The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) suspended the operation of the Cebu Railway Project Office (CRPO), effective last December 31.
DOTC instructed General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to take custody of the equipment in the office, set up in 2009 in preparation for the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Cebu.
"We would like to reiterate our verbal request to transfer the office equipment of the CRPO to MCIAA for storage purposes, as the latter's operation is suspended effective Dec. 31, 2010," read the letter from Glicerio V. Sikat, DOTC Undersecretary for rail transport and civil aviation.
The letter, dated December 22, was addressed to Villarete, who said that the reason the CRPO equipment will be entrusted with MCIAA could be that both the authority and the CRPO report to the same undersecretary in the DOTC.
The CRPO holds office in Crown Plaza at the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.
The CRPO was established in 2009 by Guiling Maondiong, then DOTC Undersecretary for railway and civil aviation, who conducted a public hearing in August 2009 on the railway project in Cebu as proposed by the AMA Group of Companies.
The railway project has drawn support from Cebu Reps. Eduardo Gullas (first district), Pablo Garcia (second district), Pablo John Garcia (third district) and Benhur Salimbangon (fourth district). It will serve Mandaue City, Cebu City and Talisay City, and will stretch from Talisay City to Dalaguete town in southern Cebu and from Mandaue City to Catmon in the north.
But in the same public hearing, then Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña (now congressman of Cebu City's south district) opposed the LRT project and called DOTC officials "lousy" urban planners.
Osmeña, together with Villarete who was then the Cebu City Planning and Development officer, is advocating for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system instead of a rail system.
Villarete said the DOTC discussed last month the BRT proposal with World Bank representatives, who committed to provide financial assistance for the feasibility study.
In the meantime, Villarete said he is proposing to the Korean International Cooperation Agency to consider providing funds for BRT-ready transport that will link the airport to the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.
BRT-ready means the proper agency will acquire buses, which can be used in any route but will be compatible with the BRT system once the infrastructure is in place. (PNA)
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