EDITORIAL - No attack here

Following the announcement by the provincial government that Cebu City residents are not yet welcome in the different tourist spots that have reopened in Cebu Province, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that he has no problem with the decision.

“I have no problem because in my executive order I always emphasize that when we are on quarantine, regardless of the classification, the basic requirement is for you to stay home and you are only allowed to stay out of your home to buy essential goods for your essential needs… Now, I think going to tourist destinations is not an essential need of a resident of the City of Cebu,” Labella is quoted as saying in this newspaper.

In making the statement, Labella doesn’t just show that he is looking at the situation objectively, he is also showing that he has the restraint that is required of a good leader.

Following the announcement by the province, social media immediately erupted with angry statements from Cebu City netizens, some of whom no doubt felt they were being targeted or singled out.

Some could not help but express their perceived unfairness of the decision, while others voiced that the city was being made the scapegoat for bringing up the number of infections in the province.

A leader with less perception might have quickly interpreted the announcement of the province as an attack on the city and its people --which it wasn’t-- and then taken it personally before lashing out immediately. We have seen this before with overly-sensitive people in high offices.

However, Labella saw the statement for what it really was --one local government unit making sure it was doing what it could to uphold the best interests of its constituents.

Yes, it can’t be avoided that there are some who feel slighted, offended, or disadvantaged by the decision of the province, but they should take the cue from Labella that the decision of the province to close their tourist spots from the city for the meantime is not an attack on Cebu City and its residents, and should not be treated as one.

They should also realize that it is as Labella says; at this point in time, tourist destinations are not an essential need.