Tom vows to fight ‘arbitrary, political’ move to freeze BRT

OSMEÑA

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña vowed yesterday to contest the resolution of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) putting on hold the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in favor of the Light Railway Transit (LRT)-subway project.

“I’m going to fight for this (BRT). This reminds me of Sonny Osmeña (former senator and now Toledo City mayor) who tried to scuttle the SRP (South Road Properties) for six years calling it a monumental disaster. Now, he has to swallow his words,” Osmeña said.

The mayor said what the Neda decided last Friday will create a “bad reflection” on their office’s image.

“This is a bad reflection of their office, if not an outright misrepresentation. We will start the process of complaining to the World Bank and the French government that the Philippines is playing politics with the people’s money,” Osmeña said in his four-part text message sent to Cebu Daily News.

The mayor proposed the BRT project last 2008, but its feasibility study was completed in 2012.

Initially, the World Bank approved a budget at P10.6 billion, and allowed its proponents to acquire it through a loan.

Nearly a decade passed and the project cost ballooned to P16.9 billion.

The P10.6 billion loan from the World Bank was received by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) last July.

The French government was also reported to have pledged US $52 million in 2012 as counter-funding to the BRT project.

Osmeña said he cannot imagine Neda making a decision without even consulting him.

“I would like to ask Sec. Pernia (Neda chief Ernesto Pernia) a basic question: why didn’t he consult the elected mayor of Cebu City? Does federalism ignore locally elected officials?” the mayor said.

Osmeña said Neda’s choice to put on hold the BRT project in favor of the LRT-subway project being lobbied by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino was “arbitrary if not political.”

“Imagine, canceling a P16 billion project without even consulting the proponent? Reversing a NEDA board resolution and violating a bilateral agreement whimsically on his own volition just two hours after saying it cannot be just cancelled?” his text message read.

Pernia confirmed to reporters that the BRT will be “put on hold” to give way to the LRT-subway project and other mass transport alternatives in last Friday’s regional road show for the Philippine Development Plan 2017 – 2022 at the Cebu Normal University.

Two hours before he made the announcement, Pernia said the “BRT project was a go” unless Malacañang orders to cancel the project.

Pernia changed his mind after Dino told him how the LRT-subway project would work.

The LRT-subway project would supposedly cover the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

The BRT, which would service commuters and relegate jeepneys to service feeder routes to and from BRT terminals, would cover a 11-km. route plying from Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City to Barangay Talamban in the north.

Dino’s proposed LRT project would consist of trains traversing the outskirts of Cebu City above and a subway system underneath the city.

Dino said it would take four years to complete the LRT, with an estimated cost at US $3 billion.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, chairman of Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative (Citrasco), said he supports the BRT.

“I am no expert but if I would look into personally I will be happy because we have jeepney units,” he said.

Citrasco’s 1,000 jeepney units service Cebu City as well as the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

“If there was really a problem then they should have considered it before. Where were they when BRT was being studied?” Yu said.

Marc Canton, one of the lead convenors of the Movement for Livable Cebu (MLC), voiced support for the BRT but said “we will also wait for the results of the LRT’s feasibility study.”