Tomas: No further studies needed for BRT project

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is hopeful that President Rodrigo Duterte will let the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project proceed.

This, after Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade met with representatives of the World Bank yesterday to discuss and resolve the fate of the BRT project.

In his news conference, Osmeña said he hopes that the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee (Neda-ICC) will overrule the DOTr’s observations on the BRT project.

“We all know Tugade has another agenda and he doesn’t like the BRT. The one who will make the decision is the President, if is he going to support the people of Cebu. I hope so. The Social Weather Stations survey shows the people favor the BRT and Tugade has nothing to offer,” he told reporters.

The group also inspected the BRT route yesterday but did not invite anyone from the City Government.

The move, Osmeña said, shows that Tugade is trying to hide something.

“The fact that he is meeting with the World Bank without even asking us to join... this lack of transparency shows that he’s trying to hide something from the people of Cebu,” he said.

Osmeña said the project no longer needs further study as it has been studied before.

If there is a need to widen the road, Osmeña said it would be cheaper for the government to acquire lots to add two more lanes along the BRT route than to opt for the light rail transit.

The World Bank approved in September 2014 a US$141-million financial package for the project, consisting of a $116-million loan from the World Bank and a $25-million loan from the Clean Technology Fund.

The French Development Agency also extended in February 2015 an offer to lend