Hong Kong and Cebu: A tale of two cities

HONG KONG — For those of you who were not born during the EDSA Revolt, let me bring you back to Cebu City 27 years ago when Cebu City was a sleepy town. Business in Cebu City was focused mainly in the downtown district with Colon St. and Magallanes St. the epicenter of economic activity. Cebu, though started to experience a new economic growth and development along Mango Ave. when we had the Century 21 Cinema and Belvic theaters, while all the major corners along Ramos St. were taken by banks.

Mandaue City didn't have any hotel or restaurants, only it's growing furniture industry (which lasted only for a decade and vanished) while Lapu-Lapu City's only contribution to Cebu's economic growth was the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). Never mind Talisay, it wasn't even a city at that time.

Ah, yes, Tambuli Beach Resort was beginning to grow and Cebu City already had the Cebu Plaza Hotel (now the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel), but the Magellan Hotel and Montebello Garden Hotel still attracted many clientele. Ah, yes what about traffic? It was nonexistent! Traffic only gets bad during Wednesdays and Sundays at the Redemptorist Church.

The reason why Cebu's economic growth wasn't as big as it is today was due to the fact that it was neglected for more than 14 years by the Marcos dictatorship because it's favorite son, the late Sen. Sergio “Serging” Osmeña, Jr., ran against Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos during the 1969 elections. Then came the EDSA Revolution where we Cebuanos helped install the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr.'s housewife, Tita Cory, to the halls of power in Malacañang. Twenty-seven years later, Cebu is still wanting in so many things that a growing metropolis needs to maintain its growth.

Twenty-seven years ago, Hong Kong already had a vibrant economy. It had tremendous tourism potential, but unfortunately, the Kai-Tak International Airport, which had only a single runway, stymied its economic growth. Kai-Tak International Airport was also facing the mountains of Kowloon and was considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Its single runway also meant that Hong Kong's tourist numbers depended largely on the number of jumbo planes that Kai-Tak could accommodate.

In July 1, 1997, 16 years ago, Hong Kong ceased to be a British Crown Colony. One would have thought that capitalism would have died with that turnover to the Chinese communists who rule the Republic of China. But somehow, China created the Special Administrative Region (SAR), which they also did to Macau when Portugal returned it to them. Today, these cities are Asia's economic dynamos.

In order for the United Kingdom to get back the money they earned in Hong Kong, they embarked on a great infrastructure project, which was the transfer of Kai-Tak International Airport to Chep Lap Kok International Airport. This was a small island off Lantau Island (which workers from the shutdown Atlas Consolidated Mining company helped level to the ground) where they built a parallel runway. Since the airport was nearly 50 kilometers from Hong Kong Island, the British constructed a new motorway, complete with three huge suspension bridges and a commuter railway so that it only takes 23 minutes by train from the airport to Hong Kong.

Today, Hong Kong Island hosts one of the biggest tourist crowd drawers in Asia, Disneyland, and they also have a huge convention center that draws tourists from all over the world. Last weekend, Hong Kong's private tourist organization embarked on the Rubber Duck Project putting a humongous yellow rubber duck floating at the Kowloon Harbor and the children went wild! Harbor City, the shopping mall beside the sea, was full-packed with tourists. Call this imaginative tourism, which unfortunately we don't have in Cebu! When will we Cebuanos wake up?

Hong Kong also has the Victoria Peak Tram that brings you up the mountain for a terrific view of the city. This attraction was built way back in 1888. In short, the Cantonese already saw the tourism value of a great view more than a hundred years ago. When Lito Osmeña was governor of Cebu, he told us about exploring the possibility of Cebu's having either a tram or a cable car to go to “Tops,” which he owns.

Alas, none of these have materialized, just like so many things in Cebu that we used to dream about, like being “Second to None,” thanks to ugly politics, where only the politicians make money and the poor remain poor. We saw the thousands of Filipino domestic workers huddled together during their day off at the Central Park in Hong Kong.

If only Cebu followed the footsteps of Hong Kong, having a great road network infrastructure and a dual runway for MCIA, then we might have attracted more tourists to our shores. But then even a unique submarine for foreign tourists was blocked by local gov't. bureaucracy and corruption!

*  *  *

Email: [email protected]