February 5, 2009

A different tune

Sometimes it takes a knock on the pate (ok, I was trying to find nicer English for kailangang batukan) for some rusting brain to wake up and work even for just a while.

The following link leads to a news article in the Cebu Daily News about the acting Cebu City mayor's change of tune as to the reported closure of the city's public library:

Rama ‘won’t eject public library’

So the Rizal Memorial Library of Cebu is staying after all.

In the first place, why would we be closing a city public library when all the world is even moving mountains trying to open one?

Why would we be substituting a city public library with "satellite libraries in several barangays"? We have been mandated to build both since 1993 (R.A. 7743)!

And library hubs? The National Library is correct, these are warehouses not libraries; as we all should have known since the time the concept paper of library hubs was first drafted!

They say we should do it (satellite libraries) "similar to Singapore". Well, Singapore has community libraries dispersed all over the city-state and one big National Library in the middle!

Others contend the Cebu's Rizal Memorial Library is in a sad, old, decrepit state that it's indeed one bound for the museum. Well then go ahead, put it in a museum; but build a new one!

That would seem to be what the acting LCE of Cebu City is saying this time. He intends to have the city public library re-opened once renovation of the building is done. But without him giving a clear timeframe and cost of renovation, who knows baka binibilog lang ni mayor ang ulo natin. Huwag naman sana.

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