I’D like to take the last column further. Because the more I think about it the more I realize it must be done. We need to relocate our capital. It’s something eight other countries have realized the need and the sensibility of doing, so it’s proven it can be done — and works.

Top of the list for me is Canberra in Australia, where I was born. It’s a beautiful city in idyllic surroundings. It’s the seat of government, with all national government departments there. Mind you, the industry didn’t follow in massive amounts. But there are still plenty of them, mostly in the services industry. Sydney and Melbourne were too well-advanced for that.

Canberra was created because Sydney and Melbourne couldn’t agree on which should be the capital. So a compromise was made. Canberra was to be a wholly planned city. And it is, plenty of parks and trees. And the first city in the world to be a “no waste” city.

It was designed by a famous architect, Walter Burley Griffin. Unlike here with BGC where the original, well-thought-out design was overridden by greed. This country’s leaders, please note once Clark/Subic is designed as our capital, don’t allow that design to be bastardized in any way. We need a capital of wide open spaces. Parks, lots of them with at least one large one. Wide roads with roundabouts and overpasses, not traffic-creating intersections. And so on, I leave it to Palafox to say what else. Personally, I’d limit building height, I find threateningly intrusive high rises that block the sun from pleasing our bodies. But I realize this may be impractical in today’s overpopulated world.

Canberra is linked to Sydney and Melbourne by air and expressways between the three cities. A highspeed railway was designed, but never built. As it was deemed economically unviable. Unlike here where it would be economically very viable. So there’s an effortless ability to get from one city to another.

In Brazil, the capital Rio de Janeiro has been in existence as long as Manila (Rio de Janeiro is older than Manila by only six years). It was founded in 1763. But in 1960 a far-sighted government decided because of overcrowding, heavy traffic, and distant government buildings (sound familiar) it was time to move. In Brasilia, a purpose-built capital was formed. It’s 1,100 kilometers from Rio, yet it works. Its modernist architecture earned it recognition as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Kazakhstan (why do people stick a silent “h” somewhere in a word, and you can never remember where) moved its capital in 1997. In 1991 it gained independence from Russia. However Almaty (the capital at the time) was too close to the Chinese border and, like Manila, had limited space for growth. And was at risk of earthquakes. So the capital was moved 12,000 km north and named Nur-Sultan.

In 1976, the head of state of Nigeria decided to move the capital 525 km away from Lagos to Abuja. It was done because of the unplanned growth of Lagos that had gotten out of hand. And a more central location was preferred, and successfully implemented. Lagos remains the primary hub for commerce and industry.

Cairo had been Egypt’s capital for over 1,000 years. But its population of 24 million people in the city and surrounding areas had led to massive overcrowding and congestion, so it was time to move. The government established a new capital, where it has relocated all government ministries, parliament, and civic institutions.

Indonesia is the latest country to realize the necessity of moving. Like here the overcrowding, pollution, and sinking, with sea waters rising led Joko Widodo to decide, with parliament’s concurrence, to move the capital, Jakarta, 1,300 km away to a new capital — Nusantara. Construction is ongoing.

The only one that’s not really working is in Myanmar. In Myanmar, (sadly renamed from the much nicer sounding “Burma”), the capital Rangoon was relocated 320 km north to a new capital to an unpronounceable and unspellable “Naypyidaw.” Just why has never been properly explained. Which perhaps explains why it’s not really been that successful. Although some viewed it as a symbolic gesture to reinforce the military government’s authority and distance itself from the historic legacy of Yangon.

What all this says is that the situation in Manila is not unique. Cities that have had the same problems we suffer have decided enough is enough, and moved. All government has gone, industry has in varying degrees. We need that recognition here. It’s more than abundantly clear that Manila can’t handle the future. It’s time to move.