CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday berated Lapu-Lapu City Attorney Joseph Vincent Lim over the city’s proposed P10 billion Mactan North Reclamation and Development Project.
Garcia said the proposed reclamation project bypassed several government agencies, including the Provincial Development Council, Regional Development Council (RDC) and the Cebu Provincial Reclamation Authority.
Garcia also said the project failed to get endorsements from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Cebu Port Authority (CPA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
During a meeting with members of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) at the Capitol yesterday, Garcia also criticized Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza for his frequent absence from the board meeting.
President’s approval
Lim insisted the Provincial Government can no longer question the reclamation project since it was approved by the Office of the President and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) in Central Visayas.
Lim had said that since President Arroyo already approved the project, local authorities should no longer question its implementation.
And if Governor Garcia insists on questioning it, she should raise her complaint directly to Malacañang, Lim said.
“This project already has the approval of the President. If the President has approved the project, who else could question it?” Lim told reporters.
Opposition
But in an earlier interview, Capitol officials said it will raise to Malacañang its opposition to the project.
“They shouldn’t hide under the President’s skirt. They should explain to the people what the reclamation is really about,” said lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda, Capitol consultant on information and revenue generation.
The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) earlier expressed opposition to the proposed project. The PB said there was no public consultation on the project and it bypassed several government agencies.
Garcia said the proposed project also poses a safety hazard to the Mactan bridges and will affect the defined sealane and the water current under the channel.
For her part, Neda 7 Director Marlene Rodriguez confirmed yesterday her office has not received the feasibility study of the reclamation project.
Meanwhile, the bridge board recommended sourcing funds from the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Project Development and Monitoring Fund (PDMF), shipping owners and CPA.
The fund will be used for the proposed conduct of a study, worth P1.5 million, on the navigational safety of the Mactan Channel following the recent accidents involving vessels ramming bridge columns.
The board proposed to create a study group composed of regional line agencies and representatives of the private sector, including the academe, to conduct the study. (GMD)
