THE realignment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will not shorten its routes, but will divide instead the implementation of the project into phases.
So said Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino in an interview on the sidelines of the first general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Cebu Chapter on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
His pronouncement is in response to Rep. Raul del Mar’s (Cebu City, north district) call for a hearing to have the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) explain the reported shortening of the dedicated route.
Dino echoed the statement of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Road Transport Mark de Leon on Thursday, Aug. 29 who emailed the newsrooms a press statement on the status of the Cebu BRT a day after del Mar’s privilege speech was reported.
“I don’t think del Mar knows what he’s talking about. If he wants to be clarified, that’s his right. But maybe he doesn’t understand what the DOTr has been doing. My office is open so that I can explain it to him personally,” Dino said.
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the congressman had delivered a privilege speech expressing his concern about the realignment of the Cebu BRT, which he said “may prove to be of great detriment” to Cebu City.
Del Mar had pushed for a House hearing to shed light on why the DOTr and the Neda had reportedly shortened the dedicated BRT route from 23 kilometers to 13 kilometers.
Dino, for his part, said the division of the project into phases will make it “workable” and partially operational by 2022.
The realignment of the BRT route was announced during a media briefing last July 18 in Cebu City by Dino.
The first phase of the BRT is expected to start construction before the year ends.
The Cebu South Coastal Road will now be its starting point and, under Phase 1, will pass through the Capitol area.
Phase 2 will be from Capitol, running through Escario St. to its end point at the Cebu IT Park, a prime business district in Cebu City.
The previously proposed end point of the BRT was the Banilad-Talamban area, whose national road is likewise narrow.
Also last July 18, the Central Visayas Regional Development Council said the new route had been approved.
The realignment came after meetings of Dino and key officials from the DOTr with French engineering firm Egis Group, the consultant for Cebu’s integrated transport plan.
“To be honest, it’s an improved version because remember before, in the technical aspect, moagi sila sa rota nga naay (it will pass through a route with) four lanes. Kuhaan na nila og (They will have to set aside) two dedicated lanes for the buses.... That will create more havoc. That will create more problems for Cebu and in fact, it will not help solve the traffic situation. It will worsen the traffic situation in Cebu,” Dino said. (RTF)