In light of Cebu Business Month 2016 with the theme ‘Digital Cebu’, a Tourism Forum was organized on June 16, 2016 that invited distinguished and respected speakers. Gordon Alan Joseph, President of the Cebu Business Club and Alternate Co-chair for the Private Sector of Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board, spoke about the status of Mega Cebu.
Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) is a coordinating body for metro-wide planning and development that was signed through a Memorandum of Agreement by local government executives, heads of national government agencies and leaders of the private sector. This board was created by the collaboration of both the public and private sector as they plan for their desired future for Cebu. Composed of 13 cities and municipalities, its aim is to integrate policies and standards for the development of Metro Cebu. The proposed bill called the Mega Cebu Development Authority (MCDA) Act 2015, which will institutionalize the MCDCB, has already passed the initial deliberation of Congress
Mega Cebu envisions a Wholesome, Advanced, Vibrant, Equitable, Sustainable (W.A.V.E.S.) Cebu and promotes long-term and collaborative planning and action towards a more sustainable city-region by the year 2050. In line with Mega Cebu’s vision is to produce an environment that embraces Cebu’s creativity and its cultural, historical, and natural resources, with strong citizen participation and responsive governance. The speaker highlighted the need for increased involvement of Local Government Units (LGUs) in collaborating and coordinating policies, plans, programs and such.
In a discussion on about how Metro Cebu has grown economically in the past years, the speaker notes the difference in traffic where a travel time of 5-10 minutes 10 years ago has become a 30-minute drive in today’s traffic. Mega Cebu also aims to address the potential problems in traffic, drainage, and water supply and how these problems will be studied in the projects that will be ventured upon.
A concept promoted and spearheaded by the MCDCB, Joseph’s passion for this project was evident in his talk on the stage. For more information about Mega Cebu, visit this site.
