The internet was on fire this week as drama and spectacle drowned the recent Pasigarbo 2023, a new development in Guadalupe caused debate online, and a team building went wrong.
I am Marites Millennial here to give you my hot take on the trending issues that took over our newsfeeds this week.
Issue: Engineer Slater Young revealed his newest project, the Monterrazas de Cebu in Guadalupe, Cebu City, an ambitious feat of architecture and engineering.
The core of the project was inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces such that they used the natural design of the mountain, creating stepped multi-level terraces, to create a structure that would be safer with less environmental impact.
Hot take: Netizens had mixed reactions about the project with some supporting this engineering feat due to the sustainable efforts built into the design. Others were much more skeptical.
One of my favorite takes was that of Atty. Jesus Falcis who questioned why the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approved of the project and whether the environmental risks outweighed the benefits.
This is valid because while we will always support innovation in design and engineering, the environmental impact of projects must be made transparent.
It is the job of the DENR and the Cebu City government to inform the public of the impact of Monterrazas considering that Guadalupe is the most populous barangay here.
Should the project’s design fail and the mountain collapse, the lives of at least 300,000 residents could be at stake.
I do not question Monterazzas’ vision. It is an ambitious feat and worth celebrating. Yet the government should bridge the information gap because it is the right of every Guadalupe resident to be assured of their safety.
Issue: Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia lashed out during the Pasigarbo 2023 against the technical supplier, Alberca, for the technical difficulties the festival faced in Carcar City.
Hot take: The governor’s reaction was the bomb version of what the individual mayors of the towns and cities of the province felt.
The poor contingents were left to start from the top due to the glitches, and I can only imagine how tired the dancers felt. No wonder people thought it was a “sabotage.”
While I feel for the governor, I do not also condone how she lost her temper, as she quite made a spectacle of herself. I wished that she had taken a more diplomatic route.
As for Alberca, I can only feel sorry for them. The circumstances of the festival caused their unpreparedness. They tried their best and I do not believe in “sabotage,” but they certainly flopped.
I hope Alberca recovers from this and I believe they deserve to be given a second chance.
Issue: A male team leader of a call center company and his female colleague were caught by the former’s wife inside a motel in Barangay Kamputhaw on August 29, 2023. Before the incident, the 27-year-old call center team leader reportedly posted a status on social media saying he was attending a “team building.”
Hot take: Dear, team lead, you single-handedly destroyed all plans for “team building” this year. Thanks for that.