Del Mar and Joel Lee meet, agree to disagree

On the front page of yesterday’s The FREEMAN was a photo of former congressman Raul V. Del Mar, Joel Lee and yours truly. The caption read: “Former Cebu City Rep. Raul Del Mar exchanges ideas with Joel Lee, the leader of a group that opposes the construction of two flyovers in the north district, during a meeting held at the Casino Español yesterday afternoon. The meeting was arranged by Mike Lopez. Photo from the Facebook Wall of Mike Lopez.” Here’s the back-story to the photo:

 We all love Cebu. That’s the bottom line. And as each of us does his or her share in helping shape Cebu, chances are, we’d be encountering differences in our mode and means as we go along. But if we cannot yet find a consensus, let’s all just agree to disagree for the time being. After all, that’s what a healthy and vibrant democracy is all about. Surely, there’ll be a lot of other opportunities to come together in the future to work for a common goal—the greater good—and so we might disagree on flyovers now, but that shouldn’t be enough reason to start burning bridges.

 The flyover issue, in all honesty, has put me in a rather precarious situation. I’ve been an advocate of sustainable development for at least a decade now, although not extremist in my views, and always with an ounce of pragmatism to make sure whatever vision I (or my organization) have for this earth is practicable enough to plan to undertake. That’s on the one hand. On the other, and in the interest of full disclosure, I’m related to the Del Mars through my late paternal grandmother, Caridad Duterte Del Mar- Lopez (a cousin of the former congressman). And the issue, to an extent, has placed the incumbent north district congresswoman Cutie Del Mar, and her father, former congressman Raul V. Del Mar in a bad light. Rather unfairly I dare say.

 In an effort to find out more about the issue and come up with a well-informed opinion, neither one that’s based solely on my bias towards sustainable development nor my familial relations, I started to ask questions from the people concerned. I found out from former congressman Del Mar that the two proposed flyovers went through a long process of consultation, bidding, securing the funds. And that he and his daughter, the incumbent, feel strongly that it would actually help mitigate (not completely solve) our traffic congestion woes along the Banilad-Talamban corridor and other areas affected. He showed me all the documents to prove it.

 I spoke with Joel Lee at the 1st Family Inheritance Conference at the Marriot last Saturday (it was rather serendipitous as we were pre-seated beside each other by the organizers) and found his ideas on re-imagining Cebu mostly in congruence with mine. We talked about the possibility of arranging a meeting between him and the Del Mars (who, I said, I’m sure will agree to meet) to either, at best, come up with a win-win solution to the divisive issue, or at least, to simply communicate each others’ respective sides, without any distractions from spectators and some parties with vested interests.

 The goal of the meeting: 1) To either find a consensus to the contentious issue, or build a relationship despite the disagreement, for future partnership/mutual cooperation; 2) To send a strong message that when leaders in Cebu disagree, they don’t always have to antagonize, bicker, name-call.

 A testament to the vibrancy of our democracy, the dialogue (their first one-on-one), conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and civility, shows that there exist two schools of thought that may or may not merge as we proceed with the development process. Del Mar, representing his daughter, incumbent congresswoman Cutie Del Mar, presented their side. They firmly believe that the two flyovers are a solution (not the only one) to our traffic problems, and that stalling or stopping the construction will impede the overall positive impact of the series of flyovers along the Banilad-Talamban route that will total to 5, if and when the two are actually constructed. Their vision is to have a series that allows almost uninterrupted flow of traffic in the area.

 Lee, on the other hand, obviously coming from a new school of thought, presented a revolutionary idea anchored fundamentally on the principles of sustainable development. It’s a great vision for Cebu and its people that needs political support. Del Mar listened intently to Lee’s proposals and admired him for his dedication to the cause. He also wishes to consult him on other projects and policies in the future.

 At the end of the meeting, the two leaders stood pat on their respective positions on the flyover issue but committed to working with each other for the benefit of Cebu and its future. It was refreshing to see two leaders — one political, the other from the community — stick to their convictions without the usual squabbling and name-calling we experience when our leaders clash on their views on how things should be done.

I say this is a new era for Cebu — one where the community is involved and its leaders listen, even when they don’t agree all the time. We shouldn’t be afraid of disagreements and opposition to our ideas. The Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis assures that the most spirited and passionate disagreements, when accompanied by sound reason and fact, and of course, sincerity, bring to life the best solutions. As for this issue, regardless which side you’re on, there’s a much bigger Cebu, outside those two flyovers, that awaits our collective vision and struggle to ensure it meets its destiny as the country’s first taste of the first world.