AFTER more than five years, an access road along the Banilad-Talamban corridor going to Cebu IT Park has been reopened.
V. Padriga St. has officially reopened on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, to significantly ease traffic in the perennially congested Banilad-Talamban area.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival jointly led the ceremonial reopening of the street located across Crossroads in Banilad going to Gov. Cuenco Ave.
The new thoroughfare directly addresses the long-standing problem of heavy traffic that has plagued the Banilad-Talamban area especially during peak hours.
V. Padriga St. is expected to provide a crucial alternative for vehicles, improving mobility and reducing travel time for thousands of commuters navigating the bustling district daily.
Deal terminated
In 2019, the administration of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia took back control of Capitol-owned properties at the Cebu IT Park affecting at least five access roads on Gov. Cuenco Ave. leading to Cebu IT Park.
One of the roads closed was V. Padriga St. near the National Food Authority warehouses.
Earlier in 2015, then governor Hilario Davide III granted perpetual road right-of-way (RROW) to Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp. (CPVDC) that manages the IT Park.
Under Davide, the Province granted RROW on all roads and common areas inside the IT Park to allow access to Filinvest Cyberzone Cebu (FCC), a joint development project of the Province and Filinvest Land Inc. during Garcia’s earlier term as governor in 2012.
The project sits on a 12,000-square meter provincial lot in Cebu IT Park.
However on Sept. 23, 2019, a memorandum of agreement signed by Ayala-led CPVDC and the Provincial Government of then former governor Garcia effectively terminated the RROW that granted access to the Filinvest development site.
Garcia had then said the FCC 2015 MOA did not benefit the Province and with its termination, the Provincial Government could then decide on the development of these lots. / EHP