EDITORIAL - All things according to reason

Some places like Dumaguete City and Siquijor are complaining that Cebu appears to be getting all the juicy government projects while their own places seem to be getting only the smallest of crumbs.

Among the things that instigated the outburst of their officials were the proposals, and subsequent endorsements for funding by a Regional Development Council committee, for a third bridge between Cebu and Mactan and added improvements and expansion of the Mactan airport.

At face value, it would be tempting to go along with the gripes of the officials. Shorn of any qualifying detail, it would seem that Cebu is indeed being primed to gobble up the feast at the expense of its neighbors.

But a deeper appreciation of the facts would show the gripes are rooted in nothing else but pettiness. The rest of Central Visayas is not without projects. The only difference is that these projects do not come in the same size, shape and weight as Cebu's.

And it is easy to see why, although we prefer not to go into that for fear we might be misunderstood as being condescending. Still it may be appropriate to point out that, in almost any human undertaking or endeavor, apportioning always follows priority and greater necessity.

In a situation like this, what immediately comes to mind is the notion that we are being made to focus too much attention on a few trees when we should be broadening our field of vision to encompass the entire forest.

Just because a place does not have a decent airport while another already has a modern one does not mean we will just have to succumb to some romantic notion of equitable distribution and screw up our broader priorities.

With all due respect to the good people of Dumaguete City and Siquijor, they may not have decent airports now but it does not follow that, just for the sake of being fair, they should now have theirs at the expense of the more pressing need to expand the Mactan airport.

The beautiful city of Dumaguete and enchanting province of Siquijor will not rise and fall on whether they get their decent airports now. On the other hand, and in a broader sense, an expanded Mactan airport will bring benefits that even these places can greatly share with.

As with any family, there should be a diligent prioritization of available assets. Just because the eldest brother needed and was given a pair of Nike shoes does not mean the toddling younger sister demand and be given the same.