GSK: Things to improve on

CEBU, Philippines - With growth comes great responsibility! The growing number of participants in the “Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) posed the following challenges:

• Waiting for half an hour for the Line 6 Bus to ferry us to Talisay City is just too much. My companion and I could have proceeded to the Arnis demo at the San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church grounds. We came back to Cebu City past 11 p.m. so the moment we reached San Nicolas the arnis demo had already folded up.

• The reason why the demonstration was cut off earlier than scheduled was because “gilangaw” (or only a handful came to check on the performance).

• A barangay tourist guide/volunteer explained that the road repair in front of the parish church barred the designated buses from unloading visitors right at the churchyard. The condition might have reached would-be goers via word of mouth, so many could have decided to change course. But remember that cut-off time is midnight. GSK doesn’t happen every day. Curtains must close at the strike of 12 yet!

• The arnis demo must have taken a wrong venue! This was an observation scrawled on my reporter’s notepad having been upset at the loss of an opportunity to interact with the demonstrators. But Barangay San Nicolas is the home of Doce Pares, so what can then be done? To which barangay does the breezy Senior Citizens Park belong? Get a training center extension somewhere near!

• Aside from the University of San Carlos Museum, the Malacañang sa Sugbu was also unlit, giving the impression of its non-participation. On a map magazine issued to the heritage walk participants, featured sites from pages 47-49 included the Aduana Building (old customhouse), so it was expected that an attendant would be available in the area to entertain questions. The same is true of the Gotiaoco Bldg. soon to be the home of the Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum (except that it was well-lit). Some of the guests might not be familiar, or might not even be from Cebu, these sites “owe them an explanation.”

• When policemen stationed at the Line 6 Bus Station were asked if it’s possible to communicate with the chief of drivers to get a situationer of buses plying which routes, the answer came in the negative. Some drivers were also noted to have not known their routes fully. They admit to not getting an orientation, most especially on which featured sites their respective lines would be passing by.