Earth vs airport

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama needs a better argument against the potential sale of the Mactan Cebu International Airport and Benito Ebuen Air Base lots in Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, which business tycoon Henry Sy and family are interested in.

The mayor is against the sale on the ground that traders are in too deep in preparing investment and expansion plans complementary to improvements in the current airport. These already have the imprimatur of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Central Visayas that Rama chairs.

If Mayor Rama persists in this line of reasoning, he will be at pains to come up with contortions of logic to defend his opposition to the flyover projects of Rep. Rachel Marguerite del Mar of Cebu City’s north district.

Rama fought tooth-and-nail against the implementation of these projects that were, for many government bureaucrats, a done deal had there been no public outcry against them.

If the mayor could bring the flyover issue to Malacañang, there is in theory nothing that will stop Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district, who supports the sale of the airport lot to Sy and family, from bringing the issue to the President should developments necessitate this.

The RDC’s greenlighting of a bridge project to connect Cebu City and Cordova even dovetails with the relocation of the airport in the town.

Rama, however, can backtrack from playing the RDC card and use what may well be the biggest argument against the building of an airport on the coast of Cordova town: The harmful environmental effects of yet another reclamation project.

Coral-rich barangay Day-as, Cordova, 100 hectares of which would have to be reclaimed to make room for the international airport terminal and runway, is no more to Osmeña than a solid foundation for the structures.

But in the eyes of those who understand the principles of sustainable development, converting coral stones to airport foundations reads: Carnage of marine life.

It also means destruction of biodiversity not only along our coastlines but also in the mountains where  mounds of earth would have to be sourced for use in reclaiming areas of the sea.

Osmeña said he made the information about the query of the Sy family about buying the airport and air base lots available to encourage public discussion.

So if anything comes of his big dream for Cebu, he should be prepared for strong opposition from environment advocates and the burgeoning number of young Cebuanos who have a far softer spot for Mother Earth and a more long term vision for future generations than many of their elders.