Beautifying Cebu while also helping the poor!

Here we go again, marking another countdown for the holding or our hosting of the 12th ASEAN Leader's Summit. That means that we will have to check or recheck all things that we spruced up last month prior to the hosting of the summit before it was postponed. I submit that many of these works were hastily done because of lack of material time and when the rains came the paints peeled and some of the newly-asphalted roads began to crack. That pretty red paint on the major intersections has all but disappeared in less than two months since they were painted. These are small things that we need to really look into once more.

Meanwhile, I learned that the last time Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) was in Cebu to check all the arrangements for the summit, she was still not satisfied with the landscaping, not that we've not done enough (I know that my dear friend Therese Gonzales has been doing this job almost single-handedly) but because in all honesty, we really started from scratch! Take the case of the island along Juan Luna Avenue. It was the first time we ever saw the landscaping of this island. So when the President passed through there, even that couldn't escape her eagle eye as she also wanted the sidewalks to be landscaped as well.

This is what we've been saying all along. Cebu is no longer acceptable for Cebuano eyes alone. For too long a time we were merely contented with zero landscaping, not even a single flower arrangement except at the Osmeña Blvd. But times have changed. This is why Cebu sorely needs to beautify all its thoroughfares. I don't blame Pres. Arroyo for being so picky about these small details. In fact, I'm glad that we have a President who can see to all those small details. As President she has been to many places in ASEAN, like Bangkok or Vietnam and all their major thoroughfares are blooming with all the flowers that can grow in their country because they also know that this is what tourists want to see.

The same observation can be made when you arrive in Singapore's Changi International Airport. As your bus or taxi whisks you away from the airport terminal all you see are beautiful landscapes hugging both sides of the road. With that, I believe that the Province of Cebu, including its component cities and municipalities and of course Cebu City should embark on such beautification program on an annual basis that is fully maintained.

I'm sure that some councilors or the Provincial Board members would balk at the cost of our beautification programs. But I just read the front-page headline of the Business World newspaper which blared, "Social Payback in 2007". Apparently, Pres. Arroyo has set a goal for 2007 to be the year of the "Social Payback" wherein our economic gains will filter down to the ordinary families and taste the fruits of our economic gains. I fully subscribe to this call and since Cebu has gained tremendously because of our tourism boom, this should trickle down to the poor people especially those who live in the mountain areas.

Call it a coincidence that we are pushing for a massive beautification campaign in this corner today as this is one great way of really helping the poor people in the mountainous areas of Cebu Province who grow those cut flowers or orchids. Whatever money or funds spent for the beautification or our buildings or roads would no doubt directly benefit the poor people. That's more than enough reason to prepare a budget for this clean and green campaign. More importantly, we really need to beautify Cebu now that we have a Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). I expect that we shall be seeing more international conventions being held here.

I don't know what you folks are thinking, but right now we need to identify areas where we need to put up a massive landscaping program, complete with flowers and orchids. First off is the Mactan International Airport, which is the doormat of Cebu. This facility must be the first to start a beautification campaign. Then, we should also have landscaping on both sides of the two bridges spanning the Mactan Channel. Of course, we must not forget that the Port of Cebu also brings tourists to Bohol and the other islands. Then each municipality should do their own flowering campaign.

But let me warn you that our beautification drive should be a concerted effort. Meetings should be made by those participating in this program so we can have some kind of commonality in our landscaping and beautification campaign. If we fully embrace this concept, you can say that this will be one positive legacy in our hosting the ASEAN Summit.

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