Has SM shelved the Arena and SMX projects?
Mega Cebu under the auspices of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) has already identified the critical areas. Many of our rivers and creeks or esteros are simply clogged with garbage being dumped into the rivers and esteros. Until and unless we change our ways, we shall always see our rivers clogged causing flooding in Metro Cebu. What is painful here is that, there is little budget to fix our drainage problem. Just like there is no budget to fix the Inayawan landfill.
So for tonight's special presentation in Straight from the Sky, we bring you a Power Point presentation by Engineer Fotunato Sanchez Jr. who has identified the source of our flooding problems. So watch this very interesting show tonight with Engr. Jun Sanchez on SkyCable's Channel 53 at 8:00 p.m. with replays on Wednesday and Saturday same time and channel. We also have replays on MyTV's channel 30 at 9:00PM Monday and at 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday.
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Over the weekend, I was watching the Women's Volleyball game between Far Eastern University and De La Salle University over ABS-CBN's Sports channel and I was surprised that they held it at the Arena in Mall of Asia. The whole Arena was jam-packed with students from both schools and thanks to the venue, it seems that I was watching a game held in a foreign country. Perhaps we've been so used to holding our sports activities at the old Cebu Coliseum or in Southwestern University.
This brings us to the question: would Cebu get its own Arena complex? This was supposedly on the pipeline by SM Entertainment last year when their top bosses came to Cebu to inaugurate their movie houses at the SM Seaside complex supposedly to complement this huge complex. Also there were plans to put up the Manila Ocean Park, which could have been a welcome addition to our tourism industry. After all, as far as tourism is concerned, Metro Cebu really has nothing new to show to our tourists. This also includes the construction of the SMX Trade Center for exhibitions, something that Cebu needs so badly especially that the Province of Cebu failed to repair the Cebu International Convention Center.
With Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña at odds with the SM Group and the Ayala Corporation (where he wants to rescind what many pundits call a "done deal") it just makes me wonder what would happen to those noteworthy projects. If you listened to the talks in the coffee houses of Cebu, people are saying that all these projects have been shelved simply because if SM Seaside cannot even get a permit from the Office of the Mayor I'm sure he also won't allow these facilities to be constructed.
I have not talked with the top officials of SM as of late, but I intend to do so in order to get into the real score on whether these proposed facilities have been placed on hold or not? But certain pundits already told me that those projects have been placed on hold. Mind you, this is something for Mayor Osmeña to ponder upon as he tries to block SM and the other investors at the South Road Properties.
Since 1986, Cebu had its Cebooom and tourism flourished because many foreigners saw the beauty of our beaches and natural resources. This is why we have the Mactan's Shangri-La Resort and Spa and Plantation Bay that cashed in on Cebu's unprecedented tourism growth. But 30 years later, we haven't done much in terms of fixing our roads and infrastructure and now, we are denying permits to construct modern sporting facilities.
What a shame for Cebu not to move forward in our tourism development. Worse of all, any new development gets blocked by the Cebu City Mayor!
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