Today's state of Cebu Province

Whenever a new governor assumes office, he or she should face the five million Cebuanos and tell them the true state of Cebu.

Cebu is a first-class province but majority of its people live below poverty line. The officials should be ashamed of themselves, especially those in power for the last 10 years. Cebu is twentieth largest in area out of 81 provinces, with 4,743.72 square kilometers from Bantayan to Santander. It has a rich voting population of 3,407,780. That’s why national politicians always consider Cebu as a very important political ally. It has three independent cities, Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu, represented by four members of the House. It has component cities Talisay, Naga, Toledo, Carcar, Danao, and Bogo. It has seven congressional districts, 44 municipalities and 1,066 barangays.

Cebu is the premier province that gives Metro Manila a run for its money. It is competitive in gross domestic product, population, commerce, and trade. Sadly, Cebu now competes with Manila in flood, pollution, traffic, garbage, and crime. The latest statistics show that Cebu province is number one in assets, valued at ?235.73 billion, followed by a distant second placer, Rizal with only ?35.59B; followed by Batangas, ?31.9B; Davao de Oro, ?23.10B (because of gold); Ilocos Sur, ?21.56B, (because of Chavit); Bukidnon, ?21.05B (because of pineapples and bananas); Iloilo, ?19.97B; Negros Occidental, ?19.41B, Cavite; ?19.34B; and Pampanga, ?19.12B (because of Clark). But why are Cebuanos poor? Only the politicians and the oligarchs are making money.

The new governor, Pam Baricuatro, should now declare, based on her independent audit, how much the former governor left in the provincial coffers. Just like in Cebu City, the former city mayor bragged about billions which the new mayor cannot find. The people should be told the truth. Baricuatro should focus on her program of government and, if needed, ask the Provincial Board to realign the budgets for Pasigarbo and Suroy-Suroy and rechannel them to public health. I think that’s where they are doing.

The PB shouldn’t defend the past governor when the truth is that patients are reportedly dying due to the mismanagement and lack of personnel and equipment in district hospitals. I agree with fellow columnist Leo Lastimosa that the doctor from Argao who is an incumbent board member, and former mayor of my town of birth, Argao, should open his eyes to the true state of hospitals in the south. He should cut his umbilical cord from the governor who already lost her mandate.

That doctor should start cooperating with the new administration and stop defending a lost cause. As a doctor he has more to answer for the state of public health in Cebu. He should answer the questions of Lastimosa, who asked about the Isidro Kintanar Memorial Hospital, which was established to honor of one of Argao's greatest sons, the late Ed Kintanar. It has been reportedly degraded from Level 1 to Infirmary, a little above a barangay clinic.

The state of Cebu Province is that it remains wealthy, not because of today's local politicians, but because they inherited multiple and huge real estate assets from the administrations of Don Sergio Osmeña, Dionisio Jakosalem, Rene Espina, Kikoy Remotigue, Serging Osmeña, Eddie Gullas, Osmundo Rama, Pabling Garcia, and the rest. The first Cebu governor, by the way, was from Argao, Julio Aballe Llorente, a Spanish mestizo and a great lawyer who was governor from 1899 to 1901, the transition from the Spanish regime to the American occupation. He was the only Cebuano who was part of Dr. Jose Rizal's propaganda movement. They were together in Spain.

Governor Baricuatro has big shoes to fill. She should tell the Cebuanos now the true state of Cebu as a province and as a local government unit. She should stop doing TikTok or else she will just degenerate, like the incumbent vice governor, another "second rate, trying hard copycat" to borrow Cherry Gil's repartee to Sharon Cuneta. The new governor should stop listening to the "hunghongs" and "bunghogs" of the trapos and sycophants surrounding her. She should stand on her own merits. It is she who has the mandate.

Let Governor Baricuatro govern and lead, manage and assume total responsibility. She is the only one accountable to the people, not the provincial administrator. She should build an entirely new Cebu on her own merit, based on the shared vision of the Cebuanos, a just and humane, serene and vibrant home of five million prosperous, peaceful, and happy Cebuanos.