If somebody belittles the way Mayor Tomas Osmeña is running Cebu City, he is quick to point out how the city ranks glowingly in some surveys. If somebody points out how the city ranks badly in other surveys, he then belittles the manner in which these surveys were taken.
Actually, like Bob Dylan said about us not needing a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, so do Cebuanos not needing any survey to tell us what the conditions are in this metropolis we all call home.
It doesn’t matter who or what is saying anything about Cebu City. We Cebuanos know if, say, our roads are paved in accordance with expectations of a “ world-class city “ or whether the potholes and shoddy road repair work give one the impression of being in the countryside.
Right now, with the rains coming, we do not need some survey from who knows where telling us what a livable city we are or how great we are as a city of the future. The filthy floodwaters that swamp us more frequently than we can say amen need no other telling.
Safety and security? Why, the mayor can joke all he wants about vigilante killings scaring more criminals than the death penalty itself. But the fact remains, if a person can get shot merely for his cellphone, then the city must be a very dangerous place indeed.
It is fine for the city government to embark on projects that seek to attract more investments. But that is dealing with the future. Right now, there are very basic needs and requirements that not only have not been met but have actually been ignored.
The city cannot hope to stand as a showcase of some future development miracle while a part of it, an entire leg, remains firmly rooted in neglect and improper attention. To turn a blind eye to existing unwelcome realities is to court becoming a two-faced entity.
And that is something we cannot afford because a bad side will always tell on the good side. Not that there are perfect cities in the world. But good cities are at least doing something about their dark sides, whereas we seem to be perpetuating them.