City sets aside P300 million to buy lots, open roads

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Government will disburse over P300 million for road openings, lot acquisition, and site developments before the year ends.

Lawyer Jose Daluz III, special assistant to the mayor, said the executive department has proposed P150 million for the opening of roads, P100 million for site development and P57 million for lot acquisition – all under the P2.5 billion Supplemental Budget-2.

“It’s very important to open more roads…In this way...to create economic activity for Cebu City, we have to open up more roads. It will also decongest the traffic problem that we have,” he said.

Daluz said most of the road openings will be in the mountain areas of the city which will connect to the urban areas.

He cited the ongoing project of the national government which is the Cebu Expressway wherein there would be a road that will be established from Naga to Danao City.

This project will pass through the city’s mountain area, which is why the city has to appropriate funds for its own road opening, he said.

The P150 million will accommodate 10 kilometers of new roads since one kilometer is estimated to cost about P15 million.

As for the P100 million site development, Daluz said there are several relocation sites in the city that need to be improved to be more habitable. One of this is the 93-1 lot in Barangay Busay where a 5,000-square meter area is located.

Daluz said the executive department, through the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), will prioritize the improvements of the relocation sites for urban poor communities in the south and north districts of the city.

He added there is also an improvement in the relocation site in Barangay Quiot and other barangays.

“Ang mga tawo nga na-demolish, maglisod og adto. Daghan og bakante pero no one wants to go there kay walay tubig, suga, walay dalan,” he added.

Daluz said Mayor Edgardo Labella wants to finish all site development plans, surveys, and other subdivision plans to ensure the area will be habitable for the urban poor.

As for the P57 million, Daluz said the city will complete the payment of the lot acquisition in Barangay Quiot which was started by the previous administration.

He said the city will also purchase an area in Barangay Inayawan for different projects of the current administration. — GAN (FREEMAN)