CEBU CITY, Philippines – The warming relations between the province of Cebu and Cebu City, which had been at odds during the past city administration, is seen to bring forth development for the entire island of Cebu.

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, who met with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama on Thursday, said Cebuanos will surely benefit more now that there already exists harmony between the city and province.

“Surely, we will both continue to work harder for Cebu,” Garcia told reporters in Cebuano.

During their meeting, Garcia and Rama discussed the P1.2-billion Ciudad project along the Banilad-Talamban corridor, a project that the governor said “will have one major impact for the City's revenue generation in terms of business taxes.”

“Ciudad 2 could even be a tourist destination because it will really reflect the Cebuano character and culture that will be most beneficial to the City of Cebu and the Cebuanos,” she said.

The project is a joint venture of Capitol and Fifth Avenue Property Corp. Cebu City has just granted barangay clearance for the project, while the developer is updating documents for its application for locational clearance.

“These projects will raise Cebu to a higher level,” the governor said.

Prior to the meeting of Garcia and Rama, Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete and City Legal Office Chief Joseph Bernaldez were at the capitol on Wednesday for a meeting with Garcia and capitol lawyers on various issues, including the Ciudad project.

Garcia said among those discussed were the development of the Fuente Osmeña Circle, the Cebu City Zoo, and the plight of the occupants of 93-1 lots.

These issues had put a wall between the administration of then Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Garcia. Rama and the governor have since started reaching out to each other following their victories in the last elections.

“One thing I can say is that there are some sectors that would not feel good about this but the general public, the Cebuanos are happy with this development... that there now exist harmony between the city and province,” said Garcia.

During the launching of the Beautiful Cebu program last week, Rama and Garcia walked the entire stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from Plaza Independencia to the provincial Capitol grounds to solicit funds and encourage participation in the city's revitalization plans.

“Let us join hands in beautifying not just Cebu City nor Cebu province but our own Cebu, atong Sugbo (our Cebu) and be part of the history that will continue to show to the country that we are one people that stands to be a beacon of hope, willing to show everyone that it can be done. We will beautify Cebu, it will be done,” Garcia said in her speech at the Capitol after the unity walk.