CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña believes that Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino is behind the "orchestration" of the increasing number of personalities that are objecting to the P16.9 billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project.
This was Osmeña’s reaction following the recent objection of former mayor Alvin Garcia who said the project is not applicable to Cebu because of the city’s narrow roads.
“That's all orchestrated. It's very clear to me. But, there is no alternative. That's what they don't like to admit,” Osmeña said.
He said there is no other person who is behind the orchestration, but Dino.
Dino, for his part, said Osmeña has not been transparent at all about the impact of the project to the city’s traffic.
"I don't have to convince people, this is a free country, let them decide. All I did was just to show facts and figures," Dino said.
He said that his office is mandated to monitor programs, projects and developments in the Visayas which are deemed critical to the Office of the President.
"I am pushing for a mass transit system that is effective and efficient. The BRT as a bus system succeeded in some cities that purposely built the roads for BRT. That is what we were made to believe from the start," said Dino in a press statement.
However, he said that the BRT system failed in cities when it was forced to be built on existing roads.
"This is what they were hiding from us, until we found out that it will cause more traffic," Dino said.
Osmeña criticized Dino for not being polite in saying the latter will talk to the president for the cancellation of the project.
The mayor said Dino should have said that he will explain and try to convince the president on the cancellation of BRT and not just say “I will talk to the president.”
Aside from Dino and Garcia, “transport expert” Rene Santiago also opposed the project.
There are also some barangay captains in the city who expressed their reservation about the implementation of the project.
But BRT Project Implementation Unit Head Lawyer Rafael Christopher Yap said the project will be implemented and will unlikely to be cancelled.
Osmeña, for his part, said the BRT should not be compared to light rail transit, as what some BRT critics are reportedly doing.
He said the LRT has not undergone the “difficult and tedious” process that BRT has gone through like the approval of the World Bank, Department of Transportation, National Economic and Development Authority, among others.
“You ask the people. You want to pay P8 per ride of BRT or you want to pay P70 or P80 per ride for LRT? Tingali maka-afford si Alvin Garcia sa P70. Ang mga tawo? Ang importante gyud is for you to work and to go to work on time,” the mayor said.
In Manila, Osmeña said the government is losing money P6 billion a year, saying it is only charging P30 per ride when they should be charging P90.
The mayor said he is not against LRT for as long as the city government will not spend any amount for the operation of the system.
He said he is willing to allow any proponent of LRT for as long as BRT will not be cancelled, adding that BRT can complement with the LRT.
The proposed line 1 of LRT, according to proponent Tranzen Group, Inc, is from Talisay City to Cebu City to Mandaue City to Consolacion town.
For the BRT, the first phase will run from Barangay Bulacao to Natalio Bacalso Avenue to South Road Properties to Natalio Bacalso Avenue to Osmeña Boulevard to Escario Street to Ayala Center to Talamban.
According to Tranzen Group Inc., both BRT and LRT would traverse a common section of around six kilometers from Bulacao to Osmeña Boulevard along Natalio Bacalso Avenue.
The proponent is still finishing the pre-feasibility study of the proposed LRT Line 1.
Dino added that Cebuanos demand transparency in this transaction and that the approval process that may have been railroaded in the past since “we just found many inconsistencies.”
"I am recommending for a review and investigation," Dino said.
He added that the BRT project may fail on the required government parameters on “Economic Internal Rate of Return” and “Financial Internal Rate of Return” after the road right of way costs increased astronomically. (FREEMAN)