Mayoralty Forum: The Future Of Cebuano Progress

Some of the mounting problems of Cebu are the worsening traffic, careless splurges on infrastructure, and the rising crime rates. Cebu is currently the murder capital in the Philippines and the 4th in theft. Simply put, one in a thousand Cebuanos will get murdered in a year, nine will be mercilessly robbed, and twenty-six will commit theft. With the burgeoning economy of Cebu, rapid construction of commercial business strips; the question now is what are the future platforms or solutions that the mayoralty electorates can provide the Cebuanos with?

A mayoralty forum which was hosted by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) was held at the Grand Convention on April 22. Unfortunately, despite being invited to the forum, Mayor Rama was not present to discuss his plans for Cebu.

For his part, mayoralty electorate Honorable Tommy Osmena suggested that the plausible solution for the congested roads would be to build infrastructure where it is needed not where the traffic is heaviest. Connecting the rural areas of Cebu to its more urbanized areas should be a priority. One of the projects Osmena has spearheaded for 22 years was the South Road Properties. It is a 300 hectare prime property that connected the southern tip of Cebu to the city and also provided waterfront establishments which are SM Seaside, Citta di Mare and a series of future business investments.

On providing aid to small, medium and micro business establishments, Osmena cited his contribution in spearheading Farmer’s market and the Pasil fish port. Both of these enterprises promoted local livelihood while giving cheaper alternatives to store-bought goods. He further stated that despite the goodwill in helping the community, in the end, business is demand-driven. He cited that the tiger economies of Asia changed their direction of progress to suit the market. “We have so many beautiful ideas however the world will not adjust to us,” Osmena said. There should be unity shared by the businesses in Cebu to promote the many tourist spots in the island, he also suggested.