THE Cebu City Government has accused the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) of privatizing a road network previously accessible to the public leading to the port.
Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell was referring to Quezon Blvd., a road network stretching from the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu towards the area near the Quimonda Building at the corner of Juan Luna Extension.
He said the road had existed for a significant period, even before it was closed by the CPA.
“Ang kato mismong mga di na kaayo batan-on, mga hamtong na, makahinumdom nga dan g’yud na siya...Manud man gani diha ang mge jeepney ug ihatod ngadto, pero unsa may gihimo na na hinuoy mga dyes-dyes dira pirmi, musud ka ang dalana dyes-dyes man ka,” he told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
(The elderly remember that the road exists. Even jeepneys used to pass through to drop off passengers. But what’s happening now? Vehicles have to pay P10 for entry.)
Rosell alleged that the CPA privatized the road and turned it into storage areas for cargo and parking for cargo handlers.
SunStar Cebu tried to get the side of the CPA on the matter but it had yet to respond as of press time.
CPA, City Hall rift
The rift between the CPA and the City Government is no secret to the public. It is rooted in the dispute over the property where the ruins of the Compania Maritima are situated.
To recall, Rama refused to concede after the Regional Trial Court Branch 10 in Cebu City granted the complaint filed by the CPA for the quieting of the title involved in the disputed Compania Maritima.
The court decision affected the ongoing Carbon Market redevelopment project for a while.
Rama, however, got the support of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista who had given him the go signal to allow Megawide Construction Corp., developer of the Carbon redevelopment project, to operate the Puso Village and mechanical parking facility in the area.
Rama also ordered the cessation of work on the CPA port extension project due to the absence of various permits from the Office of the Building Official.
However, the CPA maintained that the City Government lacks jurisdiction over the project.
Rosell, on Wednesday, denied the allegations that the City is causing a disturbance in CPA’s port operations.
He said the City only enforced the law that the CPA has continuously violated. / AML