Biz sector hopes for mass transpo works to take off

CEBU, Philippines — Can Cebu finally see actual implementation of a mass transport system next year?

That is if the government holds firm to its promise.

The Cebu business sector, for one, is hoping that actual works could already start next year.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Antonio Chiu expressed hope that proposed mass transport solutions for Cebu could move faster next year, reiterating these are long overdue.

"We hope that next year we can already see movements," the business leader said in a recent interview.

Chiu said that the already approved and funded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Cebu City must get implemented.

But he also supports other proposed projects such as a Light Rail Transit (LRT) and bus system.

"True enough BRT is just one of our solutions. It's not the best solution but the only solution we have with funding. But again we need a basket of solutions to solve the traffic problem," the chamber president said.

Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, presidential assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, and the technical service consultant of Cebu LRT and BRT met to discuss the Cebu Integrated and Intermodal Transport System Project, which involves a basket of solutions to synchronize various transport solutions to address traffic woes in Metro Cebu.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) had said it was agreed upon by the officials during the meeting that phase one of Cebu BRT and LRT, including its common station, would be operational by 2020.

According to DOTr, no specific companies have been chosen to undertake the projects yet.

In July, the DOTr had announced a consortium composed of Chinese, Singaporean and Filipino nationalities had submitted a proposal to construct a $3-billion LRT system with a subway component.

The $3-billion proposal 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.

Apart from the LRT, other components of the planned Cebu Integrated and Intermodal Transport System Project include a BRT 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.

Tugade earlier said the LRT system would be a major component of the integrated transport system.