City targets to finish land acquisition for BRT this year
The Cebu City government targets to complete the land acquisition of all properties affected by the implementation of the P16.3 billion bus rapid transit (BRT) project this year.
As of now, the Office of the Mayor is still reviewing the draft executive order finalizing the list of persons and properties affected by the project.
“We will have an executive order. The law doesn’t state in what form it has to be. We will do EO to shield it from politics,” BRT Project Manager Rafael Yap told The FREEMAN.
Last year, Councilor Joel Garganera has laid his proposed ordinance finalizing the list of affected persons and properties.
Yap said there’s a need for the city government to guard the implementation of the BRT and prevent the people from taking advantage of the land acquisition and resettlement activities.
The executive order would also prohibit the development or any construction within the right of way of the project.
Yap admitted that there are challenges that need to be surpassed to finish the land acquisition before the end of the year.
One challenge is documentation because record keeping in the government and private sector is not uniform or updated. Another challenge is cooperation since some landowners who are resistant and confused are also getting mixed signals from the government.
City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said the World Bank has issued a no objection comment about the draft executive order while the City Legal Office has yet to issue its comment.
Villarete said several goals have to be achieved this year for the project like ensuring that its schedules and timelines will be adequately met.
He said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has several responsibilities to achieve this year such as the completion of the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) and the procurement of the Contractor for the Civil Works; start of construction of phase 1 - Package 1 and the engagement of the Construction Supervision; and completion, approval, and establishment of the Institutional Framework, the completion of the Business Case and Operations Plans and the procurement of the Operating Entities and Operators.
He is worried on the business case and operation plans and the procurement of the operating entities and operators.
“The reason why I’m worried about the institutional and operations issues is because these are oftentimes most neglected in project planning. In 2009, at the start of the Pre-FS, I already said that this project will succeed or fail depending on how we plan to establish the institutional arrangements and plan and work out the operational procedures and processes,” he said.
“The infrastructure seems daunting but really, once we secure project financing (through CTF in 2009), the Civil Works is routine and will fall into place. There might be delays but these are the usual ones,” he added.
Villarete said the institutional and operational aspects are something to be addressed as early as possible, as thoroughly as possible, and fast.
There is a need for constant coordination and updating between the city government and the DOTr to speed up the processes, he added.
MBG