REP. Eduardo R. Gullas yesterday said that President Arroyo is very supportive of the Light Rail Transit-Mono Rail Transit (LRT-MRT) project that she appropriated P100 billion for it.

Speaking before the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza, Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) said they convinced Arroyo that outside of Metro Manila, if there is another area where an LRT-MRT would be viable, it would be Metro Cebu.

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“For that reason, she appropriated a hundred billion for the Cebu LRT-MRT and the Mindanao Railways. And that started off with the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communication) as the lead agency,” Gullas said.

But Gullas reiterated that the project will not push through if Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will continue to oppose it because Cebu City is the link between Talisay City and Mandaue City in the LRT component.

“It’s a pity because studies would show that the cheapest means of transportation in the world is a railway. Perhaps, future and younger leaders in Cebu will then have the opportunity to unite and push projects like this,” Gullas said.

Gullas said all the local government units (LGUs) in southern Cebu, such as Talisay City, Minglanilla, Naga City, San Fernando, Carcar City, Sibonga, Argao and Dalaguete already endorsed the LRT-MRT project.

But anticipating that proponents of the LRT-MRT will bypass the Cebu City Government, Osmeña vowed to lobby against it before the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and the foreign funding agencies.

Scam

Osmeña reiterated that the proposed LRT-MRT project will be another lamppost scandal, and he does not want the city’s taxpayers to pay for the cost of the project.

He referred to the purchase of street lamps that the ombudsman’s office said were probably overpriced.

In his news conference yesterday, Osmeña said he is sure the proponents will try to implement the $600-million project even without the required endorsement of the City Government.

“They will try and we will fight it. We’ll make it clear to the lending institution that we’re not going to go along with this scam. We will also go to Neda,” he said yesterday.

Osmeña said that for an international lending institution to grant a loan for the LRT, the lending agency will require a National Government guarantee.

And to get the guarantee, the proponents will need the endorsement of the Cebu City Government, which he expects will be bypassed.

While theoretically the project will be implemented at no cost to the City, Osmeña said the taxes the people pay will inevitably be used to pay off the debt.

“And who is this AMA group? These people don’t have a solid foundation here,” he also said of the project proponent.

But Gullas said that the fear of Osmeña that the LRT-MRT project is a fundraising for the upcoming elections has no basis since it will be implemented under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

“It will be at no cost at all to the National Government because the proponent will raise the funds, implement the project, operate the project for 25 years and in their study, I am sure they will recover their investment within that period, and turn it over to the local government. So, I do not see how this can lead to scam or corruption,” Gullas said.

Monitor

For his part, Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district) said the LRT-MRT project will benefit the entire Province of Cebu, including the people of Cebu City.

Pablo John said the concerns raised by Osmeña are not reasons to block the project. What the mayor should do is to be vigilant about how the project is undertaken, or to constantly monitor its implementation.

Pablo John added that the proposed LRT-MRT fare is also not an issue because operators would always succumb to market forces.

If they will set high fare rates, nobody would take the LRT-MRT and that would prevent them from recovering their investment within 25 years.

When asked by 888 News Forum host Ricky Rama Poca if the opposition of Osmeña to the LRT-MRT project has something to do with the rift Osmeña has with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Gullas, Pablo John said it sounds believable.

“It is only the mayor that has created this very artificial line between people from the city and people from the province.

The fact is we are Cebuanos and even the people from the City of Cebu do not recognize that barrier,” Pablo John said.

He added that some people from the Province of Cebu work in Cebu City, pay their taxes to the city, send their children to schools in the city while the people of the city get some of their food from the province.

“I think that if that is his (Osmeña) reason in blocking the LRT-MRT, that is indeed very unfortunate because he is not only sacrificing the welfare of the people of the Province of Cebu but also from Cebu City,” Pablo John added. (EOB/LCR)