Cebu City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña filed a resolution urging the Department of Transportation to reject the CBRT realignment and restore the original Bulacao-to-Talamban route to better serve commuters.
The resolution argues that the proposed redirection to SM Seaside City Cebu in the South Road Properties departs from the original project design, service area, and documented public purpose.
Osmeña asserts that the original alignment was the basis for technical studies and international funding, and he has threatened to resign if the Council endorses any changes favoring the new corridor.
CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña is seeking the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to scrap the proposed realignment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project and restore its original route from Barangay Bulacao in the south to Barangay Talamban in the north, arguing that the revised alignment would defeat the project’s original purpose of serving the city’s commuting public.
Osmeña filed a proposed resolution urging the DOTr to “completely reject” the realignment that would redirect the southern end of the CBRT from Barangay Bulacao to SM Seaside City Cebu in the South Road Properties (SRP), with the route ending at Ayala Center Cebu.
According to the vice mayor, the original Bulacao-Talamban alignment was not arbitrarily selected but was the result of years of technical studies, transportation planning, and consultations with stakeholders to establish a modern, efficient and environmentally sustainable mass transportation system for Cebu City.
Purpose
He said the original route was specifically designed to serve densely populated residential communities and major commuter corridors, allowing the project to benefit the greatest number of daily passengers.
However, Osmeña argued that the proposed SM Seaside SRP-Ayala alignment substantially departs from the route that had been presented to the public, government agencies, funding institutions and stakeholders during the project’s planning and approval stages.
“The proposed realignment significantly alters the project’s intended service area, beneficiary population and public purpose,” the resolution stated.
The measure further warned that abandoning the original alignment could deprive thousands of commuters living along the Bulacao-Talamban corridor of the transportation services they were promised when the CBRT project was first conceptualized.
Integrity
Osmeña maintained that the Bulacao-Talamban corridor remains the route most responsive to the transportation needs of ordinary Cebuanos and continues to offer the greatest opportunity to improve mobility across the city.
The vice mayor also underscored that the financial and technical assistance extended by the World Bank for the CBRT project was secured based on the original alignment, which had been presented as the corridor capable of serving the largest number of commuters while delivering the greatest public benefit.
Because of this, he said preserving the original alignment is also a matter of protecting the integrity of the project that had already undergone years of planning, consultations and funding approvals.
References
The proposed resolution likewise cited City Council Resolution 17-3273-2026, which previously raised the issue and was later referred by the Office of the President to the DOTr for appropriate action.
If adopted, the resolution will formally urge the DOTr to restore and fully implement the CBRT project along its original Bulacao-Talamban alignment, consistent with the route upon which the project was conceived, studied, approved, funded and presented to the people of Cebu City.
The measure also calls on the transportation department to preserve the integrity of the original project design by ensuring that any future implementation of the CBRT remains faithful to the alignment and public service commitments upon which the project gained public support and international funding.
Opposition
The proposed resolution follows recent discussions at the City Council over the implementation of the CBRT project, particularly the DOTr proposal involving the development of CBRT infrastructure within the SRP joint venture area with Filinvest Development Corp.
During the council deliberations, Osmeña strongly opposed any deviation from the project’s original Bulacao-Talamban alignment, warning that he would resign as vice mayor if the council endorsed what he described as changes favoring the SM Seaside City Cebu-Ayala Center Cebu corridor.
He maintained that the original alignment, which had undergone years of planning and secured funding approvals, should be preserved to ensure the project serves the greatest number of commuters. / CAV