Alvin wants to help Mike with bridge, road project

FORMER Cebu City mayor Alvin Garcia wants to help City Hall finish the projects he proposed during his term as mayor, now that Mayor Michael Rama is the chief executive.

Garcia will be working on three projects that he introduced during his term as mayor in the late 1990s—the Waterfront Project, a road linking Barangays Guadalupe and Lahug and a bridge that will make the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 compound part of Osmeña Boulevard.

Garcia said the City Government already bought some properties that will be used as road right of way for an access road that will connect Guadalupe and Lahug, passing through Capitol.

“I already have the alignment, there’s already a plan. I started that during my administration,” Garcia told Sun.Star Cebu. (Disclosure: Garcia is part of the Sun.Star Publishing Inc. board)

Another project that he wants to work on is a bridge that will link the DA 7 compound to Osmeña Boulevard.

Lot swap

Garcia wanted the DA 7 lot, which is owned by the Province, swapped with a City-owned property.

He said the DA 7 compound can become a part of Osmeña Boulevard by constructing a bridge that would go over Guadalupe River and end on P. Rodriguez St.

The bridge will provide an alternative route that would help decongest traffic on M. Velez St., he explained.

This will also allow commercial development on the DA 7 compound, which can be developed into a commercial complex, particularly a movie theater, as there are none in the uptown area.

As for the Waterfront Project, Rama and Garcia want to develop the waterfront area—from City Hall to Pier One—to make it tourist-friendly. They plan to have restaurants, fast food chains and coffee shops in the area to attract visitors.

Garcia also wants to have a port exclusively for fast crafts.

Vision

“These were my vision when I was mayor but my successor never pursued these,” said Garcia, referring to Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district).

It was not clear as to who tapped who for the projects.

Rama said that Garcia really wanted to help the City, but in a separate interview, Garcia said it was Rama who sought his help.

In a press conference yesterday, Rama said that he also asked for the help of former councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Filomeno Lim, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, businessmen Dondi Joseph and Bunny Pages and the Cebu Port Authority to work with Garcia and the Department of Engineering and Public Works for the proposed Guadalupe-Lahug road and the development of the DA 7 compound.

Representatives from the academe were also asked to help.

Rama will also meet with officials of the Province, which owns the lot where the DA 7 compound sits.