Cebu City: Infra, drainage projects to start next year

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government has assured that infrastructure and drainage projects at the South Road Properties would be implemented in 2016.

This, after Filinvest Land, Inc., a developer which undertook a joint venture agreement with City Hall, reminded the city of the road concreting project and drainage and sewer line that it has committed to implement.

FLI sent a letter to Mayor Michael Rama dated September 14, 2015 reminding the city on the joint venture agreement signed six years ago.

FLI is also asking the city government to prioritize the construction of two commercial roads at the SRP, concreting and completion of Industrial Road 1 or the SRP Pardo Access to a width of 40 meters, as well as the construction of a drainage line along this road; and concreting of Commercial Road 1 and Commercial Road 2.

Lawyer Rafael Yap, head of the Cebu-Bus Rapid Transit project, said the city government is aware of the pending infrastructure projects.

He said development of the roads and drainage in the area covered under the joint venture agreement is included in the P10.6-billion Cebu-BRT project.

“In terms of commitment, we hope to be able to bid out the projects to improve Commercial Roads 1 and 2 by next year. (As to when,) it will still depend on the results of the ongoing Detailed Engineering Design (DED) study for the BRT,” he said.

Yap said the first phase of the BRT project will start from Barangay Bulacao until Ayala Center Cebu.

“During the feasibility study discussions, it was decided to include SRP in the scope considering the potential passenger demand that can be serviced…because SRP in the very near future will serve as a nexus of activity in the same way that Cebu Business Park does. When I say nexus of activity, I mean that it has a lot of passenger demand,” he said.

First phase of the DED, he said, is expected to be concluded by January 2016.

“The city was not remiss with its obligations. The mayor was even fighting for it. There are just circumstances beyond our control. But we do understand the need for these developments in the SRP and we want to assure the SRP locators that we are aware of that,” he said.

He said delay of the approval of the BRT project at the national level contributed to the interruption of implementation process. – (FREEMAN)