There is no doubt, in my humble mind, that the Cebu Business Park owned by the Ayala conglomerate has become one of the major attractions of the city since its establishment about than two decades ago. The mall has captured a certain segment of buyers. It is perceived to cater more to the well-heeled sector of our society than the so-called grass roots. The economic elite from the neighboring provinces seems to be comfortable shopping at what is simply referred to as Ayala where the branded products find somewhat exclusive display centers.
This Cebu Business Park is accessible from Gorordo Avenue, Arch. Reyes Avenue and San Jose de la Montana. But, I like to believe that the fourth entry point offers an interesting study in the diverging worlds of economics and sociology. This is the Samar Street, the mouth of which is shared by the three barangays of Carreta, Mabolo and Hipodromo.
Various enterprises, definitely not compatible to the image that Ayala has earned, are being conducted on both sides of this road. A great majority of them are in the recycling business. Many goods that have long served their purposes are again sold on this part of the city. If you know the concept of "ukay-ukay, then you can be sure that "ukay-ukay" is held there just a stone's throw from Cebu Business Park. Most of the trading of recycled items is conducted on the sidewalks of Samar Street.
It is a credit to the Ayalas that they tolerate these businesses. I use the word tolerate because I am positive that this access road belongs to the Ayalas. For instance, every now and then, I see cars that have become unserviceable being "chopped" here. The Ayala management does not mind that when these vehicles are dismembered and sold as junk, the scuttling, as well as the selling, is done right on its own Samar Street.
There is a need to focus on what is going on at Samar Street. The idea is to develop the economic efforts in order to uplift the condition of the local businessmen for them to enjoy the presence of Ayala clientele and for the latter to enhance its market image.
Three parties must be interested in achieving this envisioned harmonized undertaking. The Ayala management must be the first party, the subject merchantmen the second party and the city government of Cebu City and the barangays abutting Samar Street the third party.
In my opening statement, I advanced the observation that the Cebu Business Park is a high-end kind of mall. Its present expansion, advertised to open to the public in December, must be aimed at furthering its hold of the moneyed clientele. That marketing frame of mind is not entirely compatible with the kind of business being done on Samar Street. In fact, ukay-ukay and branded products do not sit together well.
Helping the Hipodromo and Mabolo businessmen display their products in more presentable configuration may be a good strategy. But, as of the present, that idea is far from the minds of these people. What they may be concerned of is how to sell quickly the various products that come their way.
Of course, the conglomerate cannot even make any offer to help these businessmen without being completely misunderstood. The dynamics, not to mention the philosophies, between Ayala on one hand and the recyclers on the other hand does not just jibe. Their business frames do not work on the same page. But, they can be made to complement each other.
This is where the city administration of His Honor, Cebu City Mayor Michael L. Rama, can come in. The mayor can bridge the proverbial chasm. He has to link an ultra-rich corporation with a corporate mindset to meeting the requirements of the elite, and the middle-class entrepreneurs who are busied by their own objectives of satisfying the needs of the proletariat. His job may not be that easy, but if he succeeds to present ably a vision of co-existing and harmonized economic activities of two differently situated entities, he has a workable formula. This work, I am sure, is tedious but it can be started now.