Garcia drops “Singapore-like Cebu City’ tagline

Local

NOW under a new leadership, the Cebu City government will be dropping the "Singapore-like Cebu City" tagline.

This was announced by newly installed Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who officially assumed office as the city’s full-fledged mayor on Wednesday, October 8.

In a press conference shortly after he took oath, Garcia said that he would not continue the "Singapore-like" vision popularized by dismissed Mayor Michael Rama.

In his answer addressed to MyTV Cebu, Garcia acknowledged that while it is good to aspire to be as progressive as Singapore, Cebu City should have its own identity.

“I want Cebu City to have its own identity. Cebu City is not Singapore," he said. "In fact, we are longer as a civilization compared to Singapore. So, that is something I feel that has to be changed.”

Garcia also clarified that he shares the aspiration for Cebu City to be among the first-world cities, but he emphasized that the city should not be named or modeled after other countries.

The "Singapore-like Cebu City" vision was a hallmark of former Mayor Michael Rama’s administration, inspired by his travels abroad.

Over time, it evolved into "Singapore-like Cebu City with Melbourne features and Taiwan training," a slogan that was promoted in various public events.

The tagline even had a jingle and choreography danced by the former mayor and city hall officials, performed during flag ceremonies every Monday and other occasions when Rama is introduced.

The tagline, however, was met with criticism from the public, including indirect disapproval from Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who remarked that Cebu should not copy other places, but rather, serve as a model for them.

The slogan's use was stopped after Rama was suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman on May 8 for the non-payment of salaries of four City Hall employees.

Rama was eventually dismissed due to a separate nepotism case, which came out on October 3 or during the day that Rama filed his certificate for candidacy for reelection.(MyTVCebu)