LGUs urged to collaborate to realize OECD proposals

CEBU, Philippines - An official from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development urged Cebu local government units to collaborate to realize the recommendations drawn from the OECD study on Cebu's economic sustainability.

"The local government is really key, first of all. Also we see the need for coordination among LGUs," said Tadashi Matsumoto, project manager of Public Governance and Territorial Development of OECD in an interview Wednesday.

OECD is conducting a sustainable green growth study in Cebu, targeted to be completed by December next year. This is part of OECD's Urban Green Growth in Dynamic Asia Project which has chosen five Asian cities to be studied and Cebu is one. The Cebu study is in partnership with the Metro Cebu Development and Coordination Board (MCDCB) and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation.

OECD said the development of Asian cities is shown by the rapid and continuous urbanization in an unprecedented scale, noting the impact of manufacturing industry and increasing motorization on economic growth.

"The result has been escalating greenhouse gas emissions, sprawling urban development and loc environmental impacts, as well as disparities in income, education levels and job opportunities in the urban population," OECD said.

"The great challenges and opportunities offered by such a context call for a green growth model addressing these specific circumstances," it added.

Matsumoto pointed out the government of Cebu must prioritize issues that affect urban green growth and sustainability and know what has to be done to address them.

Matsumoto explained the OECD has identified six areas needed to be studied and these are: land-use and transport; energy; housing and building; water resources; solid waste management; and green manufacturing.

The OECD official particularly cited the need for Cebu to establish an efficient land-use system amid its fast population and economic growth.

"Efficient land-use is key for ensuring long-term economic development," he said.

Urbanization has created critical implications in terms of land-use in Metro Cebu.

Because of land saturation in key cities in Cebu, developments are now starting to occur in the fringes of the metropolitan area, a situation which might encourage urban sprawl and undesirable environmental outcomes.

The international organization is going to give policy recommendations to improve green growth strategies in Cebu. These should provide Cebu's local government with concrete policy options needed to deliver short-term and long-term benefits.

Recently, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also concluded its Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu which, it hopes, will be supported by future administrations.

"We hope that the Philippine government will approve the roadmap in the same way they supported the Infrastructure Roadmap for Mega Manila," JICA Chief Representative in the Philippines Noriaki Niwa had said in an statement.

Stakeholders in Cebu have been urged to immediately start working on flagship projects identified by the roadmap, the blueprint for Cebu's sustainable urban development. — Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)