Old Sacramento in Cebu City?
In cruising thru a part of Cebu City last Tuesday, I was not seated on my usual place beside the driver, who happened to be my daughter, Beatriz. The self-indulgent thought of enjoying the ride at the back seat of my luxurious Mercedes Benz took the better part of my humble economic position in life such that I asked a grandson to sit in front. We passed by that part of D. Jakosalem Street towards the back of the University of the Visayas, northward and what I saw reminded me of a well restored section of Sacramento, in California, U.S.A., they now call the Old Sacramento.
For visitors to marvel at Old Sacramento, rustic structures of the 1800s adorned with the kind of exquisite sculpture of the rich are maintained. Old settings of burlesque bars and salons representative of the din loving Nature of Americans are fitted with modern amenities for tourists to relive the era of swashbuckling cowboys. There is also a church, not quite unlike our own Bradford church on Jones Avenue (now Osmeña Boulevard) reflective of their piety as well as an antiquated court house indicative of their preference for law along a road of cobble stones. That part of Sacramento is physically old even If it continues to be new and updated for its historical significance. Of course, you know what I mean more than the gibberish that I am saying.
There are still a few visible decrepit buildings on those portions of the D. Jakosalem Street along Barangays Pari-an and Zapatera standing beside newer ones that caught my sentimental attention. Some wooden parts are falling while still other portions bear signs of termite infestation. This state of manifest disrepair can be attributed to the lack of interest on the part of the owners grounded on such reasons as imperceptible return of investment, among others. Most of these structures are erected on rather limited acreage like cuts of 120 square meters or thereabouts where in such a case, only a vertical build up can generate a viable profit. I am certain though that there were times in the past when they were the objects of the aesthetic appreciation of people.
These structures can be rehabilitated in the mold of Old Sacramento. Admittedly, it is very ambitious to conceptualize such a dream project. After all, Sacramento and Cebu City are, except the identity of cultural Spanish influence, worlds apart in most points of comparison. But, I came across an applicable saying - “Nothing is that never was a dream.” The beginning of this concept is in the admission that it is in the interest of the city to rehabilitate if not rebuild anew these structures. Make our past live the present and guide us to the future.
More likely, the owners of these old and dilapidated structures might not have entertained the idea of repairing or renovating the buildings. I have said it above and let me repeat it here. It is possible that they are either incapable or unwilling to undertake such a huge project. This is where the city government can come in. Perhaps, the City Council can create an office tasked with the sole objective of creating an Old Sacramento like environment in ideal portions of the city. If appropriately funded, this office can initiate consultative meetings with concerned parties and come to acceptable terms on how to achieve the goal. If and when funding is a question, this office can search for funders from the city’s deep and socially oriented families and tap them for this vision. Of course, this is but a dream needing warm bodies to work on.
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