LRT discussion is "premature," says Rep. Tom Osmeña

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña believes that the call for a meeting with urban planners to discuss the proposed Light Railway Transit project in Metro Cebu is premature.

Osmeña said that they are now in the process of a full-blown feasibility study. According to him, any discussion on the matter should be done after the feasibility study shall have been done.

"There are two stages. First, you have the pre-feasibility study, which is already done. That's just a rough estimate. Is it doable? Not doable? What are the major obstacles? A feasibility study is the full-blown stage. It's detailed engineering already. How much does it cost? How many cubic meters of sand and gravel? What's the intricate design? After the feasibility study is done, we make a final assessment. That's the time to talk. Right now, there's nothing to talk about," Osmeña told the Freeman.

He added that to presume that they know better than what would be the outcome of the feasibility study, by meeting ahead even before it is completed, is something that he could not go along.

Cebu 1st District Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas, who proposed a meeting with the city officials and the urban planners, said he does not question the idea of his colleague.

He refused to comment on Osmeña's claim that meeting with urban planners at this stage is premature. Gullas instead opted to clarify that his proposed LRT project and the Bus Rapid Transit System of Osmeña can "co-exist" and complement each other.

Osmeña earlier said he is not interested meeting with urban planners to discuss the LRT as he is for BRT. Gullas believes that that LRT is ideal for Metro Cebu.

World Bank consultants have already released results of a pre-feasibility study that showed that the BRT is feasible for implementation in the city.

The pre-feasibility study that was conducted from October last year to May this year shows that a BRT in the main corridor of the city is feasible technically, financially and physically.

Gullas, proposal on the other hand, is a three-phase LRT project in Metro Cebu.

Gullas explained that his proposed phase-1 of the project is for the LRT to operate from Talisay City to Mandaue City.

The next phase shall be from Talisay City to the southern town of Dalaguete.

The third phase of the LRT project shall be from Mandaue up to Carmen in northern Cebu.

But Gullas' LRT project can't be implemented without the approval of the Cebu City officials as it will pass through the city.

Some Cebu City officials are not supporting the LRT because they observed that in Manila the elevated railway system have made the place look ugly.

The officials of Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City have also expressed more interest in the BRT, which they said is much cheaper. Only Talisay City, a known Gullas bailiwick, is in favor of the LRT.

"There are two stages. First, you have the pre-feasibility study, which is already done. That's just a rough estimate. Is it doable? Not doable? What are the major obstacles? A feasibility study is the full-blown stage. It's detailed engineering already. How much does it cost? How many cubic meters of sand and gravel? What's the intricate design? After the feasibility study is done, we make a final assessment. That's the time to talk. Right now, there's nothing to talk about," Osmeña told the Freeman.

He added that to presume that they know better than what would be the outcome of the feasibility study, by meeting ahead even before it is completed, is something that he could not go along.

Cebu 1st District Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas, who proposed a meeting with the city officials and the urban planners, said he does not question the idea of his colleague.

He refused to comment on Osmeña's claim that meeting with urban planners at this stage is premature. Gullas instead opted to clarify that his proposed LRT project and the Bus Rapid Transit System of Osmeña can "co-exist" and complement each other.

Osmeña earlier said he is not interested meeting with urban planners to discuss the LRT as he is for BRT. Gullas believes that that LRT is ideal for Metro Cebu.

World Bank consultants have already released results of a pre-feasibility study that showed that the BRT is feasible for implementation in the city.

The pre-feasibility study that was conducted from October last year to May this year shows that a BRT in the main corridor of the city is feasible technically, financially and physically.

Gullas, proposal on the other hand, is a three-phase LRT project in Metro Cebu.

Gullas explained that his proposed phase-1 of the project is for the LRT to operate from Talisay City to Mandaue City.

The next phase shall be from Talisay City to the southern town of Dalaguete.

The third phase of the LRT project shall be from Mandaue up to Carmen in northern Cebu.

But Gullas' LRT project can't be implemented without the approval of the Cebu City officials as it will pass through the city.

Some Cebu City officials are not supporting the LRT because they observed that in Manila the elevated railway system have made the place look ugly.

The officials of Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City have also expressed more interest in the BRT, which they said is much cheaper. Only Talisay City, a known Gullas bailiwick, is in favor of the LRT.

The relationship between Osmeña and Gullas turned sour when the latter claimed a portion of the South Reclamation Project while he was yet Mayor of Talisay City contending that part of the SRP belongs to their territory. - /FPL (FREEMAN)