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To avoid damaging Cebu City landmarks like Fuente Osmeña and Osmeña Boulevard, a ?straight line? route is better for the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT), a Cebu lawmaker said yesterday.
Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district said LRT private sector proponents should stick to the original proposal of building rails along the national highway from Talisay City in the south to Mandaue City in the north.
?Instead of a circuitous design, straight line na lang para dili maguba ang view ang mga landmarks,? he said.
He was referring both to actual damage of heritage sites like the park and boulevard, as well as impairing the view of landmarks like the Provincial Capitol, where the LRT would pass.
The ?via Capitol? route, one of seven mentioned by private proponents, was considered the ?best? by investors in terms of picking up the maximum number of passengers.
Johnny Ramos, AMA Group Holdings vice president and the LRT project director, said he hopes to return to Cebu later this week and present a written reply to concerns raised by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
The mayor, who angrily rejected the 19-kilometer LRT during a presentation in Cebu City last Oct. 17, worried that the LRT scheme would jeopardize chances for his Bus Rapid Transit proposal in getting a foreign loan.
Other concerns raised by Osmeña and other quarters:
* funding terms for the more expensive $603 million LRT compared with a $75 million bus-based system;
* a P15 boarding fee, which is ?not affordable? to the poor
* damage to heritage landmarks;
* the use of ?outdated? statistics on Metro Cebu transportation from the 1980s; and
* a project designed to move passengers, not heavy cargo that townfolk would need.
SUPPORT NEEDED
The private consortium that hopes to invest in the LRT proposal needs the support of mayors of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities before it can present the case to the Regional Development Council in November.
In its timetable, the project should be awarded before the May 2010 elections.
About 95 percent of the riders of the LRT are expected to come from Cebu City.
Ramos told CDN he hopes Cebu City officials will support the LRT project after reading the project brief and written response.
A total of 33 air-conditioned, electric-powered train coaches are envisioned to run in overhead rails similar to the LRT in Metro Manila. Construction would take four years.
The consortium plans to implement the project next year under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.
A key feature is a ?Metro Mall? in 20 hectares of Mandaue City, where a depot-mall and commercial office development will allow investors to earn revenue.
Congressman Gullas said an LRT would be most beneficial if implemented in Metro Cebu thoroughfares while the BRT proposal of Osmeña would best suit road networks in the reclamation zone of the South Road Properties (SRP).
Gullas said when the LRT proposal was first presented to Cebu officials, including Osmeña, it had a ?straight line design? where rails would follow the national highway from south to north. ?But they (AMA Group) decided to have a circuitous design,? said Gullas.
That meeting was called by the Department of Transportation and communication (DOCT) at the Central Visayas office of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda).
Gov. Gwen Garcia said she, too favors, an LRT in Metro Cebu as the most ?responsive? mode of public transport. She declined to talk in detail since she hasn't read a copy of the feasibility study yet.
Ramos of the AMA group said investors needed to extend the rails to crowded areas like the site of Provincial Capitol to accommodate 200,000 passengers daily to sustain operations.
In the Capitol route showed by the AMA Group, the LRT rails will start in Tabunok, Talisay and follow the center lanes of N. Bacalso Ave., turn left to Osmena Boulevard, right to Escario Street., right to Gorordo Avenue., to the Ayala access road to Juan Luna Ave. (San Jose dela Montaña) to SM City, to the North Bus Terminal then the national highway in Mandaue City.
Under Phase II and III, routes will extend from Talisay to Dalaguete town in the south, and Mandaue City to Sogod town in the north.
Foreign loans will be secured for the LRT. Ownership and management of the rails would be turned over to the national government through DOTC after a period of 25 years.
Gullas said he was confident the LRT project would not endanger Cebu City 's bus project which is seeking loan funding from the International Funding Community (IFC), one of the lenders which the AMA Group is also eyeing.
'Cebu can ask for subsidy for LRT fare rate'
A P15 boarding fee for the proposed Light Rail Transit is ?not affordable? for most commuters, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena said.
His objection was heard in last week's presentation by LRT proponents.
Rep. Eduardo Gullas yesterday said the P15 fee may still be reduced after renegotiations with the AMA Group.
Another option is for the national government to subsidize part of the fare rate, he added.
If Cebu officials unite, they can ask for subsidy even if there's a change in administration, said Gullas.
?There will already be nine congressmen in Cebu including Lapu-Lapu City and four party list representatives from here. Can you imagine the 13 of us knocking on the national government to ask for subsidy?? said Gullas.
?In this project, Cebu City and the rest of the province will benefit,? he said.
In Metro Manila, the MRT fare is between P10 to P15, which is a subsidized rate said Cebu City Planning and Development Officer Nigel Villarete.
The national government decided to subsidize a big part of the fare, which was originally pegged at P63.
