To avoid paying P14M, Poblete: Mandaue, not Cebu City, must decide on north terminal

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government will have to wait for the decision of the Mandaue City Government on the fate of the North Bus Terminal because Cebu City cannot afford to initiate the termination of the contract for various reasons.

Cebu City Administrator and member of the NBT Management Board Jose Marie Poblete said that the decision to terminate will have to come from Mandaue for possible turnover of the facility to the Provincial Government because there is a provision that they have to pay for the remaining years in the event of abandonment.

It is provided in Section 8 of the contract between the Cebu City Government and Mandaue City Government.

The contract will end on 2020. There are technically seven years more from this year before the end of the contract so terminating it voluntarily means that Cebu City Government has to pay Mandaue P14 million or seven years worth of rental of the property.

The City pays P2 million annually for the rent. The rent is sourced from the revenues of the facility. Apart from this provision, the City also has to consider the cooperative operating the facility whose employees will lose their jobs.

Poblete said that they will respect whatever decision Mandaue comes up with and welcome the offer of the Province to help but all parties must remember that there is another party at stake if the facility is turned over to the province.

“Everything can be discussed. But at the end of all discussions, our concern is on the real purpose of the terminal and how to improve it,” Poblete said.

While talks are still ongoing between Cebu City, Mandaue City and the Province, Poblete said that the board agrees to hire consultants or experts to study how the NBT can be improved.

He said that they all agreed that the terminal needs modifications since its design was based on the needs of the community in 1995 yet.

“Lahi pa ang gidaghanon sa pasahero sa una, so it needs reengineering and some modifications. We ought to make it conducive to comfort of the public,” Poblete said.

The study shall also determine the cost that will be incurred for the improvement of the terminal. – (FREEMAN)