DINO
If President Rodrigo Duterte would approve it by the end of the year, work on a big-time infrastructure project in Cebu would start on the later part of next year.
Efren Carreon, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority in Central Visayas (Neda-7), was referring to the proposed P9.13 billion Cebu International Port in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion town in northern Cebu.
Carreon said that the feasibility study for the project was already approved by Neda’s Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC) technical board last Sept. 1.
“The next process will be evaluation and approval by the ICC Cabinet Committee on Sept. 28. Final approval will be by the Neda Board, which is chaired by the president,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Carreon gave updates on the CIP project after he was asked why no projects were included for Cebu in the recently approved rollout of nine infrastructure projects worth over P171 billion by President Duterte, which he approved barely 100 days since he assumed office.
Dino reaction
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino, said the projects recently approved by President Duterte were endorsed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) formed during the previous administration.
The RDC is the highest planning and policy making body in the region.
“Without finger pointing, the body could have pushed for more projects for Cebu. Some of our problems today like traffic and flooding could have been addressed by better infrastructure planning and foresight,” said Dino.
Dino vowed to make sure the new RDC would have a strong private sector component that would understand the problems of society and would be headed by a private person without political interest or bias.
“My office will closely work with the RDC to ensure that Cebu and the rest of the region will get the support they deserve. We need to make sure projects are effective, timely and spread equally around the region,” he added.
Go signal
Carreon, however, said this did not mean Cebu wasn’t getting any projects since the CIP already received the go signal from the ICC technical board earlier.
“Hopefully, it will be approved (by the Neda Board) before the year ends. The target of the Cebu Port Authority (CPA, the project’s implementing agency), is to begin financing negotiations by 2017. The construction will start by the later part of next year, according to the feasibility study,” said Carreon.
The feasibility study conducted by the Korean Export-Import Bank identified a 12-hectare site in Tayud, Consolacion town in northern Cebu as the site for the new CIP.
The new port is seen as a long-term solution to congestion at the existing Cebu International Port, located at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, due to increasing cargo volumes and shallow water depth of container berths.
Carreon said two possible sources of funding were being considered for the CIP including the Official Development Assistance (ODA) recommended by the feasibility study and the national government’s Capital Expenditure Program.
Under an ODA funding arrangement, the Philippine government will have a counterpart of around P1.27 billion while the donor, which has yet to be identified, will shoulder P7.12 billion of the total project cost.
Carreon said that it would be the ICC Cabinet Committee that would ultimately decide on how the project would be financed.
According to the feasibility study, the port will be completed 35 months from start of its construction.
Two of the nine projects approved by the Neda Board last Wednesday were for Bohol, including the P7.8-billion change in scope of the New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection project as well as the P2.2-billion modernization of the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.
2nd big Cebu project
Aside from the CIP project, Carreon also cited another big-ticket project for Cebu, which is the Integrated Flood and Drainage Master Plan for Metro Cebu.
Carreon said that the project would soon require the Neda Board approval.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had funded the ongoing feasibility study of the project.
According to DPWH officials, the P48 million study would be needed before clear decisions on where to invest in civil works for flood control measures would be made.
According to DPWH officials, the estimate of the project a few years ago for Cebu City alone was P600 million.
Metro Cebu includes the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay and Danao.
“The study would show existing conditions, status of flood control and drainage systems, challenges, and how to address them,” said DPWH Central Visayas Director Ador Canlas.
The other seven projects approved by the Neda Board recently and approved by President Duterte are: P74.6-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) public-private partnership (PPP) project; P37.8-billion Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in EDSA; P23.5-billion first phase of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project; P10.2-billion
Inclusive Partnership for Agricultural Competitiveness project; P8-billion second phase of the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement project for the Philippine Coast Guard; P4.8-billion increase in area of Bicol International Airport’s passenger terminal building in Albay; and P2.4-billion modernization of Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Leyte.
Cebu City dads
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo of the City Council’s Committee on Infrastructure said that he believed the feasibility studies of these approved infrastructure projects were done in the previous administration and these led to the approval of the budget of these projects by the current administration.
“My understanding on this is that those approved projects were proposed during the former administration. Kumpleto na. Ang budget na lang ang gihuwat (They are completed and they are just waiting for the budget), said Guardo.
He said that he was optimistic that Cebu would have its own project specially since Duterte announced during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July, that there would be a mass transportation project for Cebu aside from the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
“Sayang pud wala naapil ang Cebu (It’s unfortunate that Cebu was not included), but (I’m) looking forward that there will be projects in Cebu that will push through (in the future),” Guardo said.
Councilor Alvin Arcilla, Cebu City’s deputy mayor for infrastructure, said that he was not worried that there were no projects for Cebu City in the recently announced infrastructure projects approved by the Neda board chaired by the president.
Arcilla said he was not worried because the city had two congressmen — Rep. Raul Del Mar (Cebu City North district) and Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City South district).
“Actually naa pa man sab tay projects from previous administration nga need to be implemented. Dili sad ta maguol nga dili ta mahatagan og projects or budget (for the projects) kay aduna man tay mga congressman (Actually, Cebu City has projects from the previous administration that had yet to be implemented. We should not be worried on whether we would be given projects or budget for projects or not because we have congressmen who would push for these projects or get budget for these projects),” Arcilla said.
He cited proposed skywalks and concreting of road projects as among the projects that the city had yet to implement.