its trees have been decimated over the years, with no attempts made at landscaping throughout the island. Such conditions promote the drought with everyone suffering.
A plan by Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella about having two million jobs struck me because of one thing.
Among the planned jobs are “forest rangers” to ensure “the greening of the forest within the city.” Pray tell exactly where those forests are, since the city has been indiscriminately chopping down trees for lord knows how long?
The way this province is headed, our children and grandchildren can look forward to a future of desertification which already hurts many citizens today. (By Isabel T. Escoda, Cebu City)