An artist’s rendition of the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) that will soon rise on a 25-hectare reclaimed area in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion town. | CPA Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Project proponents of the new Cebu international container port are scheduled to start civil works of the multi-million project during the second half of 2021.
This was revealed during the online 160th Maritime Forum of the Maritime League that was held last Tuesday, February 23, with the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) as the host.
Project updates on the P11-billion New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) in Consolacion town in northern Cebu was among the items discussed during the online forum.
Engr. Romel Pagarom, acting manager of CPA’s Planning and Monitoring Division, said during his presentation that the groundbreaking of the NCICP is scheduled on August 16.
The actual construction of the NCICP that will cost around $118 million (roughly P5.9 billion) would span 35 months or approximately three years, Pagarom noted.
Delays
But like most big-ticket projects, the NCICP also incurred delays.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in 2016 gave CPA, with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as its lead implementing agency, the clearance to pursue the project that will rise on a 25-hectare reclaimed area in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion.
Its construction was originally scheduled to proceed in 2018 or a few months after the Philippine government and South Korea’s Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) signed a $172.64-million loan agreement that is equivalent to P8.48 billion.
But multiple reasons, including the need to secure necessary permits, led proponents to push it back further to November 2020.
Based on the 2019 Commission on Audit report on Official Development Assistance-Funded Programs and Projects, the Philippine government was billed P2.32 million as commitment fee as large chunks of the loan availed for the NCICP has remained untouched as of December 31, 2019.
Pagarom on Tuesday pointed out that they are currently facing two major issues that they will have to address before they could proceed with the NCICP’s civil works.
These are the Road-Right-Of-Way (RROW) acquisition for roads leading to the new port and the need to process the working visa of the South Korean Consultants.
Access Road
Project proponents, Pagarom said, needed RROW acquisition to construct the access road that will connect the international port to the main road in Barangay Tayud.
He added that a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Consolacion Municipal Government and DOTr was already drafted so they can formally proceed with the RROW acquisition.
Around P132 million is expected to be downloaded to Consolacion’s coffers if the agreement’s implementation would finally push through.
“MOA was forwarded by Legal Service to the Office of the Secretary on January 20, 2021 for Sec. (Arthur) Tugade’s approval prior transfer of funds to the LGU of Consolacion. Thus, the PMU (Project Management Unit) will closely monitor the approval of the MOA and preparation of request for fund transfer of P132 million to LGU Consolacion,” said Pagarom.
On the working visa for its Korean consultants, project proponents will be sending out a reiteration letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to make a follow-up of a request which they made on October 20, 2020 for the issuance of working visa statuses.
Last January 20, 2020, DOTr issued the notice of award for the US$5.4-million consultancy services for the NCICP project to South Korea-based Yooshin Engineering Corporation.
The NCICP project is part of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.
NCICP’s design includes a berthing facility with a 500-meter-long quay wall that can accommodate two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels at the same time; operating facilities and structures for containers; an access road and bridge; and a dredged waterway and turning basin.
Once the NCICP is complete, it will be serving international cargoes while the current CIP will be transformed into a domestic port and enable CPA to address the decongestion problem in the domestic operations./ dcb