Archival: City has no power to scrap CBRT’s SRP loop

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the city government has no authority to cancel the South Road Properties (SRP) loop of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT), saying the project is under the national government.

Archival made the statement after the Cebu City Council approved a resolution authored by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña rejecting the inclusion of the SRP in the CBRT route.

“I don’t have the power because that is not our project, actually. Dili man na atoang project. Beneficiary ra man ta. Moingon nyag ‘Uy!’ gitagaan pa mo, nagreklamo pa mo,” Archival told reporters in an interview.

The mayor said he would write to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to inform the agency of the council's action and clarify the city's position. He stressed that the SRP segment is already part of the approved alignment, citing DOTr documents signed by Osmeña himself during his term as city mayor.

“Naa na gyud na sa plano ang SRP. Oh, whether you like it, naa gyud na, kay naa man gyu’y dokumento nila nga nakapirma ang Vice Mayor,” he said.

Archival acknowledged Osmeña's concern over why the SRP was prioritized but said the DOTr opted to proceed with the area because of right-of-way problems in Bulacao.

“Lisod man gud unahon didto kay daghan mang reklamo. Dinhi sa Vestil, dili man daghan. So mas dali dinha,” Archival explained.

He recalled that the original CBRT alignment ran from Bulacao to Talamban via Mambaling, SRP, South Bus Terminal, Jones Avenue, the Capitol area, Escario Street, Ayala Center Cebu and IT Park.

According to Archival, during the administration of mayor Edgardo Labella, with then Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas secretary Michael Dino, the route was extended to include the SRP and Talisay City, increasing the project's length from 24 kilometers to 34 kilometers.

“Mao na ang final route nga na aprobahan. Although kung makita nimo, ang katong original concept nga gi conceptualize ni Vice Mayor Tommy, naa gihapon. Pero mao na ang gitan aw sa atong council nga aron maapil gyud didto ang Bulacao,” Archival said.

On July 3, the City Council approved Osmeña’s resolution rejecting what it described as the CBRT "realignment" to the SRP.

Seven councilors voted in favor of the resolution, two opposed it, while four abstained.

Osmeña argued that prioritizing the SRP corridor shortchanged the poor who were supposed to benefit from the original Bulacao-Talamban alignment. Despite the council's position, Archival said scrapping the SRP segment is beyond the city's authority.

“I don’t know how to cancel it. Di man ko kibaw unsaon pag cancel ana. Ug i-cancel nato, unsa man, di nato butangan og bus?”

He reiterated that the city cannot dictate changes to a project being implemented by the national government.

Archival also addressed concerns over the project's financing, saying prolonged delays have already cost the government millions of pesos in standby fees on the project's loan.

“Sa pagsabot nako, naa pa gihapon sila’y (World Bank) intention to help. Ang ila lang gitan aw nga murag nag bleed ang government kay the moment nadawat nila ang P27 billion, nagsige man ta og bayad og standby fee. Nagbayad man ta og kwarta nga dako,” Archival said.

Asked about his differing position from Osmeña, the mayor downplayed suggestions of a personal rift.

“Ever since nga nagsugod ta, ang ako lang nga naa man mi kaugalingon gyud nga ideas. But ideas don’t mean a conflict of personal interest. Ang tan-aw ni Vice is basically wa na gituman, na shortchange ang mga pobre. Sa akong case, I understand nga lisod man unahon didto kay mas sayon man diri. So we’ll just navigate,” he said.

Archival added that differing views are part of governance.

“Mao man gyud na’y normal nato nga, we call that sa government, navigation ba. So we’ll just navigate. In the same way, I’m trying to navigate nga mao ni ang sitwasyon,” Archival said.

The CBRT was first conceptualized in the 1990s during Osmeña's term as mayor. The original proposal was a 22.96-kilometer route spanning Bulacao toTalamban corridor. The then National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the project in 2014, with financing support from the World Bank.

The project has since faced repeated delays due to right-of-way issues, political disagreements and debates over route prioritization. — Preciosa Bacalso/FPL (FREEMAN)