Better BRT route

Just like many residents of Cebu City, I welcome the approval of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) by the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) board.

As proposed, the BRT route will start from Bulacao Pardo, then proceed to Natalio Bacalso Avenue, Jones Avenue, Escario Street and then to Talamban.

I can’t fathom why they are planning this route. I agree with the Livable Cebu Movement that the better route would be from Bulacao Pardo to Natalio Bacalso Avenue, P. del Rosario St, the new Imus road and all the way to Mandaue City. More people, especially the poor, would be served this way. This alternative route is used most often by the masses. I hope the city government considers this proposal.

Another proposal for a mass transport system in Cebu is a railway train to serve people outside Cebu City. It would run from Carcar City to Talisay City in the south and from Danao City to Mandaue City in the north.

A rail-based train is a lot better than a Light Rail Transit because a train doesn’t need much infrastructure and won’t destroy the view of historic places and landmarks where it would pass. A train is practical because it could provide hassle-free transportation for people and goods.

It’s about time we start planning for Cebu and not wait for higher-ups in Manila to decide for us. We know better what we need and can address the peculiarities of our locality.

We should no longer allow ourselves to be eaten up by a highly centralized government. We have suffered too much and too long under this setup where we are dependent on the national government to decide what to give and what not to give us.

A classic example is the status of typhoon-affected areas. Up to today, seven months after the destruction of Yolanda, the national government has not started rehabilitation work in earnest.

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The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) proudly announced that starting June 19, buses with no franchises will have to pay hefty amounts for the violation.

We welcome this because it will benefit the riding public especially in Luzon where there are many accidents involving buses. But I think the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) does not understand the situation here in Cebu. They want to impose hefty fines for buses that are running without a franchise. Good if the DOTC is doing its job, but here in Cebu there are car rental companies operating for the tourism industry but the DOTC has yet to issue new franchises to applicants.

So if there are tourist buses running in Cebu without a franchise, it’s not the fault of car rental operators but the DOTC’s as it hasn’t issued franchises to those who filed applications. I bet this new LTFRB memo will generate corruption and many operators will be at the mercy of the apprehending government agencies.

I appeal to the DOTC leadership to release franchises for pending applications in their office. There are some who applied for a franchise in 2010 but up to now, the DOTC has not acted on their applications.