Udenna, foreign partners submit revised proposal for Cebu LRT

MANILA, Philippines — The group of Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. and its foreign partners has submitted a revised unsolicited proposal for the development of a Cebu Light Rail Transit (LRT) system which entails a lower investment cost.

A representative of Udenna told The STAR that the latest version of the proposal would entail a total investment of $1.5 billion, lower by half from the original proposal.

The representative said the revised proposal includes priority lines, which are the Cebu central line and the airport line.

Last July, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said a consortium composed of Chinese, Singaporean, and Filipino nationalities submitted a proposal to construct a $3-billion LRT system with a subway component as part of the government’s efforts to address the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Cebu.

The DOTr, however, did not disclose the identity of the companies involved.

The proposal, it said, will include an above ground component from Talisay to Carcar and from Mandaue to Danao, with an airport line from Mandaue to the Mactan Cebu International Airport complex.

Transportation Undersecretary for planning Ruben Reinoso told The STAR that the resubmitted proposal for the Cebu LRT system was received by his office late last week and is now under evaluation.

The LRT is seen by the DOTr as a major component of its planned Cebu Integrated and Intermodal Transport System Project which also include a bus rapid system in three-lane roads, a point-to-point bus system similar to MyBus, which is already operational in the city, and a monorail in Lapu-Lapu City.

The DOTr is eyeing to have phase one of the Cebu LRT, including a common station, operational by 2020.

Udenna, the holding company of Uy, has recently secured an original proponent status from the DOTr for the development of a monorail in Davao City. The project has been endorsed to the National Economic and Development Authority Board – Investment Coordination Committee for approval.

Udenna has also formed a consortium with state-owned China Telecom and has been declared as the new major player in the industry.