Inter-agency body to address traffic in Metro Cebu pushed

Thomas Orbos, undersecretary of the Department of Transportation, discusses possible solutions to Metro Cebu’s traffic problems. Orbos was guest speaker of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s General Membership Meeting at the Bai Hotel on Wednesday.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

CCCI BACKS DOTR USEC’S PLAN

While there are already efforts being undertaken to arrest the growing traffic problem in Metropolitan Cebu, local business leaders believe an inter-agency council on traffic (IACT) is necessary to expedite the process.

Transportation Undersecretary Thomas Orbos was met with a resounding “yes” when he asked members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) during their general membership meeting on Wednesday whether they would want to have this kind of initiative here.

“Moving forward, maybe we can come up with a memorandum of understanding. Let us exchange letters. I will come to you to discuss how we can work out a program,” he said toward the end of his keynote speech at the event in Bai Hotel, Mandaue City.

The IACT, he explained, is already being implemented in Metro Manila and brings together all government agencies concerned with traffic such as the Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to work together with city and municipal mayors in solving existing traffic problems.

Orbos called on the support of the CCCI, saying that one important component of the initiative is private sector involvement.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is currently doing a Metro Cebu Transport Master Plan, which will be submitted to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) by 2018.

Furthermore, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Cebu City is already moving forward while the DOTr has also received unsolicited proposals on rail projects and other forms of mass transport for Cebu.

In 2015, JICA also completed the Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu, which contains a sub-roadmap on urban transport and highway network.

The study identifies projects that are expected to help mitigate the growing traffic problem in the metropolitan, including the construction of a dual-mode bridge between Mandaue City and Mactan Island, as well as a combination of road and rail transport modules, including BRT, AGT-CML line, and MRT.

Orbos added that they are also considering setting up a DOTr office here to closely monitor all these developments, adding that they do not want Cebu to make the same mistake Manila did in the past.

“If the traffic situation in Manila is a disease, it would be stage four cancer. We don’t want that to happen in Cebu,” he said.

Melanie Ng, CCCI president, said they still would have to officially submit their request to the DOTr to activate the IACT in Cebu as well as to assure the agency of their participation once that would happen.

“To my understanding, it will be a venue for discussion, deliberation, formation of plans with regard to traffic solutions. If that is a platform for us to come up with solutions, make sure that plans will be followed through, and to help hasten the implementation of traffic infrastructure projects, then it is a welcome development,” she said in a separate interview.

The chamber president said that ease of doing business, timely delivery of goods, and productivity are among the many things business owners consider crucial in competitiveness.

Traffic problems, such as bottlenecks and the lack of connectivity, hamper the growth of businesses.

“We welcome any solution to our traffic problems here,” said Ng.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino earlier said that both the national and local governments need to come together to solve the traffic problem of Metro Cebu.

He said they are in constant communication with the Office of the President, DOTr and the Department of Public Works and Highways regarding infrastructure projects that will ease traffic congestion here.