Winston to run for Cebu governor

CEBU, Philippines - Former Cebu Provincial Board member Winston Garcia is running for governor in the 2016 elections.

During the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza Hotel yesterday, Garcia presented to the media his three-year action plan on how to make Cebu number one again.

“It pains me as a Cebuano to see the deterioration of Cebu because of politics, so I will push for Cebu to have a choice of issues and programs of government, and not of personalities. It is very unfortunate that some have lost their confidence in the ability of Cebu to be number one. I have a strategy or blueprint for Cebu to become number one again,” he said during a powerpoint presentation.

He said that while Cebu has the competitive advantage because of its location, there is a need to harness its potential as a major transshipment point for cargo and passengers.

Garcia also said there is a need to add a parallel runway at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. He considered this as crucial in making Cebu number one again and to be the only international airport in the Philippines to have a parallel runway.

“With that, I am very confident that Cebu will not only be a major hub for domestic but also for regional travel,” he said.

Garcia said Cebu used to be very competitive because of the international port but it has become very congested and ships have to navigate a shallow and narrow channel.

Since the port could no longer accommodate super big container ships that could make it a major transshipment point for cargo, he suggested the transfer of the Cebu International Port to Consolacion and Liloan towns.

To do this, he said, 500 hectares of foreshore areas should be reclaimed, with the land also serving as export processing zone for businesses.

He likewise suggested an additional land for a Talisay to Carcar Freeway and Light Industrial Area to address the worsening traffic in Cebu.

Garcia said a circumferential road is costly and entails a lot of social cost in terms of ejecting occupants of affected areas, while a trans-axial highway is also “not practical” because it would pass through rugged mountains.

“The best way is to go coastal by reclaiming 10,000 hectares of land for an 8-lane freeway in the south, plus buildable land for industrial, commercial and mixed-use purposes. This will be the first freeway in Cebu and it will span more than 20 kilometers,” he said.

He also mentioned the need for a mass transport in the densely populated areas of Metro Cebu from Carcar City to Danao City to be implemented in phases, with the first phase being from Talisay City to Mandaue City.

“All these are doable in a period of three years through PPP, without a single centavo spent by either the provincial government or the national government. It will create around 500,000 direct and 2 million indirect employment opportunities for the whole Central Visayas,” he said.

Garcia hinted having talked with “presidentiable” Senator Grace Poe about the plan.

Garcia said he told Poe that what he would need is not money from the national government but authority to reclaim, authority to transfer the Cebu International Port at no cost to the national government, authority to undertake PPP and bid the projects out to interested investors, and for the return to Cebu of what is rightfully Cebu’s – the P14-billion premium given for the development of the airport; and the authority to spend this for the parallel runway.

“We will run on the strength of our program. These will ensure that the economic growth of Cebu will be sustained through the years. Cebu will be number one again, and for all time,” he said.

He also said that if elected, he will declare on the first minute of his administration that all health services in all district hospitals of the province would be for free and the use available provincial resources to upgrade these hospitals to world-class level.

As for the water problem in Cebu, he said the Metropolitan Cebu Water District should not take care of all the needs of the entire Metro Cebu and the services should be handled by different entities.

“If we are together in this vision, we can provide employment opportunities not just in Cebu but for the neighboring provinces (as well). If we have determination, will, and cooperation, we can do these in three years,” Garcia said. — (FREEMAN)