Archival to lead BRT team as Villarete heads to MCIA

CEBU, Philippines – With the impending transfer of Cebu City Planning and Development Coordinator Nigel Paul Villarete to the Mactan Cebu International Airport as its new general manager, Mayor Michael Rama will be appointing former councilor Nestor Archival as point person for matters relating to the Bus Rapid Transit project.

Villarete is heading the project at present, which the city started during the term of former mayor and current South District Representative Tomas Osmeña.

Rama said Archival will be hired as BRT consultant under the office of the mayor.

"It should be Nestor because he has been with me and with the city for so long. But Paul will continue to be helping," Rama said.

Villarete himself committed to continue helping the project.

"Even I'm not here, I can always serve the city in any capacity," Villarete said. He is expected to receive his appointment to MCIAA on October 26, the last day of the ban on appointments during election time.

He announced that the World Bank has already committed USD1 million to commence the feasibility study for a BRT system.

WB reportedly made the commitment during a meeting with the Department of Transportation and Communication last week.

"I'm very glad to tell the Cebuanos that we are on our way for the completion of the bus rapid transit. We have agreed that the World Bank will make available the funds for the conduct of the full blown feasibility study of the BRT," Villarete said.

The feasibility study will determine the exact project cost, project design, requirements for maintenance, and management and operations, which will include recommendations on the institutional arrangement and proposed loan structuring and possible cost sharing between the national government and the local government units concerned.

Villarete clarified that the study will not include detailed engineering plans, as it will be part of the full package later.

"The feasibility study will include full feasibility analysis as well as the preliminary design. It will focus more on the integration of transport and urban planning and also to the kind propulsion that we may need for the BRT in Cebu," he said.

WB and DOTC have been working double time to complete the Project Concept Note (PCN) and the Terms of Reference (TOR) by next month.

If they can finalize the PCN and TOR by next month, the feasibility study may start by March. WB will release the funds to DOTC, the agency that will undertake the feasibility study. 

Villarete said the study may run from eight to 10 months while construction of infrastructures and other preparations for the full operation will run for 12 to 18 months. If all goes well, the BRT is expected to be fully operational by 2014.

Middle of this year, WB consultants released the result of the prefeasibility study of BRT in Cebu City.

The study showed that the BRT is feasible here and is expected to generate some USD15 million per annum for the city, based on the current Public Utility Jeepney rates.

Since it will not need subsidy to continue operating, the USD15 million revenue is reportedly enough to finance the continuous operation of the BRT.

The WB already allocated USD350 million for the implementation of the BRT in both Cebu and Manila.

Of this amount, USD50 million will come from the Clean Technology Fund, USD250 million from the WB and USD50 million from the national government. (FREEMAN)