DOTr proposal subjected to intense questioning

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council yesterday scrutinized the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) request for an endorsement to conduct a feasibility study on the Metro Cebu Urban Mass Rapid Transit (UMRT).

It was previously reported that the City Council approved a resolution to tackle further the study of the rail transit, after DOTr sent a letter to Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and signed by DOTr’s Assistant Secretary for Planning and Development Leonel De Velez, requesting a Sangguniang Panlungsod endorsement.

In an executive session last Wednesday, De Velez presented an overview of the UMRT based on the “Master Plan Study and Institutional Development on Urban Transport System in Metro Cebu”, which was completed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) last March 2019.

De Velez said the railway-based transportation system requires a strong involvement of the concerned Local Government Units (LGUs) in Cebu, as the project will comprise two phases—the Central Line and the Coastal Line.

As presented Phase 1 is from Danao City to Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue City, Cebu City, Talisay City, City of Naga, San Fernando, and to Carcar City, while the Phase 2 would run from Talisay City to Cebu City, Mandaue City, and to Lapu-Lapu City.

De Velez said the project is also called the “Metro Cebu Subway” as the UMRT Central Line features a 67.5-kilometer fully underground subway system and is expected to  reduce travel time from Danao to Carcar to just 90 minutes and possibly operate round the clock.

He said that during their initial meeting with Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, DOTr emphasized the preservation of culture and heritage to ensure a comfortable, accessible, safe, sustainable, and affordable mass rapid transit system.

During the session, City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera questioned De Velez if the UMRT will be completely underground, underscoring Cebu City’s policy that anything related to the railway would be all underground.

“But then if just within the central business district downtown or uptown, all should be underground. While we can accommodate the one on above ground only from the portion of Tisa and Banilad side but the central business district, it should all be underground,” Pesquera said.

De Velez assured that the project’s main tracks and subway tunnels would be “fully underground” as their way to “seamlessly” connect the involved LGUs. However, he also said that it would also include an above-ground feature.

“There will be one facility that will be above ground and that will be the railway depot… The only thing we need above ground would be the station entrance. But that will be small compared to what would be if the railway was above the ground,” De Velez said.

Additionally, City Council Committee on Infrastructure Chairman Jerry Guardo asked DOTr if they would still consider a monorail alignment in case that the Coastal Line would turn out unfeasible, considering that it connects the four urban cities.

De Velez told Guardo that the Coastal Line has lesser priority than the Central Line and that DOTr have not yet looked at its feasibility, as they are just primarily following the outcomes of the Master Plan.

When asked by Guardo regarding the affordability of the subway fare, De Velez said that part of their feasibility study will be a Statement Preference Survey that will determine and survey Cebuanos on their “willingness to pay” or how much they are willing to spend to travel.

Furthermore, Cebu City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) Head Joseph Michael Espina expressed his appreciation towards DOTr’s railway project since it addresses the “very congested and very car-centric” situation in the city.

“The initiatives you are taking, following the Metro Cebu Road Map study by JICA, is to disperse the concentrations (from) north to south, specifically a growth center in Danao and another in Carcar. So, this proposal for a subway from Danao to Carcar is very much welcome because it’s very much aligned to our directions,” he said.

Espina also said that the UMRT is parallel to CPDO’s plans for the growth center in the city, supporting DOTr’s request for endorsement from the City Council.

“Actually, this is very much aligned because we have plans for the growth center of Cebu City… I hope we can endorse this proposal by the DOTr so that they can start immediately,” Espina said. – CNU Intern Nicholas Jon Malaga/RHM