DNL’s Speech during the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (BCCI) Conference on July 11, 2005.
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| ``Investing in the Future` |
Let me open with a story about the hen and the pig who wanted to thank the
farmer who is taking care of them.
The hen thought about a wonderful idea of throwing a banquet for the farmer
and the pig immediately agreed. When they started preparing the menu for the
banquet, the pig asked the hen what they will offer.
The hen was not the least concerned and casually replied, “I am offering my
eggs. You can offer your meat.” The pig thought for a moment and then said:
“easy for you to say. The eggs don’t cost you much. But my meat will cost me
my life.” As I have repeatedly pointed out in recent days, Tagbilaran is at
the threshold of a new beginning. While most people are starting to be
depressed with the state of things, Tagbilaran is looking ahead and looking
forward. It is my belief that if there is a time to move ahead, to be bullish
about the future, that time is now. As businessmen, you are aware of the
importance of making the right investments and the timing for doing that. This
is the reason why I am optimistic that we will not find it difficult to arrive
at a common understanding on this matter.
For a place to be a fertile ground for business, it has to have the right
infrastructures in place. As you yourselves do when you start a business
venture, you survey the location to see if certain structures are in place.
Aware of the possibilities not only of success but also of failure, the city
government in the present administration has prioritized the opening of new
roads and improvement of existing ones.
As you must have noticed by this time, Tagbilaran is experiencing the worst
traffic nightmares since its birth as a city in 1966. This is not surprising
if you consider that the business district concentrated in district II is only
about a kilometer long.
We have more than 2,000 tricycles to go with the multicabs and private
vehicles, nearly all converging at the same place during peak hours.
Regardless of who is in charge of traffic management, the area is a bottleneck
that is impossible to open up.
When we envisioned the satellite city in 1992, the objective was to distribute
the growth and progress in the city. That was the reason why we proposed the
construction of the new integrated bus terminal and public market in the Dao-Dampas
area.
While the idea was adopted by the past administration, one major detail was
overlooked: the construction of road arteries leading to it. The result is
another bottleneck especially near the new city hall. Although the intention
is there, we are paying the price for the lack of vision and preparation.
Instead of solving the traffic problem, we are creating new ones.
To solve this, we have decided to prioritize the construction of new road
networks not only near the Dao-Dampas growth area but in virtually all areas
of the city. It is our hope that we will be able to build a road network that
will be operational at least for the next 20 years.
This is the difficult part. While everybody will agree to this as the hen and
the pig will agree to the banquet for the farmer, the contribution to the
project is a different thing altogether.
New roads require the use of land areas that oftentimes cover private
properties. This, as you know, is a very sensitive matter. This is the reason
for this appeal.
The sad experiences in the recent past have prompted many landowners to resist
the efforts of the city to open new roads. The resistance is understandable.
To this day, some land owners have not been paid for the land where the roads
are built. Many are even paying for the taxes on these lands. Now we are
starting to rectify and remedy that.
And yet, these sad experiences should not be enough reason to prevent the
growth of the city and to stifle progress. It is a choice between opening new
growth areas or be choked by the increasing congestion.
I am not saying that we demand supreme sacrifices like the pig in the story. I
am in fact only appealing to your sense of community spirit to contribute your
efforts like the hen to this project.
The city government cannot do it alone. We need the private sector and
particularly the business community to support this project if we intend to
fast-track the city’s development. Time is running short and if we fail to act
decisively, we will be overtaken by events. Personally, I prefer to act than
react. That is what I intend to do now. I therefore make this appeal to you
today: be actively involved. Do not be contented with being mere bystanders
but be active participants. Be part of the solution instead of the problem.
In the final analysis, this is all about business. More than any other sector,
it is the business community that will benefit from the growth and progress of
the city. It is therefore a matter of investing in the future right here and
right now.
I am aware that there are always skeptics in every undertaking and I will not
be surprised if there are those who view this project with suspicion. Let me
point out to you that like passengers in a sinking ship, we will suffer the
same fate if we don’t reach the safety of the shore together. In a manner of
speaking, this is a life-and-death situation. If we don’t invest in the future
by investing in this project, there is not much hope to look forward to. All
our efforts will be limited to merely staying afloat. For how long, we cannot
tell. If this project succeeds, it is no longer just a matter of survival. The
future is bright enough for all of us. With progress evenly distributed to
different parts of the city, it will only be a matter of time before we not
only open more growth areas. In the process, we will also ease up the
congestion in the existing business district.
In 20 years, I will have long disappeared from the scene. But I believe most
of you will still be very much involved. Look to that day with hope and
optimism. Bear in mind however that you need to give your share now, to
contribute if you want to get there. If you want to reap the fruits of
progress then, you have to plant the seeds now.
Are we in this together? I do believe the answer is yes. We have little choice
but to work together. I have taken the first step. The ball is in your hands.
Are we ready for the future? You will have to provide the answer. I don’t need
to hear it. I just want to see it to believe it. Thank you and good morning. |
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