CEBU City Councilor Winston Pepito said on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, during SunStar Cebu’s Beyond the Headlines that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is exploring funding sources, including a potential Public-Private Partnership (PPP), to accelerate the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.
Pepito said the City Government currently lacks the funds required for the CBRT project, hampering its completion.
The DOTr seeks to secure additional funding from the National Government to support the project’s completion and eyes a PPP to allow private companies to take over the infrastructure development.
The urgency comes after the World Bank canceled the US$84.9 million in undisbursed funding, following structural and timeline delays in the CBRT project.
Pepito said the CBRT project was originally scheduled for completion a year before the World Bank loan expires on September 30, 2026. However, the project failed to meet the agreed completion target, prompting the lender to cancel the undisbursed portion of the loan, which affected the project's overall implementation.
Meanwhile, in an interview with on Wednesday, July 8, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said that proceeding with the implementation of the SRP phase might appease the World Bank, saying that the lender still intends to support the city’s mass transit efforts.
Phase 1 is the broader initial scope of the CBRT project, covering Packages 1, 2 and 3. Package 1 is the 2.38-kilometer section from the Cebu South Bus Terminal to the Capitol area via Osmeña Blvd.
Archival said he cannot reject the DOTr’s realignment of the CBRT project to include the South Road Properties (SRP), as the SRP segment has long been part of the original proposed plan.
He added that the construction of SRP is more feasible to complete within the remaining timeframe than the Bulacao-Talamban route, which would require more time and effort to build stations.
“How can we remove it when it’s already installed? Although it lacks stations, the route is there,” Archival said.
Pepito also advocated prioritizing the SRP route, saying it is what the City Government can realistically “reach” at the moment.
“Let's just finish it quickly so the people can benefit, but it doesn't mean we stop looking for an even better solution. Let's work on the SRP because it's already there; it has already started,” Pepito said.
Archival said he plans to send a formal letter to the DOTr requesting that it conduct a study on extending the Ayala-SRP route to Mambaling and Bulacao.
He said the proposed extension could serve as a compromise to address the concerns raised by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who sponsored an approved resolution rejecting the CBRT realignment that included the SRP segment.
On Friday, July 3, the City Council approved a resolution authored by Osmeña rejecting the DOTr’s realignment to include the SRP.
The measure was passed during a special session, with six councilors in favor, two against, and four abstentions, including Pepito.
Osmeña argued that the proposed SRP alignment benefits commercial businesses rather than the urban poor.
Pepito attributed the delay in the CBRT project to the local government unit (LGU), saying it failed to acquire the necessary land for road widening and expansion.
Despite the setback, he remains hopeful that the DOTr can secure additional funding sources to support the project’s completion.
When asked what safeguards could prevent a similar situation from happening again, referring to the World Bank’s cancellation of funding, Pepito said that the entire city government should be replaced.
“We can’t guarantee safeguards. While there are still politicians sitting, the delays in the projects will continue,” Pepito said. (Jinelle Rhea Simbajon, UP Cebu intern)