Rama wants new body to handle SRP concerns

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to create a special body that would take charge of the “urgencies” needed at the South Road Properties.

“Right now, it’s as if I’m the one who is CITOM (City Traffic Operations Management), it’s as if I’m DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), and as if I’m the one who is always attending to the daily day to day nitty-gritty matter at SRP,” Rama said.

Rama earlier said he would close the SRP if traffic measures will not be implemented to address the increasing number of accidents in the area.

As initial solution, he brought down from 60 kilometer per hour to 40 kph the speed limit at the SRP and said he would want a lane exclusive to motorcycles, considering that most of the accidents recorded involved the two-wheel vehicle. 

Rama said he also wants a special body to address other concerns such as road development and rehabilitation, the construction of a third bridge and the International Eucharistic Congress in 2016.

“I just want to put an identified body aron mag-meeting sila aron kon naay urgency sa area, dili na ako,” he said.

Rama said the body will be headed by the SRP management office head Roberto “Bu” Vasquez.

The group will be composed of stakeholders occupying the area like DPWH, SM management, and Filinvest, among others.

Rama said he wants the body to be multi-sectoral so those concerned will help in addressing the problems, as inspired by People-Privately Driven Governance

He said the creation of the body is a “futuristic move” since his term will end in 2016.

“I’ll be getting busier, so there should be a body that will handle it and it reduces pressure on the part of the city government under the office of the City of the Mayor,” he said.  —JMO (FREEMAN)