We will understand the rationale behind Governor Gwen Garcia's decision to transfer the Provincial Capitol from Cebu City to Balamban if we look into the reasons why Indonesia President Joko Widodo is transferring the capital city of Jakarta in the island of Sumatra to the island of Borneo. Leaving the old and decaying cities beset by pollution, traffic, flooding, and overpopulation, and building new frontier cities that are green and sustainable is the call of the times.
First and foremost, the transfer is driven by issues of environmental concerns. Our research indicates palpably that Jakarta is congested, polluted, prone to earthquakes, and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea. Jakarta is home to about 10 million people and three times that number in the greater metropolitan area. It has been described as the world’s most rapidly sinking city, and at the current rate, it is estimated that one-third of the city could be submerged by 2050. The main cause is uncontrolled ground water extraction, but it has been exacerbated by the rising Java Sea due to climate change. This rationale applies to Cebu both to the province as well as to the city.
The environment officials and technical experts in Indonesia are one that Jakarta's air and groundwater are heavily polluted, it floods regularly and its streets are so clogged that its estimated congestion costs the economy $4.5 billion a year. Widodo’s plan to establish the city of Nusantara --an old Javanese term meaning “archipelago”-- will entail constructing government buildings and housing from scratch. Initial estimates were that over 1.5 million civil servants would be relocated to the city, some 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta, though ministries and government agencies are still working to finalize that number.
Cebu's transfer of capital to Balamban shall also entail heavy outward migration of people from Cebu City to the new Balamban capital. Mayor Ace Stefan Binghay says that Balamban is a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to raise a family, and is one of the most livable places in Cebu and even in the whole country. The first problem that the people may face is accessibility and distance and duration of travels. Balamban is 52.8 kilometers from Cebu City and entails a travel of one hour and 34 minutes. From Balamban to Santander, the southernmost tip of Cebu, it will take four hours and 30 minutes across a distance of 127 kilometers. Governor Gwen should work for the construction of an infrastructure for a coastal bullet train that shall reduce that to 45 minutes.
Today, to travel from the northernmost Cebu in the tip of Daanbantayan to Balamban, it shall take two hours and 45 minutes to traverse the 115.5 kilometers. From Danao City to Balamban it is 76.4 kilometers that will take two hours and 36 minutes. From Argao to Balamban, it takes three hours and four minutes to travel along the 98-kilometer road, and from Dumanjug to Balamban it is two hours and 43 minutes to traverse the 93.7-kilometer road. But this will be solved if the government shall construct at least an eight-lane coastal highway facing the island of Negros. This is a minor problem compared to that of Indonesia. The distance between Jakarta and Nusantara is 800 miles or 1,287.47 kilometers and it involves two faraway islands; Sumatra where Jakarta is and Borneo where Nusantara is located.
What matters most is that the new capital location will allow the government a strategic opportunity to undertake a futuristic urban planning and an overall control of the allocation of spaces. Cebu has no less than 50 hectares at its disposal and the governor has the competent men and women to implement her vision and strategy. Governor Gwen is now the country's leading builder of cities and the top advocate for human settlements and sustainable habitation. That is why this dragon lady is politically invincible. Her accomplishments speak for themselves. Buhat ang gipasulti, dili sulti ang gipabuhat.