ACCORDING to The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the population in Metro Manila will peak at 20 million by 2020. This is excluding the expected entry of “informal settlers” into metropolis. The direct result of unmitigated urban migration from the provinces and population increase in highly urbanized cities, is that many of our public and social services will be seriously inundated. The problem of “absorptive capacity” is staring us in the eye in terms of longer lines, waiting time, and infrastructure bursting at the seams just to accommodate, for example, more students enrolling and patients waiting for treatment and proper care. Part of the hard reality is, there are not many new schools and hospitals being built by government.
In Cebu City, I expect a similar situation to occur. A local TV affiliate of a major network projects the population hitting 1,043,501 people by 2020. The unfortunate epitaph to this situation is that the “Queen City of the South” has no city college, and no general hospital, except what it trumpets as the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), sharing facilities with the fire station. Since July this year, in several public forums, including radio, I have emphasized these two points, as a pivot to public awakening and discourse. I cite Makati City with a University of Makati; Manila with Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Universidad de Manila; Parañaque with Polytechnic University of Parañaque; and Muntinlupa with University of Muntinlupa. Bacolod City has Bacolod City College. Even Pantukan, a municipality in Davao, has a Municipal College. In Cebu province, there is Talisay City College and Mandaue City College. My proposal is a Cebu City College, North and South, catering to our children, with the eventual goal of establishing a Cebu City University.
There is also a great need for two general hospitals in Cebu City to cater to the needs of both the South District and the North District. More often the victims of diseases are the very young and the very old. Having octogenarian parents, I commiserate with the marginalized sectors.
