P145M daily losses

CEBU, Philippines - The worsening traffic problem in Metro Cebu is taking toll on the province’s economy with an estimated loss of P145 million every day due to road congestion.

Engineer Fortunato Sanchez Jr., chairman of the subcommittee on infrastructure and utilities of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board, gave the estimate using Japan International Cooperation Agency’s survey on Metro Manila’s purported loss of P2.4 billion per day because of its congested roads.

According to Sanchez, Cebu’s traffic problem is 1.4-percent of that in Manila thereby the province could also be easily losing P145 million a day due to traffic congestion.

Sanchez told the members of the MCDCB during their quarterly meeting held at the Talisay City Hall that the traffic management in Cebu has not improved.

He said this is happening because the government does not have a workable system and proper planning to address the problem.

“Poor system and lack of planning” are the two problems he pointed out why this is the situation in Cebu.

Sanchez said the Department of Public Works and Highways has allocation of P13 billion for roads in Central Visayas last year, of which P3 to P4 billion was given to Cebu. 

Despite the huge budget, traffic management has not improved because instead of widening the road to accommodate more vehicles, the DPWH just destroy roads and construct new ones. 

Sanchez stressed that it is not the quality of roads that solve the traffic problem.

“In Cebu, we destroy good roads. We are not improving traffic,” he said.

He said Cambodia and Vietnam were able to widen their highways, but Cebu’s northern part is still two lanes like it was 50 years ago.

DPWH-7 director Ador Canlas admitted that they have not widened roads that are supposed to be widened because of the right-of-way problem.

Canlas said that the roads that are currently undergoing repairs were assessed and recommended for rehabilitation.

Flooding

Meanwhile, Canlas said Cebu’s “enormous” flooding problem is due to the local leaders’ failure to act early on the problem despite having anticipated it many years ago. He said JICA had already given Cebu a masterplan in 1987 and 1995 for its drainage and road systems but “Cebu ignored it.”

He said that based on the recent study, there are 167 flood areas in Cebu City alone and the number could increase to 330 in the coming years if the problem is not addressed.

He said Iloilo and Bohol have big dams while Cebu only has two small ones: one in Buhisan in Cebu City and the other in Carcar City, which are not enough to catch rainwater. — Liv G. Campo/FPL (FREEMAN)