Changing this city from within

As you may well know, I am based in New York where my main office is but I still come to Cebu very regularly either for business or leisure. Every time I come here, I always notice that there is something somewhere that is changing the landscape of this place. Newer and bigger malls opening up while small and medium-size businesses are thriving, both contributing to the vibrancy of this dynamic southern gem. This rapid progress presents both a challenge and an opportunity to the people of Cebu. Needless to say, new and improved support infrastructures (new roads, bridges,steady supply of water and electricity, etcetera) are very crucial and should be a top priority in addition to well-crafted policies that are immune to the changing tides of the politics of the moment. As I go around Cebu, I am often curious on how we, individually and collectively, view ourselves in the context of being a citizen of a world-class metropolitan city that we aspire to be. In short, do our actions and behavior adapt just as fast and appropriate as the progress we are seeing?  We do not need to do drastic actions right away, but simple, little ways could just be as meaningful.

Take the case of how we behave in the roads. There is just so little regard for the rules of the road both as drivers and pedestrians. Road signs, or the lack of them, are often confusing and outright dangerous. Just as an example: From Escario going to Banawa just after the Capitol steps where it serves as a two-lane street but without any notice, if you are on the left lane, you would be scared to death because cars coming from the opposite lane are suddenly approaching your way. Or take that case where you notice that a road is being repaired just a few feet from where the work is done and it is already too late to swerve. Or that a road becomes a one-way lane just at the spot where it merges with the other lane. Or motorcycles from the opposite side using your own lane just to pass by traffic. Pedestrians are equally guilty as well.

I was in an upscale resort a few days ago. At the parking area, I requested the guard on duty if there was a cart that could take our party to the main lobby in order to check in. His response was an outright denial saying that there were no carts available leaving me an impression that I had to carry it on my own. I replied, "For sure there is, because your resort manager probably does not want to see his guests walking up the hill hauling their luggage in tow." Within three minutes, a cart became available.

Speaking of traffic, we all know how crazy Lapu-Lapu presently is. I arrived from Manila about three Saturdays ago and it took my taxi two hours just to enter the first bridge. This was the Saturdaybefore that big accident on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge. My suggestion: In the meantime that the first bridge is being repaired and in order to partially and temporarily alleviate traffic on both bridges, why not the City of Lapu-Lapu or the MCIAA work with the Department of Defense in opening up the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Airbase solely for airport passengers and users? Subject to restrictions, of course but for sure, opening up a portion of the airbase would surely be a tremendous relief both to the airport users as well as the economic loss due to traffic. In the long term, I think the airport also needs its own dedicated express skyway for a faster and more direct route to it.

To say that Cebu still has a huge potential is an understatement. But simple things can make a huge impact on how our city and its people are to be perceived. With growth comes learning. There is still more time left to change this city from within.