Originally Posted by
agila
there can only be one premier city, because if you will insist, it would defeat the true meaning of the word. it's like saying 3 prime ministers in one country. if the present dictates that davao is the de facto capital of mindanao, let us accept that with open heart because data, statistics, figures, pictures, media, surveys, etc suggest so. and if ever any city will take away that accolade in the future, expect that city to be bigger than davao in terms of economy, urban agglomeration, population, fame, cleanliness, tourist attraction, media mileage and many other aspects one city needs to get the tag "premier" before its name.
the best thing we can do as mindanaoan is present our cities to the world in its present status. there are many good things in cdo, gensan, zamboanga, etc. that we can promote and bank on. i can not understand the essence of saying "try cdo, we will have so many highrises there in the year 2010 or we will be a great city in the next 3 years or so". why not, "come here in cdo because it is a progressive city in its own capacity now and one of the major cities in mindanao." does it need to topple davao by adding values only future can bring just to make a good statement? there's really no need to capitalize too much on the future because every city has its own future. we will never know few weeks from now zamboanga will announce it will build a 25 storey highrise, or HANJIN will move to gensan, or butuan will host a new SM mall, or worst, all project proposals in davao and cdo will be terminated because the investors are all bankrupt due to the oil crisis.
if davao will become stagnant, it will be a bad sign. just like if cebu will slow down and overtaken by iloilo or bacolod. let us be proud of these cities (davao and cebu) instead of trying to beat the hell out of them (i'm addressing to the midsize cities). afterall, they are not "imperial cities". would you believe up to now, the IRA or internal revenue allotment of davao for 3 years is not yet released by the national government? davao city's tax contribution to the national government is a whooping 3 billion annually. but look at what it is getting in return. yet it thrives locally alongside with other major cities here in mindanao in showcasing the might of the island amidst imperialism and commandered atrocities.
if only mindanao will support davao instead of trying to dismantle her. afterall, there can only be one premier city in this island. if CDO, zamboanga or gensan will be 3x greater in 2010, will it come into our mind that davao, looking at the current economy boom it is enjoying now, will also be 3x greater then? lastly, why wait for years to come when we can eat the fruits of our labor now?