DOTr urged to expedite transpo projects for Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Transportation must create short to long term plans for Metro Cebu's public transport development.

Central Visayas Regional Development Council chair Kenneth Cobonpue lamented the delays in transport projects proposed for Cebu.

"It is unfortunate that projects like the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), which should have been implemented a decade ago, have been delayed," the official told The FREEMAN.

Cobonpue urged the DOTr to expedite its reevaluation of all proposed mass transport projects for Cebu.

"There are other projects in the pipeline that add more capacity like the monorail, subway and LRT (Light Rail Transit). The DOTr must re-evaluate all of these as quickly as possible and tie them all together," the RDC chair.

"They must have a short, medium and long range plan to offer to the public," he emphasized.

The DOTr had proposed to implement an integrated transport system in Cebu.

The ITS will include a point-to-point (P2P) bus system similar to MyBus, which is already operational in the city; a monorail in Lapu-Lapu City; the BRT in three-lane roads; and the LRT lines from Carcar to Danao, and the Mandaue to Airport Line.

To cater to inter-city passengers, the LRT system will become the major component of the ITS. It will traverse from the city of Carcar to Danao City. A Singaporean-Chinese and Filipino consortium had submitted a proposal to construct a US$3-billion LRT system with a subway component in Cebu City, an above ground component from Talisay to Carcar and from Mandaue to Danao, with an air.

Earlier, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Antonio Chiu said Cebu is continuously losing millions in economic losses due to traffic congestion amid delays in transport projects.

The already funded and approved P17-billion BRT is yet to start implementation which has been delayed for a long time now due to political issues.