Aging infrastructure dampens Cebu growth

CEBU, Philippines — Despite being the key urban center outside the country’s capital, Cebu is unlucky to remain poor in terms of infrastructure amid seeing unprecedented economic growth in recent years.

While plans are underway to solve the city’s aging infrastructure, Cebuanos might endure some more the negative fruit of economic growth — traffic — unless key infrastructure projects to address this worsening problem are implemented.

"The (infrastructure plan) will be benefit Cebu but for the meantime we must bear the inconvenience of progress," Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Alegria "Bing" Limjoco told The FREEMAN yesterday.

Being a vital contributor to the country’s economic output, Cebu hasn't received the much-needed infrastructure to keep with its growth.

But Limjoco was optimistic Cebu will soon see improvements in its infrastructure.

"I have seen the master plan for Cebu. It will solve your infrastructure," the business leader said.

The government has laid out projects for Cebu including the to-be-implemented Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the Metro Cebu Expressway, whose construction seen to start next year and should hopefully cut travel time from Cebu’s north to south area.

"I understand starting 2019 we should start seeing improvements slowly but surely," Limjoco pointed out.

Last July, the construction of the third bridge linking Cebu City to Mactan Island had already started and is expected to be completed 2022.

The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway is expected to lessen the congestion in the existing two bridges.

"It is the golden age of infrastructure. Let us look at the big picture. But we must be patient too. (We) cannot do it overnight," Limjoco said.

The Department of Transportation had also proposed to implement a railway in Cebu as a key solution to traffic congestion.

The integrated transport system the DOTr had proposed will include a point-to-point (P2P) bus system similar to MyBus, which is already operational in the city; a monorail in Lapu-Lapu City; the BRT in three-lane roads; and the LRT (light rail transit) lines from Carcar to Danao, and the Mandaue to Airport Line.

To cater to inter-city passengers, the LRT system will become the major component of the ITS. It will traverse from the city of Carcar to Danao City.

A Singaporean-Chinese and Filipino consortium had submitted a proposal to construct a US$3-billion LRT system with a subway component in Cebu City, an above ground component from Talisay to Carcar and from Mandaue to Danao. (FREEMAN)