Exhibiting Sugbo of the Archives

The proposed artificial river and a retention pond by Joey Daluz III, chief of the Cebu City Reduction of Danger Zones (Redz) Task Force, brings to mind a Spanish-era map that I found in 2008 while preparing for the conversion of the old Cebu provincial jail into Museo Sugbo. Daluz’s proposal, aimed at directing the flow of water from a section of the North Reclamation Area that is knee-deep with water during heavy rains, covers what is apparently an unintended consequence of the 1960s reclamation that did not foresee soil deposition in the area—a lesson to be learned well for the South Reclamation Project. But both are, as mentioned earlier artificial plots of land that engineers have made in recent memory.

The map I am referring to, which I wrote about also in 2008 covers the area between Sanciangko and Colon streets which saw the recent construction of a flood control drainage. This map titled “Plano Topografico de la Ciudad de Cebu 1833,” was part of a bundle in the Patronatos category of the Spanish Documents Section at the National Archives of the Philippines, numbered 66/330. It is a small colored map, slightly larger than a long-size bond paper, folded neatly and tucked in a thick sheaf of papers with the ominous title, “Año de 1833-1849, Que contiene la representacion del Sr. Obispo de Zebu sobre que se lleve de efecto la reunion del parian y lutaos a la Catedral – acompaña el plano de la Ciudad de Cebu” (Year of 1833-1849 Concerning the representation of the Lord Bishop of Cebu to bring about the merger of Parian and Lutaos to the Cathedral).

This is the very archival bundle that spells out the eventual doom of the Church of San Juan Bautista of Parian, considered the most opulent and most beautiful church in all of Cebu and beyond during its time. The Lord Bishop in the title of this thick file is none other than Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon, designer and builder of the Kiosk of Magellan that many believe contains a cross planted by the explorer in 1521 as well as the Cathedral Convent (now a museum), the church of Oslob and some other churches in Cebu.

The story of the long-winded battle royal between the rich Chinese mestizos of Parian and the Bishop and his unfinished Cathedral is a subject for another day. Let me bring back the topic of flood control, for in this small map are the distinct outlines of a natural (not man-made) pond or small lake (danaw or lanaw in Cebuano) right where one would find the floods of Sanciangko and Colon before the construction of the drainage this year. Moreover, one will also find the outlines of a river or an estero (canal) that effectively made an islet of the section from Sanciangko to Parian down to the old Sugbu waterfront where city hall and the old Spanish-era quarter is located.

This map, and some other important drawing, sketches, government and church building projects, as well as legal documents will be on display at the University of San Carlos (USC) Museum between Oct. 22 this year and April 21 next year in a joint exhibition with the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) titled, “Integracion/Internacion: Urbanity, Urbanism and their Exclusions”. It is a brainchild of NAP director Victorino “Ino” Manalo who will co-curate the exhibit together with yours truly.

Unfortunately and unlike the Redz Task Force, no plans have been found showing drainage projects inside Cebu City or any other town. That is to be expected since flooding and the impounding of water due to unplanned and unchecked construction of all kinds of privately-owned structures now impeding natural water flow is a consequence of belated if not absent urban development master planning in the past.

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Incidentally, and before I end, it may be worth noting that the USC in both its Downtown (formerly Main) and its Talamban Campus have large water retention tanks. The faculty parking along Junquera Street, for example, stands on two tanks dug up about three years ago.

In Talamban Campus, about six huge and deep tanks and one or two ponds are located at strategic places in the 83-hectare campus property. In fact, right after Gate 1 of the campus, two iron grilles can be found on the cement pavement. Those grilles look down on the first of these huge water retention tanks that are used during the lean summer months to water the plants there. Perhaps large private commercial entities in flood prone areas like SM City Cebu should also be encouraged to build their own water tanks, if they have not done so yet. The entire parking lot fronting SM City Cebu can be immediately dug up in phases and soon perhaps eight 10-meter deep water tanks can be built there with cars parked neatly on top.