Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan ‘wag magalit.
I am glad there is a vibrant exchange of pros and cons regarding Mayor Ipe Remollo’s projects for the City. I find that laudable, and I don’t have a problem with that.
But to perch one’s self onto a higher moral ground, and accuse the Mayor of dishonesty, secrecy, duplicity, and deviousness — just because you did not get what you want, nor read RA 1899 and RA 5797 expressly authorizing local government units like Dumaguete not only to undertake reclamation of their foreshore lands but also to take exclusive ownership of the reclaimed lot — is a serious legal matter.
It is a truism that there are those who question the City’s reclamation project mainly for reasons other than a genuine concern for the environment. Let me name a few.
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There is the political reason used by aspirants and their supporters to gain a foothold on the City’s executive leadership.
Then there is the financial reason taken advantaged of (especially) by fly-by-nights seeking funding for their invented advocacy and livelihood.
And there is the ideological reason utilized by individuals or groups committed to their almost unbending and purist view of the City.
Well, for the political hopefuls, I say, good luck and don’t be sore losers; for the financial seekers, I say good riddance, and don’t make the City your “guinea pig”; and for the ideological devotees, please don’t throw tantrums just because I don’t want to live under a rock. I admire a tree hugger, though. Seriously.
For the unbiased and genuine environmentalists, I say, the Mayor got your back.
Why? Let me give you some facts.
First, the so-called Rizal Boulevard is originally a reclaimed area intended for shoreline protection. Many of the establishments fronting the boulevard are actually built (fully or partly) on reclaimed area.
Second, Rizal Boulevard is slowly being eroded. Just fact-check how Barangay Tinago and its hapless settlers get slammed and intruded daily by surging waves.
In fact, a few years back when some of these environmentalists were not around, the Silliman University Administration building ground adjacent to Rizal Boulevard used to be flooded during the so-called -ber months (September to December) when seawater is dumped by surging waves hammering the seawall.
Fearful of surging waves and flooding of that section of Silliman’s property, it was the wisdom of former President Ben Malayang III to transfer the University’s priceless artifacts to Hibbard Hall across the campus.
Fortunately, former Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria reclaimed, riprapped, and heightened the seawall along the boulevard. Now, the University is protected from the surging waves.
Third, the many businesses and hospitality establishments fronting the shoreline dump their untreated wastewater out to sea.
I am glad the City closed that asinine wastewater pond built near the children’s playground in Quezon Park.
I think that beside the extended culvert wastewater pipe for the public market, there are five or more wastewater pipes just below the seawall draining out to sea.
Now, this so-called priceless view of the ocean from a hotel and other establishments is actually a reclaimed area with a cesspool.
Fourth, as the Mayor’s long time pro-bono or puro abono urban planning consultant, here’s a heads-up especially for the impatient and noisy.
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Besides opening the new recovery materials and landfill facility, and finding waste-to-energy solutions to the garbage problem of the City, the Mayor plans to integrate his shoreline protection agenda with open space, underground utilities, and a wastewater treatment facility to make the boulevard sanitary and the sea, swimmable again.
Finally, it is my wish that Dumagueteños will recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate what the good Mayor is doing. He is a one-of-a-kind leader who opens his home to the public, and spends his own money to serve the needs of the City residents. I am grateful that his political allies, the City Council, and the 30 barangays and their respective captains support his initiatives. He is an easy person to talk to, and a good and kind ally for the protection of environment and general welfare of the City.
On my part, I am of the opinion that with proper city planning, not only we can mitigate the problems generated by a growing population, but also create a truly livable and sustainable pedestrian-oriented City.
Dr. Efren Padilla
Professor, Urban Planning and Urban Sociology
California State University, East Bay
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