ODA in Cebu Revisited (Last of two parts)

As we concluded in last week’s article, it’s Cebu’s fortune to have gotten a lot of these Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects, many of which were due to the efforts of former mayor Tommy Osmeña. The young ones would just take these projects for granted, of course, because they were not born yet when these were completed, and what was there before them. Would anybody remember V. Rama Avenue when it was not that wide? The young once will remember, though.

How about the Talisay Public Market and the Mandaue Public Market? When you’re 25 years or younger you’d think they were just there ever since. No, they weren’t and neither were the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City and the South Bus Terminal along N. Bacalso Avenue. There were no terminals before, some bus liners had their own while most just simply used the streets. Can anybody remember how it was to go to beach in Mactan before the Mactan Circumferential Road was built? Oh, I do, which speaks loud of my age. But those were not nice rides back then.

Perhaps, the South Road Properties (SRP), as it was originally known, the South Reclamation Project, and the Cebu South Coastal Road are the biggest ODA package Cebu received. Again, people below 25 would not remember that the entire expanse there was deep blue sea before. And people above 25 have already forgotten all that. Metro Cebu’s, and especially Cebu City’s face, changed because of ODA projects. And it’s because ODA makes a lot of difference.

ODA is a financial infusion to any locality. But ODA is mainly a national government undertaking, distributed it may be to the various parts of the country. Needless to say, by virtue of the centrality of the capital city, much of it is captured there, and what is given to the provinces are diluted. It would take a lot of project preparation and project development to capture those ODA from a particular city. And as we have stated last week, a lot of those in Cebu were due to the painstaking work of Mayor Osmeña. Most especially the NEDA-Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC) part, where nobody else dared to venture. Can you think of anybody else? Many won’t even attend ICC meetings when they’re supposed to explain and defend their projects there.

Why do we need to revisit the past? Because if we want fast development, we’ve got to get a share of ODA. Without ODA, we’d soon fade to become just one of the many cities in the Philippines, struggling to get there. It’s getting more competitive now because people realize it’s the best way to develop faster. This makes the issue of utmost importance in the coming local elections. Do the candidates and parties we choose have the proven capability and track record of developing and getting ODA projects? Do they have the diligence to follow through, attend meetings, and understand what’s supposed to be done? The stream of past ODA in Cebu in the last 30 years will surely make an excellent guide for Cebuanos.