EDITORIAL - Revitalizing the Cebuano identity

Here's another piece of good news. The long-delayed rehabilitation of Fuente Osmeña will soon be implemented in preparation for international activities that Cebu is hosting starting next year.

Setting aside differences of ownership, the Cebu City government and the Cebu provincial government have reportedly agreed to cooperate in the rehabilitation of Fuente Osmeña that will be bankrolled by a known local company.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said Thursday that provincial Governor Hilario Davide III had agreed to the move to revitalize one of the city's historical landmarks despite the ongoing conflict between the City Hall and the Capitol regarding the issue of ownership.

The rehabilitation works will start soon and will finish before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next year and the International Eucharistic Congress of the Catholic Church in 2016.

Fuente Osmeña's revitalization should have already been done years ago. During Rama's first term as mayor, City Hall signed a memorandum of agreement with M. Lhuillier for its rehabilitation to the tune of P13 million. The project, however, hit a snag following opposition by the Capitol, which has been insisting ownership to the property.

While the park will soon have a new lease on life now that the city and province are on the same page on the immediate need to rehabilitate it, the iconic landmark, once restored to its former glory, will undoubtedly bring more vigor to the uptown area.

A revitalized Fuente Osmeña will surely add more strength to the economic activity around it. That is because aside from drawing more tourists, it will also help attract more investments in the uptown area.

History has been replete with tales about parks wielding very important roles as towns mutated into mighty capitals. Central Park, for one, had given New York City grandeur unrivaled by any metropolis.

Fuente Osmeña may not have the stature as imposing and as magnificent as Central Park. But it has become a legendary symbol of Cebu. And sprucing it up is like revitalizing the Cebuano identity.