THE plan to transfer the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) to the South Road Properties (SRP) was floated anew by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to accommodate the ongoing implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.
Rama, on his “Ingna’ng Mayor” program Tuesday, March 5, 2024, asked the City Council to pass an ordinance that will facilitate the immediate transfer of the bus terminal from its current location along N. Bacalso Ave. to the SRP.
“So, it has to be urgently attended to. They have no place there anymore,” Rama said.
One of the four bus stations for the CBRT’s first package is being constructed in front of the terminal.
Package 1, which covers a distance of 2.38 kilometers starting from CSBT to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd., is slated to be finished by June. The original target completion date was December 2023.
However, the project has faced several setbacks, including after Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered the construction of a bus station in front of the Capitol building stopped due to alleged violation of the heritage law.
On Monday, March 4, the Provincial Board also passed “en masse” two resolutions calling for a halt of the CBRT project, prompting the mayor to tell its members “not to meddle” in the affairs within the jurisdiction of Cebu City.
Meanwhile, Rama said the proposed ordinance must specifically state that terminals should not be allowed within the city center.
“Magbuhat ta’g ordinance aron gyud maklaro gyud, nga dili na kinahanglan og terminal sulod sa siyudad,” he said.
The City Council held its regular session on Wednesday, March 6. The transfer of the CSBT was not on its agenda.
According to a report on the Cebu City News & Information Facebook page on Wednesday, March 6, Rama, in an interview over local radio last Feb. 29, had offered a lot at the SRP to be the terminal’s new home.
SunStar Cebu reached out to Governor Garcia for comment, but she has yet to reply as of press time.
The Provincial Government manages the terminal, and owns the lot where it stands.
Last Oct. 24, Garcia agreed with Rama’s suggestion to transfer the CSBT to the SRP.
Garcia had said the Provincial Government planned to integrate both the Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT) and the CSBT into a multi-modal terminal at its new location.
The CNBT is currently operating in a parking lot in front of the SM City Cebu in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City. / EHP