Labella appoints three focal persons for BRT project

BRT Cebu perspective / Source: DOTC

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella appointed Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez, the city engineer; Lawyer June Maratas, head of the Department of General Services (DGS); and Engineer Joel Reston as the focal persons for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Cebu City.

The three heads will represent the city in the planning of the BRT since the implementation of the project will center on Cebu City, specifically from the South Road Properties (SRP) to the Cebu I.T. Park in Barangay Apas.

The BRT expected to be functional by 2021.

It is the first phase of the Integrated Intermodal System (IITS) planned by the Department of Transportation and is projected to be in operations by 2022.

Labella said he felt the need to appoint a lawyer as one of the focal persons, in this case, Maratas, because there will be land acquisitions in the planned expansion of some roads.

The mayor, along with his focal persons, met with the BRT contractors on Wednesday afternoon, August 14, 2019, and discussed the developments of the project.

“The meeting went well and we impressed upon them (contractors) that the BRT project must jive with the Integrated Intermodal System because that system initiated by the DOTr has the monorail as the backbone,” said Labella.

On July 2019, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade visited Cebu to conduct an ocular inspection on the IITS route in Cebu, especially the BRT route.

Tugade said he wanted the Cebuanos to experience the comfort of the IITS since it had been long overdue, and because President Rodrigo Duterte would want the system to be established by the end of his term.

Among the areas that Tugade visited was the site at the Cebu IT Park in Barangay Apas where the Common Station for the BRT, monorail, and cable cars would rise.

He also visited the SRP where most of the depots of the IITS would be built, and where the BRT and monorail would most likely have a dedicated route. / celr