THE ISLAND | Which will prevail?

Parts of Cebu island are seeing signs of rejuvenation and rehabilitation especially in the towns. Mountains are reforested, coastal areas are planted with mangroves, seas declared as marine sanctuaries, more lands declared protected areas and previously unseen and endangered species of birds are spotted in places not previously known to be inhabited by them. 

It's a different story when it comes to Cebu's urban centers where mangrove areas are reclaimed, mountains bulldozed and quarried, rivers polluted (some are  biologically dead) to give way to "progress". Rebirth and destruction are happening side by side in the same island. Only time will tell which will prevail.

THE METRO | Unchecked development

Metro Cebu is expanding rapidly. But with urbanization is the accompanying plethora of problems ranging from over-congestion to uncollected garbage, from heavy traffic to air pollution, from dwindling resources to lack of decent housing. The list can go on and on. And there's no agency or master plan to manage the growth the metro is experiencing.

Cebu is an island with meager resources. If recent developments go unchecked, it can have its toll on the island's capacity to sustain the present growth. Read more >>

URBAN PLANNING | Moving the urban center

Cebu City reaffirmed it is Southern Philippines' premier city after the end of the Marcos regime and some five decades after the end of world war 2. 

Lito Osmeña, first Cebu Grovernor after Marcos left, made tremendous impact on the city, although, he never served as chief executive, just like his grandfather, Pres. Sergio Osmena. His conversion of non-productive provincial lots, into real estate ventures during his lone term as governor from 1988-1991, paved the way for Cebu City's radical transformation.

To fund infrastructure projects in the province, the provincial government which owned a five-hectare property in Banilad, entered into a joint venture with Ayala Land, Inc. and formed the Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corporation (CPVDC), the first of its kind in the country. With land as its equity contribution, the province owned 74.8 percent of CPVDC, the first purely corporate venture by a Local Government Unit in the country. Read more>>

Demystifying Jose Rizal

In my peripheral Southerner's view, Rizal was simply a Mestizo-Sangley ilustrado born to a family who made money from the cash crop boom of the 19th Century. His is a descendant of Dominador LamCo, a Chinese immigrant from Jinjiang, Quanzhu in China.

He was better educated than his countrymen because of the privileges of his class just like many of the Mestizos from Cebu's Parian District, a rich mestizo enclave in the 19th century.

In 1840, the port of Manila opened to world trade, years ahead of Cebu and Iloilo. It paved the way for the cash crop boom in Luzon. Just like the rest of the country, Mestizo Chinese traders were the ones who took most advantage of this opportunity as they were the only ones who had the capital needed to engage in plantation farming. Rizal's Chinese ancestors were among those who benefited from Spain's trade liberalization policy in the Philippines during the 19th Century. read more>>

DOSSIER | Interview with Rep. Tomas Osmena (Updated)

Sometime in February  2011, J.D. Velez interviewed Congressman Tomas Osmena for a book project. Here are a few excerpts from that interview.

J.D. VELEZ: What would be the defining achievement of your administration? You served five terms as Mayor of the City.

CONG. TOMAS R. OSMENA: You name it. I don't know. You tell me. Mactan Bridge I've done that.

JDV: The Second Mactan Bridge?

TRO: Yeah.

 Read more>>

PROFILE | Cebu City, Queen City of the South

Cebu's port is home to most of the Philippines' shipping companies. It's not surprising as Cebu City has been, historically, the center of commerce, education, entertainment and information of Southern Philippines. It is also the administrative, ecclesiastical and cultural capital of the region. Its influence is far-reaching and wide. It has remained the Queen City of the South for years due to the ingenuity and flexibility of its people surviving the ups and downs of trade in sugar, hemp, copra and furniture.

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