Ruiz: Complaint filed vs Garcia on road closure linked to CBRT

Yogi Ruiz, Cebu City candidate for mayor, has filed a complaint against Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and Engineer Norvin Imbong on the road closure involving a portion of the Cebu BRT project. | Futch Anthony Inso

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayoralty aspirant Yogi Ruiz filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and Engineer Norvin Imbong, the project manager of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.

The complaint was about the continuing closure of at least two lanes along Osmeña Boulevard without first securing permits from the Cebu City government.

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The road closure was implemented to install lampposts on both sides of the road from P. Del Rosario Street to Plaza Independencia which is part of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

In his complaint, he said that this posed a threat to the lives and limbs of motorists and pedestrians using these roads. On top of this, he also said that clients or customers of businesses in the area were practically blocked from entering there because of the road closure.

He said that the Link-to-Port component of the Cebu BRT project must have been stopped from the moment that the Cebu City government discovered that the Cebu BRT Project Management had not secured the proper permits and clearances for their activities.

“We inform the Cebu City government nga dunay threat sa safety, road hazard ni siya sa mga motorista. True enough, because of the clamor of the community that time, ilang gipahunong. But unfortunately, for the past three months, mismo ang order gikan sa atong acting mayor that time, siya mismo ang nag-order, wa niya gi-implementar,” Ruiz said.

(We inform the Cebu City government that there is a threat to the safety, a road hazard to the motorists. True enough, because of the clamor of the community that time, they had already had it stopped. But, unfortunately, for the past three months, the order itself from our acting mayor at that time, he, himself ordered that he has not implemented it.)

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Ruiz, however, clarified that he was not against a pro-development project but it had to undergo the correct process prior to its implementation and that the project did not undergo a public hearing, and that it was even stopped by Garcia after it lacked the necessary permits.

He said that even before, when he was still the commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), he implemented projects and programs that would enhance BOC’s services, such as the modernization program.

He also said that before he decided to file the complaint, he posted open letters on his social media account addressed to the mayor and Imbong to act on this complaint for the motorists and the public.

Ruiz also strongly denied the allegation that the move was politically motivated.

“If people are painting this situation as politically colored, then I think that is wrong,” he added.

He said that as a father, he saw the hazard and danger that the project poses and that he would not wait for someone to meet an accident before taking action.

“Ang mga establisyamento kilid aning maong karsada, nagpakitabang nato kay mismo sila wa konsultaha,” he said.

(The establishments along the specific road asked for our help because they themselves were not consulted about it.)

In his complaint, Ruiz prayed that the mayor be held liable administratively.

He said that the charges against the acting mayor involved gross misconduct and would warrant his removal from office, wherein he urged the Ombudsman to suspend the mayor to prevent Garcia from influencing the proper disposition of the case against him.