I will begin this article with a warning — What I’ve written on here can be viewed as wishful thinking, for three reasons. One, I’m not sure if anyone else would want to do this, second, I’m not sure if the city has the money for it, and third, I’m not sure if we have the political will to pursue these things. That’s why I said, they’re wishful thinking.
But I am hoping that someone, perhaps a policy maker or a legislator or someone with so much money can read this and may spark a ‘bulb’ in his/her head, and who knows, might start to do something.
Perennial issues
Like what our former City Agriculturist has said, agricultural land in the city has shrunk to the point that the city may no longer be able to feed its people on its own and that the city’s population has increased that housing has become a gargantuan problem.
Then there is the issue on traffic. There are just so many cars and pedicabs but the roads have not expanded, in fact, their sizes have been decreased because our “very responsible motorists and car owners” park their vehicles on the sidewalk (I hope I will not grow old and die without ever seeing the resolution to this problem. I don’t know why I can’t stop harping on this issue, grrr).
And then there is the “expanding” of the boulevard which, according to many environment protection advocates, is not beneficial to Dumaguete’s marine life.
As I was thinking about these concerns, I thought maybe Dumaguete can go upward, downward, and seaward.
Upward
Our housing endeavors (whether government-funded or privately-owned) are all inclined sideways. We expand here and there, reaching even remote areas to build low-cost subdivisions to the point that there is no more land to till, no more space for vegetables and crops because they have been overtaken by residential and commercial development ventures. So why don’t we build very tall buildings, public housing projects, where the units are ‘rent-to-own’? if we go upwards, agricultural space will not be disturbed but we will still have homes for people, even those who have measly incomes.
More than that, the rooftops of these buildings will be made into ‘rooftop farms’ where homeowners can plant vegetables, spices, herbs or even decorative plants. Using rooftop farming/vertical gardening, we can still have plants even if the homeowner is residing on the 15th floor.
Nowadays, we already have Essentia, C&L Bayview hotel and a few condominium buildings are already sprouting. Obviously, these buildings are not comparable to the tall buildings found in major cities like Manila and Cebu but I think we have the capability to erect these types of structures. It’s just a matter of creativity and daring.
Downward
On this one, I know the immediate reaction would be “we can’t afford it.” Meaning, we can’t afford to dig deep and make tunnels beneath us for additional roads so that the major thoroughfares in the city will be decongested. What about doing PPPs for this project? We are so used to forging PPPs, so why not for this one? I know, this is a huge undertaking and it cannot be completed with just one click of a finger, however, if we decide to do it then find ways to achieve it, nothing is impossible.
If the city doesn’t have money, why not seek investors? Since time immemorial, we have been seeking investors to co-venture with us in this and that, so why don’t we gamble on an underground highway? If I am Mayor of this city and I want to leave a lasting legacy and I want my name on the textbooks of the next generation, I would find ways to build an alternative freeway below.
Seaward
The environment protection advocates would surely crucify me on this but there is a saying which goes “if you can’t lick them, you might as well join them.” So, on this one, I’m going to set aside my ideals and be pragmatic.
As we can see, the Boulevard is being beautified. OK, so if the city really has decided to ‘disturb’ our coastal area to the detriment of our marine ecosystem, then OK, lets disturb it but let us also do something good.
Let’s expand en route the seas but instead of just doing it to for beautification purposes, why don’t we build floating botanical gardens? These gardens can supplement our shrinking agricultural land. Instead of planting different kinds of plants (perhaps for research or field trip purposes), we can venture to plant High-Value crops. With these undertaking, we can additionally beautify our city, make it a tourist attraction/destination, at the same time, increase production of much needed food items. Aside from enhancing our farm resources, the city will earn income because many people will want to see the floating botanical farm. It’s not just tourism prospects that will be amplified, our hotels and our restaurants will earn. And what’s more, the making of this project will create jobs for Dumaguetnons making this endeavor truly and genuinely a win-win scenario.
What do you think? Are these wishful thinking?
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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