Lack of implementation worsens urban problems

CEBU, Philippines - The lack of implementation from the government has led to the worsening of Cebu's urban problems such as traffic and flooding.

This is a concern aired by Gordon Alan Joseph, chair of the executive committee of the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB), during the Cebu tourism forum on Thursday.

Joseph is also president of Cebu Business Club. "We have been so successful in driving investments and even tourism but somewhere along the line, the government forgets about governance," Joseph told the forum attended by Cebu businessmen and tourism stakeholders.

"As a result, you have 'bodegas' full of studies and yet very little actual implementation and this has been a problem," the businessman lamented.

The business sector deemed Cebu now as a victim of its own success.

This is something the "Mega Cebu" wants to address, he said. Mega Cebu is composed of Cebu's 14 key cities and municipalities and its goal to build competitiveness and livability in Cebu.

In his talk, Joseph pointed out that Cebu and Philippines in general are experiencing a rapid urban migrating where population from rural areas are migrating to urban centers.

"When urban migration is uncontrolled and unplanned, it ends up in urban sprawl," he said. "That's what you see in Cebu and in many developing areas in the world," he further said.

Last year, the Japan International Cooperation Agency concluded its Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Cebu, which many stakeholders especially from the business sector hoped the government would implement.

JICA, which had previously done various roadmaps for Cebu, was expecting that the roadmap will he supported by future administrations.

The Philippines is going to have a new administration starting June 30, led by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

The JICA study has seven sub-roadmaps namely: Metropolitan Competitiveness Enhancement; Urban Structure and Land Use; Highway Network and Public Transport; Water Supply; Storm Water and Wastewater Management; Solid Waste Management; Smart SRP (South Road Properties) Development; and Metropolitan Governance.

The study identified 10 flagship projects to be implemented until 2020 and 14 anchor programs to be executed through 2050.

That roadmap study was initiated in 2013 by MCDCB in collaboration with JICA and Yokohama City, Japan to attain the Mega Cebu Vision.   (FREEMAN)