How imperial Manila blocks Cebu’s growth!

Last Tuesday, we attended the joint conference for the Future of Mass Transportation in Metro Cebu hosted by the Metro Cebu Development & Coordinating Board (MCDCB) a.k.a. MEGA Cebu and the Ministry of Land Infrastructure & Transportation & Tourism of Japan, held at the Radisson Blu. This was the presentation of the Future Development Vision and Public Transportation Development Strategy in Metro Cebu done by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which Mr. Kumazawa Ken presented before the body. This was the offshoot of a visit by Mega Cebu officials to the City of Yokohama.

I have attended many such meetings and I’m proud that Cebu has always done this in the past. However our problems lies not in our inability to find solutions to our problems, more so that we have very close ties with Japan. Our problems stem from the very centralized system of governance where infrastructure projects for Cebu are not given any importance by Imperial Manila. This is why Cebuanos hate Imperial Manila so much!

There were many speakers, mostly Japanese, but let me get to the point when my good friend, Rene Santiago, Urban Transport Specialist came up with his presentation. He first asked the group to raise their hands if what they saw presented by the Japanese delegation was good for Cebu, and his second question was… when do you want it implemented for Cebu? All hands were raised! Who wouldn’t want what they have in Japan?

Rene Santiago is undoubtedly the most experienced Filipino consultant on transportation projects, having been involved in the famous “Love Bus” that was very successful in the ’70s and yes the first Light Rail Transit (LRT-1). Then he gave us the sad story of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) saga, which he says was a bad PPP project, including the Northrail Project that he said was “aborted,” yet we ended up spending $250 million which did not result in a single kilometer of railroad track being laid. If my good friend and fellow STAR columnist were around, he would have loved hearing the presentation of Rene Santiago and wrote a similar column like this.

Then Mr. Santiago threw the question whether Cebu would get its first rail transit line? He gave us the history of this project where there was even an unsolicited proposal by the AMA Group for Cebu’s LRT, which I remember attacking that project simply because AMA isn’t in the transport industry and was there merely to get the project then resell it for a profit. Then finally there was my good friend, Rep. Eddie Gullas’ proposal for an LRT project for Cebu, which the DOTC simply ignored. How sad!

During the Q&A, I literally asked our Japanese friends if they had a city-to-city kind of arrangement where we don’t need help from a DOTC that doesn’t care for Cebu. If Cebu woefully lacks infrastructure projects today, blame it on Imperial Manila…notably the Aquino regime where in the last four years, Cebu got nothing!

Three weeks ago, during a Mega Cebu Conference with Cebu’s political leadership, Bobby Aboitiz presented Gov. Hilario Davide III, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Cordova Mayor Ade Sitoy together with almost all Cebu Congressmen and civic society with a powerpoint presentation that showed all the approved infrastructure projects of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) with a huge banner screaming across saying “None for Cebu.” To think, P-Noy also won in Cebu during the 2010 elections.

This is a stark contrast to then former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who gave us the South Road Project (SRP), which is Cebu’s fastest link to Talisay City where the new SM City is now being built. Yes, Cebu is a big loser under the Aquino regime, which is why Aquino is very unpopular here… and I guess this is also true in so many parts of the country.

Rep. Raul del Mar was the only Congressman around in last Tuesday’s joint conference and he told me that he has already introduced House Bill no. 5142 asking the DPWH to conduct feasibility study and detailed engineering studies and acquisition of sites where skyways can be constructed in the North District of Cebu City. Rep. del Mar also filed House Bill no. 5141 for a proposed subway system for Cebu City that he presented to DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson.

Conferences like this is where Cebuanos shine very well against the officials of Metro Manila because we are not trying to reinvent the wheel, but simply copy the best of what they are doing in Western nations and notably in Japan. Alas we have to pass through the eye of the needle at DOTC for such projects. Yet they can’t even solve their problems in Metro Manila. This is why we need to change from a centralized system to a federal system…or risk the reality of Cebuanos calling for independence from Manila!

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