Re-union: Movement for livable Cebu

Last June 29, Thursday, years after we met last, Joel Lee of Movement for Livable Cebu (MLC) shared that MLC will have a post-COVID RE-UNION (to remember, re-member and move forward) on July 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Asilo dela Milagrosa Gorordo Avenue, with RSVP requested via FB Messenger: MLC RE-Union 2023!

He also pointed out that June 30 was the anniversary of the focused group discussions (FGDs)!

He was specifically referring to my June 30, 2013 report for the MLC, titled “What is A Livable City for Cebuanos?” This discussed the results of FGDs that Joel conducted/coordinated with others from the MLC team.

As a reminder, a month after its inception in September 6, 2011, the Stop Cebu Flyover Movement gave way to the multisectoral MLC that Dr. Glen Green described in his 2019 Lantawan article as having “played a key role in stopping the construction of more Cebu flyovers” particularly “the proposed flyover in General Maxilom and MJ Cuenco Avenue.”

These two portions of Dr. Green’s 2019 discussion may be worth recalling for their continuing relevance today:

1.) “The Committee on Sacred Art and Architecture of the Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Church of the Cebu Archdiocese “released a manifesto expressing its “strong opposition” to the flyovers. They said the projects would diminish the heritage value of the Asilo de la Milagrosa Church and the Carreta Catholic cemetery. The Committee cited Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 which prescribes the protection of cultural property against “exportation, modification or demolition.”

2.) “Cebu suffers from uncontrolled and suboptimal growth: while malls and high-rise condos (built largely for short-term speculation) proliferate, its architectural heritage is rapidly disappearing. Its roads are jammed with huge new cars bought on loan. Cebu’s rivers and drainages are choked with plastic from an unjust and polluting ‘sachet economy’.

“It suffers a growing water shortage even though God provides the city with ample rain onto its very residences and businesses, and it has legislation requiring all buildings to have rainwater cisterns (though not implemented). While its rich grow ever richer, Cebu’s poor are burdened with high prices, few government services, and the ever-present specter of neighborhood fire.”

Cebu, as described by Dr. Green in 2019, does not seem to have changed fundamentally from these 2013 observations of Metro Cebu shared by the 106 FGD participants from four among the students, the urban poor, employees/workers, and business: “Unmet basic and other needs by ineffective governance and politics currently make Metro Cebu unlivable, its environment degraded, polluted, dirty, unsafe.

“Priority has to be given to the provision of basic needs (safe, available, affordable food, drinking water, health, shelter. livelihood, education, and security).

“There is a need as well for the restoration of the natural beauty and balance of Metro Cebu’s environment so that an affirmative community can emerge to allow life to be sustained, both for people and for nature.

“Governance and politics will have to be truly responsive to providing for the needs of all residents.”

Thirteen years after, now in 2023, what do you think? Will people and officials unite to “turn around Metro Cebu to possess the salient features of a livable city an environment characterized by natural beauty and balance where people’s basic and other needs are met and provided- for food, water, shelter, health, livelihood, education, transport, facilities, services, infrastructure as well as spiritual, emotional, and mental needs.”

“An economy, infrastructure, politics and government responsive to and protective of the needs and balance of people and nature; without discrimination and with friendly, good, trustworthy, enlightened, responsible, disciplined, participative and happy people; and where life is comfortable and seamless, where arts, music, crafts, culture and interconnectedness with others thrive and life, sustained?”