OUR attention is probably now focused in the coming USA presidential elections with only few days left before the people of this powerful country finally decide who between re-electionist Republican President Donald Trump and former Democrat Vice President Joe Biden should run their country in the next four years.
Imagine betting money is allowed in USA even in this kind of political exercise. The battle for the presidency in USA is not only passionate and deep-seated between the presidential candidates and their supporters but also for the gamblers. The stakes are high and Biden is up against Trump.
Well, let's just wait for the outcome if USA is truly the world leader in democracy. My little expression of doubt is based on news stories that there are attempts to terrorize the ongoing casting of votes. In USA, the election date is in November 3 yet but they have an early in-person voting. If we adopt this in our country, I think there would be less crowd during election day.
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Last week, Cebu City again experienced the worst flooding after the heavy downpour since the uptown area was affected. The culprits, clogged drainage and structures constructed along the city's waterways. In its two-day clearing of the drainage, the city collected 235 tons of mixed garbage. That's half-a-day volume of the city's trash.
I've said these many times that no matter how wide and big the city's drainage system is, if those undiscipline still dumped garbage into the creeks or anywhere, the problem of flooding during torrents would always recur and there would be no end in sight.
Urbanization also largely contribute to the problem as more people from the rural areas migrate to the urban centers for jobs. Cebu City is the favorite destination of in-migration next to Metro Manila. This brings me to one of the country's renown architects, Arch. Joseph Michael P. Espina, who sent me a copy of his short treatise on "Development vs Conservation: Bridging the Gap."
Espina stated that per World Bank report, our country is the fifth largest populated urban area in the region. From 17 million population in 2000, it rose to 23 million in 2010. The urban development in Metro Cebu increased in a rapid rate in the last 10 years that also tremendously raised land's value. The mushrooming of high-rise buildings is proof to this.
The treatise of Espina is focused though on conservation of Cebu City's heritage sites vis-à-vis development. He said the pressure of urbanization coupled with the lack of development controls has threatened and diminished the historic district of Cebu since high rise structures have creeped into the heritage sites.
Espina said Heritage Conservation should refer to the careful preservation and protection of buildings, objects, landscapes and other artifacts of tangible and intangible historic significance and it should not mean the stunting of an idea or the truncation of growth. It should allow an idea to flourish or grow.
The historic district of Cebu is a great potential for tourism, said Espina. The School of Architecture Fine Arts and Design (SAFAD) has advocated for he pedestrianization of the heritage district, like Colon Street and a Heritage Walk from Parian to Plaza Sugbu.
Espina supports the pedestrianization of "Calle Magallanes" that will link Magellan's Cross and Plaza Independencia. Barangay San Roque in collaboration with UAP Datu Lapu-Lapu Chapter have submitted this proposal to the Cebu City Development Committee, which was approved during in its last full council meeting. But is Cebu city ready for this? (I will request the editors to print in full Espina's dissertation since my space is limited.)