LGUs mandate: Compete or serve?

The City and Province of Cebu have continuously hugged the headlines as adversaries for quite awhile now. We see no end in sight as far as the possible resolution of their heightened animosities are concerned. In fact, as the election approaches, these squabbles will certainly take another turn, well, for the worst.

It can be recalled that the Province of Cebu had always bragged about their debt-free status. In fact, buoyed by their successful retrieval of previously donated properties, not only that they are debt-free now, their balance sheet has enviously ballooned too. Thanks to the City of Cebu, the values of the Cebu Province-owned lots are prohibitively high. 

The Provincial Capitol has trumpeted that plans are underway for all these Cebu City-situated retrieved lots. These plans, they claim, are simply hindered by the City of Cebu’s indifference. Apart from these existing prime lots, the capitol is also bent on challenging Filinvest’s proposed 50-hectare development at the South Road Properties (SRP). Regardless of the capitol’s motives, it looks like they are to compete against a proven and sound real estate developer. To some prudent businessmen who have no political leanings, they took this offer with raised eyebrows. In chorus, they all find it unimaginable for an LGU, which we know had problems in undertaking a relatively smaller project in the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), to challenge a private entity whose track records in real estate development are unquestioned and will remain unquestionable.

In all these skirmishes, we hear some brags here and a couple of boasts there. They are castigating each other no end in print, TV and radio. Watching from the sidelines as passive bystanders, we are all amused by their wits and on their abilities to coin monikers for each other’s standard bearers. In the bitter exchange of barbs, bragging statements like helping the embattled City free itself from its allegedly precarious “debt-to-the-neck” situation had been made. While these are probably sugarcoated and could be just another propaganda material, this kind of statement made other inhabitants in the island of Cebu feel they are left out. Most “probinsyanos” feel that the provincial government is more than willing to pour in billions of money to the City than in the province where development projects are just as badly needed. One of those concerned “probinsyanos” who felt so neglected is a seemingly aggrieved citizen from Sulangan, Bantayan, Cebu, Mr. Lorenzo P. Capili. Apparently disgusted, he outpoured his frustrations (in italics) as follows:

“I have a comment that I would like to share with you or a question or two. We keep hearing how good is Governor Gwen on helping the people of Cebu but all we see and read on the newspapers were about Cebu City itself. What about US in the suburb or in one of the islands of Cebu? I reside in, Sulangan,Bantayan, Cebu.

We have been asking the Mayor of Bantayan, Cebu what she can do about the road of Sulangan, Bantayan Cebu. She keeps on saying it will be done and the project is now in the hands of Governor Gwen. But how could we get in touch with Governor Gwen, when we cannot afford the boat and bus fare for leaving the island? 

Mr. Abalos, is there anyway you could help us get the message to Governor Gwen?   We the people of Sulangan,Bantayan, Cebu would appreciate it very much, if you could share some of your precious time regarding our road to recognation.”

Deeply touched by the Mr. Capili’s sincerity and appropriateness of his reactions and concerns, I sent him my commitment to post his message in this column today, December 8, 2008, with my thoughts on it. In return, Mr. Capili wrote the following (in italics):

“You just don't know how happy I was upon opening my e-mail today. With your help, the people of Sulangan, Bantayan, Cebu might have a chance to see some action from Governor Gwen. As I have mentioned before, it has been 40+ years and there was nobody so far whom neither took cognizance of our plight nor would listen to us. I will pass the word to all my friends in Sulangan,Bantayan, Cebu not to lose hope. Who knows, with your comments on the Newspaper, we might see our ROAD being paved or cemented so the tricycle could travel open and help the students travel a little bit easier.”

“Once again, I thank you in advance. I will be showing your comments (Dec.8,2008) to the people of SULANGAN.”

Here, we have a Cebuano who felt too little about himself and too helpless to be able to accomplish something for others’ good. For him, he is a little voice in the wilderness frustratingly feeling too small to be noticed and too quiet to be heard.

Looking deeper into Mr. Capili’s email, however, the circumstances surrounding his raised issues are not difficult to decipher. The truth is, it is just a question of priorities. Sparked off by the Provincial Capitol’s widely regarded debt-free status, strong balance sheet and plans to challenge Filinvest, Mr. Capili is simply questioning if they ever exist in the minds of the provincial planners. 

We can’t help but agree with Mr. Capili in his observations. It can’t be denied that the Capitol has intensified its retrieval operations of previously donated prime lots including those devoted for leisure parks. By their own admission, they are too preoccupied in mapping out strategies in challenging Filinvest’s unsolicited proposal to develop fifty (50) hectares at SRP. All these initiatives, Mr. Capili and other Cebuanos felt, are for the good of the City of Cebu.

Certainly, Mr. Capili’s sentiments are shared by thousands of not just Bantayanons but by other feeling-so-neglected residents in the countryside too. In fact, some complaints could possibly be more serious than Mr. Capili’s. Worst, these helpless “probinsyanos” must have already felt abandoned. 

Indeed, in the capitol’s quest for supremacy in the entire island of Cebu (the City included), several inhabitants in the province are left in the cold. With its leaders’ egos still to be attended to, these constituents may just have to momentarily freeze while waiting for the manna to come. On the other hand, if the Province of Cebu’s CEO is circumspect enough, she may just have to act right now before the City of Cebu’s CEO and the people of Sulangan, Bantayan come up with another moniker.

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