Mandaue City to compete in APEC’s low carbon project

THE Mandaue City government was chosen by the national government to represent the country in the Low-Carbon Town Project competition during the APEC.

Architect Florentino Nimor, the City Planning Development Officer, said on Thursday that Mandaue city will represent the country in the program wherein the winner will be assisted by APEC through a grant for the implementation of its long-term solutions to lessen carbon emission in their place.

The nominees will present the worst problem in their place as well as the solutions the city will undertake.

They should also come up with  long-term solutions  to the problem of carbon emission in their place.

The national government chose Mandaue City over Ilocos Sur, which was also a nominee.

The winners will be announced during the APEC Ministerial Summit this October in Cebu.

In Asia, only two places have been nominated for the competition —  Mandaue City and a city in Russia.

Mandaue City’s major problem is traffic congestion and possible solutions include the implementation of a mass transportation system; the construction of several green loops in some roads of the city where people  can freely walk or ride on their bicycles; and the   implementation of the city’s green building program.

Nimor also includes the recommendation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to construct a subway from M.C. Briones Highway up to Cebu City.

Meanwhile, rerouting has been identified as the solution to the traffic problem during the APEC Summit in Cebu according to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) regional director Reynaldo Elnar.

He said local government units concerned  should lead the consultation as they know their areas better. An agreement must also be reached  among the  operators and jeepney drivers.

He said there are no other options to address the  traffic problem as it is impractical to  suspend the operations of public utility vehicles.

Part of the rerouting plan of the Cebu City Traffic Operation Management (CITOM) is banning  jeepneys from Pope John Paul II (Juan Luna) Avenue, S. Osmeña Road and    Archbishop Reyes Avenue from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On the other hand, the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority will be on heightened alert during the summit which could mean double-checking the baggage of every passenger./With Palompon Institute of Technology Intern Jay-Ileen Engalla