A MONORAIL in Lapu-Lapu City?
That’s what Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino said in his keynote speech during the reenactment of the Battle of Mactan yesterday morning at the Liberty Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City.
“I know within Mactan, medyo traffic na mayor (Paz Radaza), no? I know there’s a consortium also who is going to propose a monorail here sa Mactan. And I promise you, I will support that,” he said.
Dino did not divulge any details on the proposal, but he used the occasion to take a stab at the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
“We need an effective and efficient mass transport system. Please do not give us a mass transit system that will, in fact, will create more chaos and havoc sa ato-ang narrow streets. Please do not give us that. For 30 years and all he can give us is a mass transport system that will not work? Sorry to say, enough is enough,” he said.
Although Dino did not say who “he” was, it was apparent that he was referring to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the BRT project’s main proponent.
Dino said that the price to pay for development is the worsening traffic situation in the metro. But he is glad that the Duterte administration has been looking for solutions like the Light Rail Transit (LRT) that a Chinese and Singaporean consortium together with a local counterpart has proposed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The project will not be just for Cebu City, but for the entire province, Dino said.
He hopes the LRT project will be implemented next year so it will be completed in 2023.
Its first phase, he said, will be a line from Danao City in the north to Carcar City, including a line from Mandaue City to Mactan Island. He did not say how many phases the project will involve.
Dino also said that he has nothing against the BRT as a mass transport system.
“I’m definitely against BRT for Cebu. But it doesn’t mean that BRT is not for Cebu. It will not work for other places, I’m not saying that. But in Cebu, BRT will never work. In fact, it will create more chaos, more traffic in our streets,” he clarified.
He added that politics has nothing to do with his objections to the BRT.
“No politics here. All we need is an effective and efficient mass transport system. Ingon sila naa nay pondo, usik kuno. Kung gamiton nato ang pondo sa BRT sa Cebu, dili usik, usik-usik,” Dino said.
Last Wednesday, Osmeña challenged Dino to explain the LRT project, which the mayor described as a “ghost project.”
“Our position is already well-defined, this (LRT) is a ghost project, so let them explain themselves. They’re ego tripping. They used the term more superior (for the LRT project) pero way unod. I’ll be happy to debate with Mr. Dino,” said Osmeña, who also asked Dino’s camp to produce a feasibility study for the proposed LRT for Metro Cebu.
The mayor also welcomed the move of National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee (Neda-ICC) to hire technical service consultants for the Cebu BRT project.
In a letter to the chairman and members of the Neda-ICC, dated April 24, the mayor said that the absence of technical service consultants whose contracts have not been awarded by the DOTr caused the delay in the road right-of-way acquisition aspect of the project.
Osmeña stressed that it is very important to hire consultants as they know what they are talking about being experts in the technical field.
The French firm Egis International qualified to do the job, and its proposal was approved by the World Bank (WB) in May, 2016 yet.
However, the DOTr only allocated around P188 million for the task, while Egis is asking for P323.55 million.
The DOTr said that if it hired Egis as technical service consultants, it would violate the Government Procurement Reform Act. (RVC, JPP of Superbalita)