I love Cagayan de Oro City. I grew up there (although I left the place to study in Metro Manila when I was 15.) While I studied in Manila, my family continued to live there so it was always “home”. I went home again some weeks ago to be with my sister who gave birth to my first nephew, and my parents’ first apo.
Going down from the airport, I noticed that construction of a short strip of road is still ongoing at least 6 months after it started (I was there last December so I saw the very same strip under construction). The city is recovering from Sendong–and sadly it showed. The streets were dirty–muddy and with garbage everywhere. Traffic was bad; and even made worse by vehicles parking on a main thoroughfare like DV Soria with impunity. At a time when the rest of the Philippines is trying to get rid of market vendors plying their trade on the streets, Cagayan de Oro does not seem to care and do anything about it. Motorcycle drivers defy all safety rules by driving without helmets. Then I saw some policemen in motorcycles drive by without helmets and it made sense. Even the malls seemed decrepit somehow. My beloved LimKetKai’s backways looked dirty with misplaced trash, and jeepney drivers just stopping anywhere. And don’t get me started with our sorry version of a flyover. It felt like an expensive white elephant that doesn’t really do anything to alleviate the traffic problem. Cagayan de Oro is a fast growing city. But–I don’t know how exactly–it seemed to be in a time warp: it felt like Iligan City when I last visited it back in the 90s. Napag-iwanan ng panahon.
I probably don’t have any right to complain because I don’t live there. But because I live somewhere else, I have the privileged position of looking at CDO with unencumbered eyes. I hope the city government can learn from other cities like Jakarta, Bangkok or Shanghai. I remember when Bayani Fernando first became mayor of Marikina, the first thing he did was bring his city council to Singapore. That was the turning point. From a city known as “the salvage area of Metro Manila”, it became one of the most efficient cities in the country. We can get so used to inefficiency and stupidity and lack of discipline, we start to think that that is the best we can do. To put it a little more bluntly, we have to experience what a good city is to know that the city we live in is shit.
I now live in Pasig City. It’s not perfect, but you know–because it shows–that the government is working. (I don’t know anyone in the Pasig City government and I’m not endorsing any one of its public officials.)
Pasig is implementing a no-plastic policy in carefully planned out phases. Grocery shops, restaurants, and other establishments, started with a “no-plastic-bag-on-Wednesdays” policy. People were encouraged to buy recyclable bags (you get a rebate everytime you use these). Those with none are given paper bags instead of plastic. This ran for several Wednesdays until people stopped complaining and accepted the paper bag. Now, paper bag is standard and used every day of the week. As I’m writing this, establishments like Starbucks, Jollibee, McDonalds don’t use straws every Friday. In a few months time, I think even the use of straws will no longer be allowed. Coupled with an effective garbage collection service, solving the trash problem at its source has drastically minimized nonrecyclable trash in Pasig.
Traffic enforcer visibility has been used to combat the traffic problem (I don’t really agree with this strategy fully). You see a lot of “blue boys” (enforcers in blue uniforms) around the city enforcing traffic rules. And while not perfect, they’re quite fair. One time I got caught by a traffic enforcer for beating a red light at 1am (yes, because there’s so many of them employed by the city, some of them are still out at 1am!). She explained to me what my violation was, gave me a ticket and confiscated my license. The next day, I drove to the traffic enforcement office to get my license, bracing myself for long lines and the bureaucracy you expect from government offices. When I was near the place, I asked a blue boy where I can get my license. Very courteously, he gave me detailed directions to where I’m supposed to park. I went up the building and there were clear directional signs so I knew where to go. I showed my ticket, lined up to pay my fine and was asked to wait by a uniformed enforcer who was respectful of everyone there (there were around 15 of us at that time). Total time spent in the building: less than 20 mins.
With good planning, systemic thinking, and common sense it can be done. It has been done. There are really no excuses.
prayersofapilgrim.com 
thanks Eric! Lam mo naman ako I tend to whine and gripe. hehe. But yes, this gives me hope. Also, kaya rin ako reluctant to move out of Pasig. It seems like something’s actually MOVING, which is more than we can say for other places… 🙂
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I had to check who Prodigality is! haha! Yep, don’t move out just yet! 🙂
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a sad reality..napag iwanan na talaga ang CDO the city of Golden Friendship turned out to the city of trash and inconsistent corrupt government. sigh….
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yeah, it seems like it’s run like a small town instead of a city. hopefully things improve in the next few years! thanks for the comment susancc!
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ate! didn’t see your pic until now. how are you? hope things are well!
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Nice one, ric! A trip to Singapore should be the best junket that Marikina ever gave their public servants. I truly continue to hope for our beloved city.
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Me too! I love CDO and don’t want it to continue in whatever path it is in right now.
Love your last post! Pinakbet with bagnet sounds really delicious. Huy, ubana ko ninyo usahay ba! :p
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Lagi bitaw! Mingaw na ko nimo. Abi namo busy na ka sa imong life diha. Hahaha!
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Thank you for this piece, Eric Santillan. It is the sort of thoughtful, wistful peregrination rarely indulged by anyone about our trapo-infested city That it is written in the style that used to characterize its intellectuals, culture, and sophistication is a bonus.
Let’s have more of same. Let’s hope it’ll draw out the best of Cagayanos and in Cagayanos. Most of all, let’s hope it’ll shame the scumbags and political parasites who exploit the weakness of its masses who cannot resist corruption because of ignorance and poverty.
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Thanks for your kind words Manny Valdehuesa. Yes, I hope this will help wake the city (and not just the city government) up. But of course we want the city government to take the lead.
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payts… if someone will do to our city mayor and our city council what bayani fernando did to his city council, some of them will only try to find ways to go back to singapore and other places na hinuon…
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In 4years im not visiting my beloved city…i noticd that there no dcplne all drver from the bgnng..even rta!
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thank you for your article, exactly the way i feel about cdo.
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I regret to say the Place where i was born wasn’t moving nor developed into what it has been expected. CDO was supposed to be the pillar of progress in that region considering the standard of its main proponent of education (Xavier University)….It was haven for rich and desirable individuals for excellence in area of agriculture and managerial expertise thru the Business acumen of X.U teaching personel. The brilliant and national figure representing the region…reflects how truly CDO inter-acts in the national scene such as: Ruben Canoy, Homobono Adaza, Nene Pimentel, Damasing, Rufus rodrigues and the likes..etc! This collected dominant personality will bring force to such development and embedded the core of its motto: The City of Golden frienship…..What happen and why? Perhaps, this misfortine and disguised will rise up the deep rooted cry of enough is enough…lets clean and pro-active…stand up and be counted…..otherwise, we remain to be the speaker of no promises and leaving our City into a frienship that doesn’t lay golden hen…….
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Thank you so much for this post! Taga-Cagayan sad ko and I’m doing research (personal) on the traffic issue in CdO. Thanks for pointing out about improved perspectives by traveling to other places. I went to London in 2011 and it really did discipline me to give way to others, etc. Maybe traveling to good cities should be a must for every driver. If maka-budget lang guro ta ana (kay mahal baya jud magbyahe), posible siguro. 🙂
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Good to see that a fellow Cagay-anon read this post. 🙂
You’re right, travelling will help, not just in solving traffic, but also in opening up to much better ideas and perspectives. I remember Bayani Fernando’s first move as Marikina City Mayor was that he brought his whole City Council to Singapore. They learned a lot from the visit and brought that with them when they started transforming marikina city many years ago.
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