Cebu’s poor infrastructure hinders economic growth

CEBU, Philippines - Infrastructure concerns were among the many topics that were highlighted during the 27th International Conference of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) yesterday at Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City.

In Cebu specifically, there are a number of infrastructure concerns that hinder the continuous growth of the province’s economy including traffic congestion and the lack of efficient roads.

Businessman and vice-gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco said that the Provincial Government should review all its assets and engage in more economic enterprises as well as implement more infrastructure projects.

“If we have infrastructure projects, especially going in the countryside, that will increase the values of the property of the provincial government. That’s why we have to build new roads,” Soco said.

Soco said he supports the proposed trans-axial highway of the late Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez which is a four-lane highway from Santander in the south to Daanbantayan in the north.

Soco lost to Sanchez in the 2010 elections.

 â€œI am supportive of any economic development, especially in the northern area,” said Soco.

Soco also said the Provincial Government has to prove its stability or that it is addressing the financial problems it is facing now.

Soco earlier said that if Capitol would sell the Cebu International Convention Center to a private entity, the facility can still be saved even with the reported losses of more than P41 million.

Although he does not believe that the Provincial Government is financially bankrupt, Soco said that selling the CICC would give the province an additional P3 billion to P10 billion annually.

“Government is not an efficient operator of an enterprise because it is already an enterprise,” said Soco, opposing to the plan of the Province to partner with other government bodies to be able to upgrade and rehabilitate the CICC.

Acting Governor Agnes Magpale earlier said that they will not be selling the CICC  and instead, will partner with the Department of Public Works and Highways, which will shoulder the rehabilitation of the CICC into a “world-class facility” for the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference in 2015.

Soco said that the APEC summit could be included by the province in the terms of reference in presenting the CICC to potential buyers.

He explained that selling the CICC would still be beneficial to both the province and Mandaue City.

Soco said that the two government units can agree with the private entity that will purchase the CICC that they can use the convention center twice a month for free or at a discounted rate.   (FREEMAN)