CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña seeks the restoration of the original alignment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project. He urged Malacañang and the World Bank to review deviations from the initial design.
Osmeña traced the origins of the BRT concept to the 1990s in a proposed resolution filed before the City Council. A former administration championed the concept, drawing inspiration from Curitiba, Brazil’s integrated transport model.
Planners envisioned the project to run from Barangay Talamban in the north to Bulacao and Pardo in the south. The project serves as a mass transit backbone for commuters, particularly the urban poor.
“The people of Cebu, who have patiently waited for a mass transit solution, deserve a BRT system that honors its original intent, serves its rightful beneficiaries and fulfills the promise made to the city for decades,” the resolution said.
Original purpose
The resolution said the BRT design serves as a “socially inclusive” transport system intended to provide affordable and efficient mobility for daily commuters. It does not cater to commercial or private development interests.
The resolution cited the entry of the National Government into project planning in 2010 through the Department of Transportation and Communications. The City Council passed resolutions in 2011 and 2012 adopting feasibility reports and imposing a development moratorium along the proposed corridor.
Osmeña said subsequent realignments undermined the original intent of the project. He specified the shift of Phase 1 from the original Talamban-to-Bulacao corridor to a route connecting SM Seaside City Cebu at the South Road Properties to Ayala Center Cebu.
“These deviations have diminished accessibility for the very commuters the system was meant to serve and have contributed to delays and additional public cost,” the resolution said. The changes eroded public trust in the transport project.
The proposal said the altered alignment weakened the system’s capacity to serve densely populated communities along the original corridor. Reliance on public transportation remains highest in these areas.
The resolution raised concerns over the financial implications of repeated realignments. It said these resulted in additional government expenditure and prolonged implementation timelines.
“Such shifts represent a significant departure from the purpose for which the BRT was conceived and compromise its role as a truly inclusive mass transport system,” the resolution said.
Osmeña urged the Office of the President and the World Bank to revisit the current project configuration and restore the original north-to-south alignment.
Background
If approved, the resolution directs the City Council Secretariat to transmit copies to the National Government and the World Bank for appropriate action.
Planners conceptualized the CBRT system as a 23-kilometer network with 11 to 16 kilometers of dedicated, segregated bus lanes.
The National Economic and Development Authority (now the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development) approved the initial plan in 2014. The design connected Bulacao in the south to Ayala Center Cebu, with an additional six-kilometer segment providing bus priority through mixed traffic up to Talamban in the north.
The initial design faced criticism for failing to account for the limitations of the narrow infrastructure of Cebu. This led to delays and revisions by the Department of Transportation.
The revised project is part of the Cebu Integrated Intermodal Transport System. The total system length expanded to 35.28 kilometers.
The updated alignment features a 13.18 to 13.8-kilometer main trunk line with dedicated lanes. Officials extended this to 17 kilometers in specific design phases to handle traffic flow.
A 22.1-kilometer feeder line system operating in mixed traffic supports this core route. It extends service reach to Talisay City in the south and Talamban in the north.
Officials divided the implementation into three packages. Package 1 covers a 2.38-kilometer stretch from the Cebu South Bus Terminal to the Cebu Provincial Capitol along Osmeña Blvd.
Following its partial launch on March 13, 2026, the initial operational route spans 13 kilometers. It connects Il Corso at the South Road Properties to Cebu IT Park to serve full operations. / CAV