Business head: Cooperation, change of thinking needed

A local business leader appealed for cooperation between political leaders, the private sector, local government units and the public sector to put together a master plan for a “Mega Cebu.”

Gordon Alan Joseph, Cebu Business Club president, made his call in a recent interview where he discussed about a Mega Cebu plan.

Joseph, who is also a member of the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board, said that the goal of Mega Cebu would be to create a “smart city” and a “city-region.”

He cited the city of Curitiba in Brazil as an example of a smart city and the city of Vancouver in Canada as an example of a city-region or a “mega city.”

He pointed out that Curitiba is a “holistic” city because they have a transport policy and education policy among others.

“Curitiba had a master plan for almost 30 years,” Joseph added.

He also pointed out the low employment rate in Vancouver.

“Globally successful cities have blueprints . . . They have plans,” Joseph said.

For Cebu to be transformed to a Mega City, there should be a change in the way everyone thinks, plans and works.

Joseph said that if Cebu would become a smart city, there will be more jobs, and Cebu will become competitive and livable. “More tourists would come,” Joseph said.

He said strategic thinking would be needed.

This means that cities and municipalities within the Metro Cebu area should maintain their geopolitical integrity, collaborative with each other and as a whole.

These cities and municipalities should also acknowledge importance of shared vision, value the process of strategic thinking and integrated development planning and ensure sustainability by adopting the principle and fourfold framework of economic prosperity, livability, social equity and ecological integrity.

They should recognize that the physical form and structure of the city-region are the vital elements for its competitiveness, social cohesion and environmental sustainability.

Joseph said  the private and public sectors should cooperate in the areas of integrated development, urban and land use planning and zoning, transport and traffic management, pollution control and social waste disposal and management and flood control and drainage.

“It is just a question of time and sustainability,  the ability to sustain,  the ability to achieve the measures for economic growth,” Joseph said.

“It is not just common sense. Urban development is scientific. There is a scientific process in all of these,” Joseph said.

Joseph said there is no new master plan.

“We’re trying to pick out the best area of the master plan. We need to hire an expert urban planner,” Joseph said.

Joseph cited the reasons to transform present Cebu into a Mega Cebu.

These are Cebu having individual cities and municipalities, small dividend, uncoordinated incoherent, lack of shared identity and brand, limited participation and urban decay.

“There is growth of squatters, lack of water, lack of cleanliness and poverty . . . We want to bring Cebu into globally competitive cities,” Joseph said.

Another factor that contribute to the difficulty of transforming present Cebu to a Mega Cebu is politics, which has become a hindrance to put together a master plan for a Mega Cebu.

It’s because politics in the Philippines is “geocentric” and “personality oriented.” “If you’re a mayor or a barangay captain, you don’t want anyone to interfere with your turf,” he said.

Joseph said politicians should have a common vision, brand, ideal, desire and strategies.

“Our (Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board) goal is to promote economic growth (in the country),” he said.

Joseph also pointed out in a recent 888 News Forum that Cebu ranked 475th out of 500 cities in the 2009-2010 Urban Comprehensive Competitiveness Ranking in the world. Manila ranked 266th.

“The number one role of political leaders is to create jobs for the people with no jobs and to lift Filipinos out of poverty. That is the role of the government . . . to enable growth and provide the basic services (of the people),”said Joseph during his presentation of Mega Cebu during the forum.

He said the problem with most Filipinos today was that they didn’t recognize their problems.

“Because we don’t recognize our problems, we don’t solve them,” Joseph said.

On the flyover issue in Cebu, Joseph said there was no planning in the local government unit level—no strategic plan and no technical studies.

“There should be a strategic and master planning. We need to do something. Let’s do this together,” Joseph said.

As a representative of the MCDB, Jospeh said that they wanted to coordinate with the Regional Development Council (RDC).

“We are interlinked and we need to plan strategically.” Joseph said. /Correspondent Rhea Ruth V. Rosell