The glory that was Cebu City and Cebu Province

Let there be no more quarrel on the venue of the Sinulog from now on. The place doesn’t matter. What matters most is our unity as Cebuanos. We belong to a great province, a grand city, and among Filipinos, we were the first to become Christians. We should focus more on what binds us together, not on what divides us.

Cebu is the premier province. Cebu has more assets than any 10 other provinces combined. Cebu City isn’t just any city. It’s the queen city, if Manila is the King.

Cebu Province is being led by a passionate governor dragon lady. Cebu City is being led by a young, dynamic city mayor, who dreams like Lee Kuan Yew. Gwen and Mike are Cebu’s only greatest hopes for the Senate. They should stay together.

Cebu is always stronger when its leaders stay together. But in the last two decades or so, Cebu's politicians are all “to each his own”. That could be why Cebu is no longer given by Tagalogs that importance. In a rare chapter in Philippine history, Cebu isn’t represented in the Senate, Supreme Court, Comelec, or other constitutional bodies. There is no top Cebuano general in the PNP, army, navy, or air force. There is no Cebuano cardinal, ambassador, or diplomat. The Philippines is now ruled by Ilocanos, Davaoeños, and Warays. There are four senators from Mindanao but none from Cebu.

The 15 justices of the Supreme Court are all from Luzon except Jean Paul Inting from Davao, Japar Dimaampao from Lanao, and Antonio Kho from Jolo. There was a time when senators Sonny, Boy Herrera, and Serge were together in the same chamber. And also both justices Celing Fernan and Jun Davide were in the same court. Today, we have zero. And yet, Bong Revilla and Francis Tolentino represent Cavite, Cynthia and Mark Villar represent Las Piñas, siblings Pia and Alan represent Taguig, and siblings Jinggoy and JV represent San Juan. Cebu, with five million people, has no one to represent us.

This is the worst political drought that has ever fallen on the great province of both Don Sergio and Don Vicente.

Cebu today doesn’t have a giant political titan. The only token concession to the Garcias is the appointment of DOT secretary Christina Frasco, and the symbolic naming of congressman Duke as one among too many deputy speakers. But Cebu deserves much more.

Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. was elected the first Speaker of the House even before he was 30. Then he went to the Senate and was elected as vice president to Manuel Quezon, with a super majority against his opponents. After Quezon died in office, he became president. But when he ran for president, he was beaten by a fellow Visayan, a former Nacionalista partymate, Manuel Roxas from Capiz, whose population is even smaller than that of Cebu City. Don Sergio was the unquestioned political kingpin. The others were also famous legislators like Mariano Jesus Cuenco, Filemon and Vicente Sotto, and Don Vicente Rama, the lolo of Mayor Mike, and Father of the Cebu City Charter.

Today, Cebu is underrated and is no longer accorded by national officials the level of importance we deserve. The president and the vice president were invited to the Sinulog but both didn’t come. They didn’t grace the most auspicious and momentous of our celebrations. They were supposedly given a landslide vote in Cebu and the Sinulog could have been the best time for them to express their gratitude. If the president couldn’t attend because he had to fly to Davos, then Inday Sara should have honored the invitation. She has Cebuana blood in her and the Cebuanos supposedly voted for her overwhelmingly. But she snubbed the people who helped her win. One possible reason could be that the Cebuano leaders were bickering on the issue of venue and national leaders didn’t want to take sides.

I think that this is precisely the reason why Cebu is no longer seen in Luzon as "the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome". It might be because our leaders today cannot rise above their own narrow biases. Disunity among Cebuano leaders is bringing Cebu down. Perhaps it’s also because there is no overall leader with the stature of Don Sergio or Don Vicente, Don Mariano or Don Filemon who could command all to close ranks. One team, one goal. Sayang.