METRO Cebu is one of the seven cities chosen by the United Nations as models for metropolitan governance, like New York in the United States, Tokyo in Japan, Paris in France and Seoul in South Korea.
This was revealed in a press conference by Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) 7 Assistant Director Dionisio Ledres Jr. and Evelyn Nacario Castro.
They are all officials of Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB).
They participated in the Technical Deep Dive on Metropolitan Governance and Quality Infrastructure Investment in New York, Paris, Tokyo and Seoul last month sponsored by World Bank.
Castro said that of the 196 countries all over the world, the Philippines included, seven countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe were selected.
Of the seven countries, eight cities were selected with three in Asia, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Pnom Penh in Cambodia and two metropolitan areas in the Philippines.
“In our case, the identified city-regions are Metro Cebu and Metro Iloilo. So, this gives you an overview of the attention that Metro Cebu is getting, particularly in terms of both the challenges that it is facing in relation to urbanization and, of course, the necessary solutions that need to be put in place,” Castro said.
“I really saw that institutional arrangement, such as metropolitan development through MCDCB and Mega Cebu, is not really common to all of us there,” Chiong said.
“It was an exchange of experiences, sharing of the challenges and we are also being taught to be concerned and be sensitive of what we call connectivity because connectivity transposes success in the development that we envisioned,” Alegado said.
Ledres said that they will see to it that what they have learned in seminars in the four successful metropolis in the world will be applied in MCDCB.
He said he hopes all 13 LGUs in Metro Cebu will cooperate so a Mega Cebu that could level New York, Paris, Tokyo and Seoul could be had in the future.
Like and follow SunStar Philippines on Facebook.