Fix DPWH first then Mega Cebu can move faster

I attended the Mega Cebu Rotary Lunch at the jampacked J Centre Convention Center with the theme "Engage Rotary Change Lives", which I belatedly learned that was a joint Rotary affair and the subject matter was Mega Cebu. All the time I thought it was the other way around, where Mega Cebu wanted to task Rotarians to buy in its advocacy. From the way I sized up the crowd…the Rotarians wanted to hear what great changes are in the horizon to make Cebu a better place to live in.

After the speech of Mr. Dondi Joseph who was followed by Mayor Michael Rama, one could see that the Rotarians showed their eagerness to see the planned changes for a better government. Sure Mega Cebu can show us their dreams, which should match our dreams. But for as long as government is not willing to reform for the better; nothing will happen in this country.

Meanwhile, we saw the video presentation of Mega Cebu that shows the strengths and weaknesses of Cebu. I have no doubt that if you ask the majority of Cebuanos they would like to see Cebu grow in a more controlled growth, unlike Metro Manila whose growth has literally exploded beyond their control, now Metro Manila turns into a Venice whenever the rains come. Cebuanos do not want to see this happen. So the question is can Mega Cebu be our ticket for this controlled growth?

Dondi Joseph who was also the guest at yesterday's 888 Forum told me that Mega Cebu is private sector-driven and if the government listens to the private sector we could never lose. But frankly speaking, whenever I see video presentations exhorting Cebuanos for Cebu to be better than other nations like Singapore…I always tell my friends that I've been there and done that. Indeed we have long heard those empty promises before.

Remember how then mayor Tomas Osmeña rallied Cebuanos into his side…preaching Cebu to be the city next to none? Well he certainly took all of us for a ride. But look at us 20 years later under the leadership of Osmeña and his Bando-Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan, Cebu City is nowhere near that noble objective as a city next to none! This is why in the last elections; Osmeña lost his bid to run for mayor…not because Mayor Mike Rama was a better person than him…but because Osmeña failed to deliver on his promises like the Bus Rapid Transit.

So back to Mega Cebu. I told Dondi Joseph that I must have written volumes of columns chastising the Department of Public Works and Highways for their sheer incompetence in finishing the widening of Escario St. that took all but 10 long years, while the M. Velez St. is now on its eighth year and no one in DPWH seems to be in a hurry to fix up our roads…they are just taking their sweet time. Even the small widening along the side of the flyover beside the Pag-Ibig Bldg. is already more than six months old and still unfinished. Why does it take DPWH so long to finish a road project?

I was in Bangkok, Thailand, a few years ago when the road along the Asia Hotel was closed to traffic because a new asphalt overlay was being prepared. It was about a kilometer long walk from my hotel to MBK Bldg and by the time we were finished shopping…the road was already repaved. What do Thais have that we Filipinos don't have?

While the Mega Cebu promotion with the Rotarians was a stunning success, we need to go to that extra mile to make things move. If the people behind Mega Cebu cannot even convince, cajole or force DPWH to finish that road widening projects…how can we expect them to come up with our dreams for a livable Cebu?

I don't have to tell my readers that I've been there and done those things in my day. But while I used to be a dreamer myself…I stopped dreaming when the reality set in my consciousness that we have a DPWH controlled by Imperial Manila, whom we in Cebu cannot even fire for incompetence. In the years that I have served Cebu City…I have come to realize that our centralized system of governance is no longer working for the greater interest of our people.

Ask yourself…how much infrastructure did Cebu get under the Aquino Presidency? If we in Cebu didn't anything under Pres. PNoy… blame us for voting him as president. Blame Tomas Osmeña for telling Cebuanos to vote for Aquino. But there is no denying that despite all those votes we gave to Aquino…Cebu got nothing.

So if you rabid pro-Aquino yellows still adore your presi-dent…remember Cebu got zero in infrastructure in his first three years as president. Shame on you! Come Sept.11th there is another anti-Pork Barrel Rally, I suggest that those of you who are not happy with our political elite…it is time to go to Fuente Osmeña for another big rally.

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