Cebu Provincial Governor Gwen Garcia speaks in a press conference on May 17. | CDN Digital Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Clear the area within the week, unless you want to pay rent.
Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia has issued a stern warning to the management of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT), threatening to impose rent if they fail to clear the remaining civil works along Osmena Boulevard that have encroached on provincial lands.
It has been 126 days since Garcia issued a memorandum to cease and desist the construction of the CBRT bus station in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol, where she cited violations of heritage laws and encroachment on provincial property.
Currently, the area is cluttered with steel leaf roofing frames and foglia leaf pillars left by contractors.
“You are already stepping on the owner’s rights, and the owner happens to be the Province of Cebu. I will advise you unless you want to pay rent, tangtanga na (remove them),” Governor Garcia said.
Steel leaf roofing frames and foglia leaf pillars are seen in front of the Capitol as of July 2, 2024. | Sugbo News
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In a Sugbo News report on July 2, Garcia gave Engineer Norvin Imbong, CBRT project manager, one week to clear Osmeña Boulevard of construction materials and steel structures that obstruct the busy road in front of the Capitol building.
In addition to being a potential hazard and public obstruction, the presence of these materials defies a Capitol directive halting the construction of at least two CBRT bus stations in the area.
“Kindly take those out kay wala man mo niabang namo,” she said.
(Kindly take those out because you are not renting from us.)
She told Imbong during a meeting at the Capitol on July 2 that it was their land and they would assert their rights over it.
The Capitol asserts ownership of properties along Osmeña Blvd., extending from the Capitol Compound to Fuente Circle.
READ MORE: Don’t disregard heritage
On February 27, issued Memorandum No. 16-2024 ordering CBRT project contractors to halt construction of bus stations along Osmeña Blvd. due to potential violations of heritage laws.
It was discovered that project proponents lacked the required permit from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for the construction of bus terminals within 200-meter buffer zones of the Capitol Building and Fuente Osmeña Rotunda, both designated heritage sites.
In 2008, the NHCP declared the Capitol Building a National Historical Landmark, affording it statutory protection. Any construction within buffer zones of heritage sites like the Capitol Building requires NHCP authorization as mandated by law.
Furthermore, the planned bus stations violate the unobstructed vista corridor between the Capitol and Fuente Circle and threaten the integrity of the Capitol’s iconic facade.
“This is a total disrespect to Cebu Provincial government,” the governor remarked.
Meanwhile, Imbong acknowledged the governor’s concerns but noted that he awaited directives from the Department of Transportation’s central office, the primary agency overseeing CBRT construction.
He pledged to expedite the central office’s response within the week.