CEBU, PHILIPPINES — In a vote of 7-2 with four abstentions, the Cebu City Council rejected the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) proposed realignment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project to include the South Road Properties (SRP), supporting Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s push to preserve the original Bulacao-to-Talamban corridor.
The amended resolution changed the council’s position from merely urging the DOTr to reject the proposal to categorically opposing the realignment. It was approved after hours of debate during a special session on Friday.
Voting in favor were Osmeña and Councilors Philip Zafra, Paul Labra II, Michelle Abella-Celona, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, and Joel Garganera. Those who opposed with Councilors Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. and Harry Eran. Councilors Dave Tumulak, Winston Pepito, Mikel Rama, and Nyza Archival abstained.
“We are not asking the DOTr to reject it, we are rejecting it. If the city disapproves the alignment, the DOTr cannot override it,” Osmeña declared, insisting that the CBRT must remain faithful to its original purpose of serving commuters along Cebu City’s main transport corridors.
DOTr project manager Engr. Norvin Imbong maintained that the original Bulacao-Talamban alignment remains part of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-approved plan adopted in 2014. However, he explained that construction shifted to the SRP because right-of-way acquisition in Bulacao has stalled.
“Package 1 is done first, because we don’t have a road right-of-way on that stretch,” he said, noting that only eight of the 121 affected properties have been paid.
Imbong disclosed that at one point, a secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways returned funds to the DOTr because the agency did not want to handle right-of-way acquisition.
He also clarified that the SRP segment was not a new addition, saying it had already been included in the 2014 NEDA approval and in a memorandum of agreement signed by then Mayor Osmeña in 2016.
According to Imbong, the issue is no longer whether the SRP forms part of the project, but how implementation of the Bulacao and Talamban sections has lagged.
Councilor Pepito, chairman of the Committee on Transportation, argued that the SRP should not be excluded because it would also benefit workers employed by businesses in the area.
“Dako kaayo og potensiyal ang SRP especially sa atong mga pobre nga katawhan kung naay tarong nga mass transport, dili lang ang mga negosyante ang makabenepisyo ani, apil pud ang mga trabahante sa mga dakong negosyo,” he said.
Councilor Eran echoed the argument, pointing to the hundreds of employees working in the SRP who continue to struggle with the lack of mass transportation.
Urban planner Engr. Paul Villarete, one of the architects of the CBRT project, emphasized that transport planning should prioritize mobility between residential communities and employment centers.
“Bulacao and Talamban as priority supposedly for me,” he said, stressing that the original corridor remains the most responsive to commuter demand.
City Treasurer Emma Villarete confirmed that right-of-way funds released to the city have largely been used for acquisitions in the Vestil area rather than in Bulacao or Talamban.
“We have not encountered any properties that belong from areas from Bulacao to Talamban,” she said.
Osmeña described the revelation as a “smoking gun,” saying it demonstrated the apparent lack of intent to prioritize the project’s original corridor.
Councilor Andales criticized the DOTr for failing to expedite right-of-way acquisition.
“You are not doing your job,” he told Imbong, noting that funds had already been downloaded as early as 2017 but little progress had been made.
Councilor Arcilla also said that affected property owners, including his own family, had not yet been approached despite their properties being marked for acquisition.
He also floated the possibility of deploying CBRT buses to Bulacao and Talamban under partial operations, to which Imbong replied that such a proposal could be elevated to the DOTr Secretary.
Councilor Garganera questioned whether the system could still be considered a true bus rapid transit network given the number of mixed-traffic sections.
“When out of 34 kilometers, 18 are mixed… di gyud na siya ma rapid. Mas transport is how fast from one point to the other. With the presence of mixed road, unsegregated, we cannot see the light here. This is a bus station,” he said.
Representing the city’s southern district, Eran questioned why construction did not begin in Bulacao.
“Why not start from the original Bulacao route?” he asked, expressing concern that once the SRP section is completed, the remaining segments may no longer be prioritized.
Throughout the proceedings, Osmeña maintained that prioritizing the SRP would divert resources away from the commuters who need the system most.
“There’s only one road going to the North, there’s only one major artery going to the South, and the one using it are the poor people. If we open up a road in Talamban, it will connect to the mountain barangays, Mandaue for people can buy affordable housing. Why are we going to help Nustar and Filinvest? Our present priority are the people who need help—the urban poor in Cebu,” he said.
The approved resolution underscores the city’s position that the CBRT should retain its original design, which was planned, studied, and funded to serve densely populated residential communities.
It directs the DOTr to restore and implement the project along the original Bulacao-Talamban alignment, consistent with the commitments made when international funding was secured. Copies of the resolution will be furnished to the DOTr and the World Bank.
“If we do not do this, we will not get the RROW acquisition on Bulacao and Talamban. Look at the body language—they are disposing funds going to Seaside. Let the people decide. Let’s have a plebiscite,” Osmeña said.
| Caecent No-ot Magsumbol and Preciosa Bacalso / FPL
