What does Cebu really need?

Our special presentation on our talkshow Straight from the Sky tonight, we bring you a discussion on the Impact of Rotary Clubs in Cebu Society. This is in line with the 78th founding anniversary of the Rotary Club of Cebu (Mother club) the second oldest Rotary Club in the Philippines and in Asia and is one of the oldest continuing civic organizations in the country.

With us are District Governor D-3860 Gov. Teodoro “Ted” Locson Jr. and the pillars of the Rotary Club of Cebu (Mother club) Dr. Ibarra “Baba” Panopio, a past and our incoming President, Mr. Jose Soberano, our current President and Mr. Edgar Chiongbian, District Secretary. Today, there are many civic clubs and many more Rotary clubs. But there is only one Rotary Club of Cebu (Mother). See what our Rotary Club has done for Cebu in all those decades. See them on SkyCable’s channel 15 at 8:00pm tonight.

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One major issue that’s happening in Metro Manila that a lot of Cebuanos believe that it doesn’t concern us is the proposal by the Aquino administration to hike the fares of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). We have always been a keen observer of the mass transit systems in Manila since the time that the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) began during the time of the Marcos administration. That’s because in those days, I would go to Manila at least twice a month and stay in the old Avenue Hotel in Avenida Rizal where the LRT passed through. I was a witness during the construction of the LRT and one of the first Filipinos to ride the Light Rail.

I was amazed at this new type of mass transit system and thought that perhaps someday, it would be constructed in Cebu. Later studies about mass transit systems brought me to realize that Cebu in the 70s didn’t have the population density to have a Light Rail Transit built here. In fact, traffic only started to get bad in Cebu in the early 90s when we started to experience what we now call our Cebooom! Later I also learned that after the LRT became operational, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was supposed to remove all the jeepney playing from Monumento to Baclaran. But then, the fares of the LRT was already higher than the jeepney fares. Hence, even during the Marcos Dictatorship, they did not have the political will to remove the jeepney. Partly to blame is the fact that old people cannot climb up the stairways to reach the train’s platform.

So in the end, we learned that the LRT was heavily subsidized by the government. Meaning, there is a special kind of Filipinos who get to ride the LRT and later the MRT who were not willing to pay the right price for the safety, comfort and speed that the mass transit offered to them. We Cebuanos (this includes all Filipinos living outside Metro Manila) do not realize that we are also paying for that comfort for these Filipinos, while we all get nothing in return! Hence, they should pay the right fares!

Now, we are in the midst of that debate between the proposal of Rep. Eddie Gullas for Cebu’s first mass transit system and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that is being proposed by Rep. Tomas Osmeña. But what do we in Cebu really need? I would prefer that the Gullas proposal be mated to the BRT so that Cebu can have the best of both worlds. A rail-based mass transit system that could help depopulate Cebu so people can live out of Metro Cebu and a BRT system where those who come to Cebu would have a transport system superior to the present jeepney that has been with us for decades.

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Whether the City of Cebu really needs the three Helio H-39B “Courier” aircraft is a question begging for an answer. I understand the point of Vice-Mayor Joy Augustus Young that the city won’t really “pay” for that aircraft, but instead build schools that the Department of Education (DepEd) is supposed to build for Cebu City in a sort of barter arrangement. But it still doesn’t answer the question how the City of Cebu can use these aircrafts. When someone said that it could be used for rescue purposes, I thought that was a bit far-fetched. A helicopter can do that job a thousand times better than a fixed-wing aircraft.

Perhaps the bigger question is, does the City of Cebu have the funds to pay the pilot for that plane. Studying to become a pilot literally costs and arm and a leg, so I doubt if any pilot who is good in flying would accept a job that earns less than a Cebu City Councilor. Never mind if the plane is already 40 years old. Small planes can last very much longer if they are maintained properly. New planes that are poorly maintained are the ones that often crash. The officials of the City of Cebu should look back at their master plan and find out if the need for a fixed wing aircraft is a necessity. Back to the question: What do we really need?