Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama explains his river development plans in a forum attended by Movement for Livable Cebu convenors Marc Canton (third from left), Dr. Shawn Espina and Louella Alix. (CDN Photo/Tonee Despojo)
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama invited civil society and private firms to help restore and revitalize the Guadalupe and Lahug rivers and other waterways in the city.
He promised to provide the “political will” to see it through his term even if it means losing votes in the next election.
In yesterday’s 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza, Rama asked the help of the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC), which is holding a summit “Saving our Rivers” on Friday aimed at crafting action plans to clean up polluted, trash-filled and smothered waterways.
Rama, who said he’s inspected the city’s water bodies, described the Guadalupe River, which is the biggest in Cebu City, as in a “state of sacrilege” as 100 families built their shanties on top of the estero in barangay Carreta.
“Ug dili gani ka isog nga public official, ug mag inusara ka, wala na kay paabuton nga votes sa election (If you’re not a decisive public official, if you go at it alone, you cannot expect votes in the elections),” the mayor said.
Dialog
“You do not see the river anymore. All you see are houses encroaching. It is just a disaster waiting to happen,” he added.
Louella Alix of MLC said they are organizing the 3rd leg of the Sustainable Cities Dialogues at the MCWD auditorium to to discuss the state of waterways in the city and what citizens can do.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog is one of the speakers who will discuss how Iloilo cleaned up the river and built the Esplanade.
“We are not here to point fingers but to bring together the academe, the civil society, government and the nongovernment organizations,” said Marc Canton, MLC lead convenor.
But Mayor Rama who sat in the same forum said “no dialog is enough.”
“Come to my office and make yourselves available to help my administration,” the mayor said.
Rama said he is coordinating with the Metro Pacific Group which has proposed to build a third bridge connecting Cebu and Mactan, in preparing a master plan for a Guadalupe Riverfront that would include bike lanes and walkways.
The mayor said he is looking for another private sector partner to make a master plan for Lahug River.
Rama said he hoped the e national government would set funds for rehabilitation of the rivers like what was done for the Iloilo River Esplanade.