The 48th ASEAN Summit is underway in Cebu, and once again, the government's "cleaning up" act is in full display. In Lapu-Lapu City, 66 families living near the Mactan Expo have been temporarily relocated to a resort in Cordova, where they are attending livelihood training and wellness programs.
Relocation or Concealment?
While the move may seem beneficial, the public is left questioning: Is this relocation driven by genuine concern for the poor, or is it merely a way to hide the true face of poverty from foreign delegates? Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Cindi King-Chan stated that this was ordered by the National Organizing Committee (NOC), not the local government.
This practice is not new. Similar to the controversial tarpaulins placed on the railings of the South Road Properties (SRP) bridge to cover trash along the shoreline, the relocation of informal settlers is a form of "cosmetic surgery" for society. After the summit, these families will return to their shanties, and the tarpaulins will be torn again.
Need for Permanent Solutions
If the government truly wants to improve the country's image, why not build strong, permanent tenement buildings? The money spent on renting a resort or buying tarpaulins could have been allocated for genuine socialized housing, eliminating the need to hide informal settlers during international events.
True national pride is not measured by how smooth the roads are for VIPs or how white the tarpaulins are that cover the garbage. Real progress is seen when the poorest citizens have decent and permanent homes that need not be hidden from the world.
The people do not need "visual effects." What they need are real solutions to poverty, not temporary vacations to make a community look good.
