While we know that his work hasn't really totally overhauled our Justice system, as there is just too much to be done, however under Davide's watch, he has done major reforms in the Judiciary that would be enshrined in our legal system long after he has retired. One of them is the computerization of the Judiciary. Before this program was put in place, everything that a judge or a lawyer does is recorded on paper... including files and pleadings.
When this program is fully completed, it would rid the Judiciary of huge volumes of paper files. Henceforth, judges and lawyers would now be using computers to check on their cases... and get instant references to previous legal dictums. This is one legacy that Chief Justice Davide leaves to the Judiciary, which will make this branch of the government efficient and will result to a speedy resolution of justice as to what the Chief Justice would be doing, he has repeatedly said that he'd like to go back to his native Argao and do a bit of farming. Well, some of us have a green thumb and we can only wish him Godspeed and thank him for a job well-done and more importantly for giving Cebu a good name amongst all Filipinos.
Immediately, one problem has surfaced... that we would need 17 top-of-the-line luxury cars for the use of the Presidents who would be coming here. With Filipinos known worldwide for our hospitality, then this is a problem we should hurdle. If you recall, during the World Law Conference in 1977, they too had the same dilemma, what vehicles to use for the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of every country in the world. It was then that someone came up with the idea to bring a bunch of Mercedes Benzes brought tax-free, which would be used for the World Law Conference and after that they can be sold to interested buyers at very good prices.
During the Asian Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) held here in 1998 or was it 1999 in Subic, we too experienced the same problems. This is why the Philippines had to buy ten Bell helicopters from the different government departments just to ferry the Presidents or Prime Ministers who were members of APEC. The only difference now is that, the ASEAN Summit will be held in Cebu and therefore, most of us have to carry this burden.
One project in the offing is the Mega dome, which, if finished on time, would provide a fitting venue for the ASEAN Summit. However, the plans of the old Mega dome have to be changed because, this time around, we shouldn't be building only a nice basketball court. Rather we should be building a facility where a trade hall is so important as we can use this to feature international shows... something that Cebu cannot yet offer.
For instance, when we were in Germany back in 1988 when I was the External vice-president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CCCI) and we attended their annual International Food Fair in Cologne. It was housed in a 42-hectare covered lot and we could only see 50 percent of this in two days of going around the facility. The next month, they had an International Book Fair where books from all over the world are exhibited.
This is what I believe we should have in this Mega dome and when that is done... believe me, Cebu will become a major destination for these International shows... like the Gun or Auto shows they have in the US. I just hope that we do not get into minor or petty debates on issues that will arise in preparation of the coming ASEAN. Cebuanos should be united in this endeavor so we can showcase this event to the rest of the world, whose attention will be focused on Cebu on that week. A good place to start is the quality of our roads. Thanks to the incessant rains, many of our roads needs patching up and it is time to do this with international standards in mind.