City: Estero de Parian to become Venice-like

CEBU, Philippines — With its plan of transforming Estero de Parian into a Venice-like waterway where tourists can navigate, the Task Force (TF) Gubat sa Baha of the Cebu City government is putting more attention to this project.

TF Gubat sa Baha overall commander, former Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, had earlier said that Parian used to be a waterway that was used as a passage for commerce and trade.

Cimatu said that before putting all their plans together in the recovery of the three-meter easement of the city rivers, he also traced back the history of Cebu City for better understanding.

He even visited museums to better understand the significance and the history behind Parian.

“I was also tracing Parian and Parian used to be a very important natural resource of Cebu City even during the Spanish era. Well, even the seal of the city has a big Spanish influence, the church, and merong cross sa taas. Anyway, Parian used to be a waterway, wherein the water kasama sa dagat, papasok yung boat dyan, for retailers. Commercial area na talaga yan dyan noon pa,” said Cimatu.

TF Gubat sa Baha co-chairman, lawyer Gerry Carillo, also said that Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia had also expressed his wishes to make the Estero de Parian a Venice-type area since it is part of the Heritage District that the City Council is pushing on.

“We are having a special attention to Parian being a heritage area. We will be recovering it and establishing a Venice-like area where it will become navigable,” Carillo told reporters earlier.

With this plan, the Estero de Parian will have a different approach in its design, according to Architect Juliven Bayogo, who is also designing the promenade along the three-meter easement in the other rivers here.

“It will have a different approach…but we are still working on the design with a Venice concept,” Bayogo said.

Bayogo added they are now also coordinating with the business owners around the area for the possible design.

Estero de Parian commander Raquel Arce also disclosed that one of the big establishments that built illegal structures along the waterway has already voluntarily demolished the structure.

Arce also hopes that other business owners will demolish their properties along the no-build zone voluntarily.

Cimatu had also said that illegal settlers along the area must go soon, so that they will be able to recover the easement and solve the flooding in the area. —/GAN (FREEMAN)