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Capitol officials met yesterday with representatives of a Manila-based consortium which expressed interest in undertaking the long delayed Cebu Trans-axial Highway project.
Wilihardo Morales Jr., vice president of Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc. (ASAHI), and their lawyer Aristotle Batuhan were briefed on the project by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and a team from the provincial engineer’s office.
Batuhan said they would need six months to study whether it’s viable.
Two foreign investors are also expected to drop by this month for a project briefing, said Capitol consultant Rory John Sepulveda.
He said the consortium's visit showed the project remains “alive” and continues to attract potential investors.
“Trabahoon man gyud n namo (We will work on this),” he said.
Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez earlier this year lamented that his pet project was “good as dead” because of the “lack of sincerity” of some Capitol officials regarding r the pre-feasibility study he submitted to the Provincial Economic Enterprise Council last year.
Most of the project’s consultants were not rehired when their contracts ended last year.
Sepulveda yesterday said the EEC was still reviewing the viablitlity of the project. The proposed 300-kilometer highway was estimated to cost P45 billlion in 2007.
Sepulveda said the council, which is headed by Governor Garcia, is considering whether to undertake the project on as a build-operate-transfer (BOT), build- transfer-operate (BTO) or a joint venture.
“We want to be certain what is the most appropriate vehicle,” he said and expressed confidence that components could be bidded out before yearend.
Morales and Batuhan discussed the project with the governor .
Sepulveda said the visitors were given data on traffic volume and population count.
“If we find it (the project) financially and technically feasible then we will submit our proposal,” Batuhan told reporters after the closed-door meeting with Capitol officials.
“I think we have seen that the province is very promising because of its huge potential. We’ve seen the potential traffic that will flow into Cebu coming from the neighboring islands,” Batuhan said.
He said they could foresee that the Transaxial Highway project would benefit traffic from Mindanao and neighboring provinces which would converge in Cebu where markets are located.
However, Batuhan said they are wary of the project cost because the Cebu provincial government won’t spend a single centavo for it.
Sepulveda said the consortium could tap foreign partners for their projects.
Among the consortium's projects are the Makati City Skyway and the computerization of the Land Transportation Offfice as well as the Register of Deeds under the Land Registration Commission.
