Rep. Gullas agrees with LRT, and BRT, but has reservations

CEBU - First District Representative Eduardo Gullas is amenable to both the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems for Cebu, but has some reservations.

Gullas, in a press conference yesterday at his office at the University of the Visayas, said he is amenable for both mass transportation systems to be implemented here, but still wants to know the figures from the experts.

“I want to know the figures, I will have to wait for them in order to know if LRT will lose if we will also lose BRT, or both,” Gullas said.

Gullas said since the BRT costs lesser than the LRT there may be a possibility that the BRT will be implemented first.

He said the LRT project already has funding and a proponent as this idea was proposed in 1992 during the 9th Congress and has been re-filed every year.

In fact, Gullas said, after so many studies and leg work, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña already gave his nod to the project in one of the meetings with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) where Cebu City Planning and Development Coordinator Engr. Nigel Paul Villarete was also present.

 The original LRT plan, would turn at Osmeña Boulevard to the Provincial Capitol, then to Escario, pass by Ayala Center then to SM City in the North Reclamation Area towards Mandaue City.

“But right there in the same meeting I suggested that the LRT will now go straight to University of San Carlos passing Imus Road then directly to Mandaue City, the savings from the liko-liko will now be used to fund the extension of the LRT to Lapu-Lapu City,” Gullas said.

He said the project is to be implemented not entirely under a Build Operate Transfer Scheme as funding from local investors or local government units will also be utilized.

Gullas said there is already a ready consumer in Lapu-Lapu City since its residents will surely use the LRT as it is a fast, economic and safe mode of transportation.

 Gullas said other than in Luzon there is no other place in the country where an LRT is viable but only in Cebu.

For the BRT, Gullas said there is also a need to know the concentration of population.

Before, Metro Cebu, Gullas said, was only from Naga to Compostela and had a population of over one million.

Now, when Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia included Danao City in the North and Carcar City in the South, the population has doubled.

The Cebu City Government is hoping to get the support of Talisay City, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue to push for the BRT as the choice for an urban mass transport system.

Mandaue officials already expressed their willingness to push the BRT.

Lapu-Lapu on the other hand is still undecided.

Cebuanos were given a glimpse of the BRT by the former Mayor of Bogota Columbia, Enrique Peñalosa, who came to Cebu to share their experience in his country about a similar system. — Ferliza Contratista/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)