Because it is the Sinulog Week, the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel yesterday only had one set of guests… the seven Finalists for the Miss Cebu Pageant. It is quite heartening to know that these young Miss Cebu contestants of today are able to answer tough and frank questions from the Cebu media. Most of them weren't even nervous and answered those tough questions thrown at them point blank!
For instance, I asked them if Maria Clara, the symbol of the Filipino woman has become passé in this day and age of modernism, liberalism, broken families, and the Internet where pornography is free for anyone with a computer to see. But they answered that indeed Maria Clara is very much alive. One contestant admitted that she came from a broken family, but even more it motivated her to find someone who could have a lasting relationship with her. Most had a good upbringing in the Catholic faith… thanking God and their parents for their conservative ways and helping their parish.
This Sinulog week is also extra special because of the papal visit. The finalists were asked what they should do in this Year of the Poor because helping the poor is one of the things that Pope Francis wants all of us to do. Most of them responded that having a good education is the best way to fight poverty. No doubt, this is a good answer… as feeding the poor will not improve their lot. But if they are educated, they can fend for themselves.
As for the hopes of Cebuanos for Pope Francis to unexpectedly come to Cebu to join the Sinulog Festival, finalist Ms. Lucena Rose Magdadaro had this to say; "I don't think that Pope Francis would want to come to Cebu at this time because he knows that if he comes, the millions of Sto. Niño devotees would lose their focus on the Child Jesus and focus on the Pope instead." This was a very good answer from this young woman and after the 888 Forum was done, we had a chat with the girls and all I can say at this time is that I'm sure the judges for the Miss Cebu Pageant would have a very hard time in choosing the next Miss Cebu 2015.
While there seems to be a low pressure area brewing in the area where super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) started, let us all hope and pray that this will not develop into another typhoon otherwise all the papal preparations would all go to naught.
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Finally the 3rd link from Cebu mainland to the Island of Mactan has become official when Metro Pacific Investments Corp. came up with a communiqué saying that after it gets the notice of award from the City of Cebu and I guess the Municipality of Cordova, it is prepared to spend some P17 billion for this bridge project. This was officially reported by MPIC President Ramoncito Fernandez.
Mr. Fernandez also said, "Our estimate of the start of construction of the project is anywhere between six and nine months from notice of award. Cost of the project is about P17 billion at today's prices." It turned out that the original cost of the 7.9-kilometer bridge when it was first submitted to the government was only P15 billion. As I've said repeatedly, the gestation period for a major infrastructure development in this country is at least 10 years. By the time the project gets the approval, the cost has already risen, as construction material prices are no longer the same.
A case in point is the Laguindingan Airport between Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities. The studies for Laguindingan was completed by the Year 2000 but because of delays and government priorities, the Laguindingan Airport was constructed at a higher cost that reached to P7.8 billion. Construction officially started in January 2006 and it was officially inaugurated in June 2013.
By the time the Department of Transportation & Communication started operating this airport, it was already too small for Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. At its present design capacity, Laguindingan only had a capacity of 2,000 passengers daily. Two months after they officially opened the airport, the Project Development and Monitoring Facility Board approved the revisions that included the navigational aids, landside building works, and the expansion of the passenger and cargo terminal.
There is no doubt that Cebu needed the third bridge 10 years ago, as it would be easier for motorists from Cebu City and the rest of southern Cebu to go to Cordova and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport without passing through Mandaue City anymore. What most Cebuanos do not know is that MPIC is also the largest toll road operator in the Philippines accounting for 63 percent of the country's total 320 kilometers of toll roads. These include the 93.77-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the 86.7-km North Luzon Expresswa. So perhaps someday, we can convince MPIC to also look at the Cebu-Bohol Bridge and Tunnel link.