According to a report in this newspaper, the Department of Transportation asked the Cebu City Council to build a new road network within the South Road Properties (SRP) for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT).
However, the Cebu City Council ruled against the proposal.
It said its hands are tied; as there is no Joint Venture Agreement covering the property jointly developed by the Cebu City Government and Filinvest Land Inc. and without such an agreement it’s impossible for the council to determine ownership structures, rights, obligations, and whether the city can lawfully authorize the proposed road works without the agreement of Filinvest.
Fair enough, it’s a valid reason. We don’t want the city getting into trouble, especially one that requires a rather expensive remedy in terms of legal fees. The Cebu City Government must adhere to what it has agreed with Filinvest.
But it should also be said that that area would be ideal to be covered by BRT service.
The SRP is bound to become a center of commerce as well as social events in the next few years, what with what’s being developed there right now as well as what’s being planned to be built there.
One of those is the SM Seaside Arena, which boasts of a seating capacity of 25,000 people, and touted to be the venue for concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, and more.
It’s set to open next month, in case some of you didn’t know.
But right now, the SRP is only mostly accessible to those who have private vehicles or who can afford taxis with regular frequently. If we want more people to be able to access the SRP then the BRT is the solution.
Can the authorities sit down with the concerned parties to make the SRP accessible to or part of the BRT system? We hope this is possible.